My Pop found this long-lost photo from my Broadway HAIRSPRAY audition circa 2004. Looks pretty good… check out those legs! It took me about 3 hours to prepare for this audition and it garnished me a call back,   but alas… I did not get cast. The song I sang was THOSE WERE THE DAYS, the song Jean Stapleton sang in character as Edith Bunker for the opening credits of the famous 1970’s TV Show ALL IN THE FAMILY.

PS… Being frustrated about a wig, you can notice the hair rollers I sewed to the kerchief, then added slippers to get that worn housewife look.

At the theater last night someone dropped their ticket in the lobby and apparently an elderly woman picked it up and used it to enter the theater.  She then went to the  box office and tried to exchange it for another seat. When the scam was found out, the elderly woman raced up the stairs and out of the theater in the falling snow… not to be seen again.  Boy I wish I could run up the stairs  like her!

In snow-laden New York City,

-Jeff

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, right now. Everyone’s got something to cool share and it’s the season of giving, so give it to me.

L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray
I usually hate hair spray. I was scarred by my senior year roommate who sprayed an entire massive can of extra hold spray into her hair on a daily basis. In fact, if I close my eyes I can still taste the left-over mist in my mouth. It really made it a joy to pee…and shower… for a year. I so badly wanted to tell her that 80s bangs and poofy hair left with – uh – the 80s, but instead, I added hairspray to my food diary… and held my breath for dear life every time I had to go near the bathroom.

But, the fact is, sometimes, a girl needs some spray. When you’re curling your hair, when you have a Jew fro (unfortch, me), when you need to tame fly-aways without making your hair look like you just rubbed grease all over it…

Enter from stage left: the best new hairspray ever from beauty giant, L’Oreal. Apparently Europe has been in The Know on this stuff for years, but some ingredient made it illegal to sell in the U.S. Not anymore! With a new formula this bad boy is on shelves nationwide and, once everyone is in The Know, it will be flying off said shelves quite soon. It’s non-sticky, non-smelly, and specially formulated for all different types of hair. Now my hair looks good and my tongue is not coated with some stank taste of product. Mission accomplished.

Danskin Women’s Supplex/Lycra Capri Legging
When leggings first came into trend, I stole a pair I found buried in my mom’s drawer of 90s puff-paint sweatshirts and pin-on accessories. Truth. But regardless of their roots, they are my favorite leggings I own and the only ones I wear. Every single day. But can you blame me? They suck everything in and make my legs look damn good while still being comfortable enough that I feel like I have room to eat that extra cookie. And still look good.

I’ve wanted another pair forever (because wearing the same pants every day is gross) but whatever 90s company made them no longer exists. But, hollerrrr, I recently learned that the brand Danskin makes leggings that do the exact same thing. Calf or ankle length, these Supplex leggings are a must-have for your wardrobe. You’ll look hot, your butt won’t jiggle when you walk and you can even work them at the gym.

Lippman Collections’ Happy Birthday Nail Polish
I will be the first to admit that $20 is a lot to spend on a nail polish. But Lippman Collections’ Happy Birthday may be worth it. It’s multi-colored glitter makes your finger nails look like your 3rd grade art project and, really, who doesn’t want that? Could it be I’m so into this shade because I want revenge for the time in 7th grade I brought home gold glitter Hard Candy nail polish and my mom yelled at me and told me no daughter of hers would wear that crap on her nails and then made me return it? Sure. But I also think it’s pretty, it’s shiny, it’s fun and it’s the perfect holiday party/NYE polish. And if you like the idea of shimmer but sequins aren’t your thing, this is a great way to add some shine without looking like you’re wearing a dance costume (says the girl who is typing this while sporting her sequined black and gold headband from her 2001 dance costume…).

Sports high school movies (Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights) aren’t actually high school movies so much as sports movies, and won’t be included here. But for the record, Friday Night Lights is one of the most realistic high school movies I’ve ever seen. Also, high school movies where the high school is not in the movie all that much (I’m talking to you, American Graffiti! And you, Ferris Bueller!) aren’t going to be on this list. Also, I usually stay away from high school movies like the plague, so I haven’t seen what critics think are unappreciated classics like Rushmore and Heathers and Clueless.

Realistic fare:

• American Pie. As sophomoric, stupid, lame, generally not funny, cringeworthy, etc. this movie is, it has moments of stark realism. The concept of the movie: guys trying to get some sex before leaving high school so they won’t be virgins in college. I have a hard time imagining that this has never happened before. I have a hard time imagining that this isn’t based off of a true story. Fortunately, even though this fits in the ranks of the oddly realistic high school movies, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott, and Eugene Levy are the only people in this movie who have careers anymore. Who’s fallen the farthest? Tara Reid, who has captained a team on Wild ‘N Out, the Nick Cannon improv show, known in some circles as “Whose Line for Black People.” How do I know this? My roommate, Iron Mike, will leave MTV2 on all night. You could judge me. I think you should pity me instead.
• Stand and Deliver. There are two reasons that this movie goes under the realistic category. 1) It’s based on a true story, which leaves little room for the Andy Garcia Memorial Prosecution: ”Aw, they made this up, they’re cheating.” 2) That combover that Edward James Olmos almost shamefully sports in that film? Yeah. Teachers don’t have any fashion sense. Now, if I become a teacher without being fashionable, does that mean that I will be wearing Christmas sweaters all the time when I’m sixty? It’s possible.
• Mean Girls. Yes, I know. Just because I love it and know all the lines doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily realistic. And I think once Lindsay Lohan decides to become good again, it loses quite a bit of the realism. But I really do believe that, just like in revolutionary France, there is a great deal of social tension riding between the fight between the Second Estate of Attractive, Well-Dressed People, the Third Estate of Everyone Else, and the First Estate of Teachers Who Don’t Actually Remember High School. Golly, imagine if they guillotined Regina instead of just pushing her in front of a bus…
• Fame. When you put a theater high school in New York, you’re usually not making a recipe for a realistic movie. Fame happens to be one of the most realistic high school movies ever. “Empire State of Mind” can push itself off the Brooklyn Bridge for romanticizing Times Square. This movie deals with the Bronx in the ’70s. There is very little romanticization. These are realistic kids, with totally unrealistic dreams in an unrealistic profession. And they manage to make it through this movie, for the most part, with dignities intact. A really underrated movie.
• Napoleon Dynamite. I really hate to put this one on here, because, well, we hates them, Precious. We hates those filthy, nasty Hobbitses, Napoleon and Pedro. Ignore the lame phrases that become quotes later on. Ignore every family interaction that Napoleon has. Ignore Lafawnduh. And you’ll find the ennui of high school in Idaho. And oh, dear sweet baby Jesus, will you ever find the ennui of high school in Idaho. It really does depict that incredibly boring aspect of high school really well. You go every day, you do the same thing every day; if you don’t have friends, you can drive yourself up the wall drawing ligers…sigh.
• The History Boys. Before Domenic Cooper was in Mamma Mia!, he was in The History Boys. An absolutely gorgeous movie. Probably should have asked for it for Christmas. Homosexuality abounds in this movie about really intelligent guys trying to get into a really good college so they’ll have really good lives. It’s hard for me to describe just why it’s so true to life. Go see it.

Movies that just aren’t realistic. An interestingly large number of these will be musicals. I apologize.

• Black kids and white kids don’t interact in a high school in New Jersey in 2009. So to say that in 1962 Baltimore that it could happen is well, stupid. In some other ways, Hairspray is an almost realistic high school movie, especially in parent-to-kid relations. In all others, it’s not. But it gave Matthew Morrison his start. Providence.
• Carrie. You know, Brian De Palma was actually doing a pretty good job until he decided to throw that entire telekinesis thing in the movie. I mean, what’s that all about? Nobody burns down the Prom because she’s angry, and she definitely doesn’t do it with her mind. It’s a shame that people think of this as a good high school movie. Realistic it ain’t! This is one of the great failures of cinema.
• Grease. People change to become popular, and sell their souls to do it. That’s realistic, and it’s excellently stated. People also get pregnant in high school…woo-hoo. People also drop out of high school…woo-hoo. There are also dumb jocks in high school…woo-hoo. I mean, it is realistic, but it doesn’t do anything about it. Grease had a unique oppurtunity to make some very fine social commentary, and then it laid the groundwork but didn’t build on it. Carmela DiFlorio almost singlehandedly made me interested in this musical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eNmS_QMiI When she sang this, I almost changed my mind about Grease. And yes, Martine McCutcheon was in Love Actually. If anyone reading this is at Eastern, please giver her my best. And ignore that I’m discussing her in a moderately creepy fashion in a blog. Just leave that part out.
• Dead Poets Society. The word to describe this movie is a word that Pauline Kael used to describe it. It’s “slick.” This movie is overwhelmingly slick. At the end of the movie, I was sort of hoping one of them was going to fall off his desk and break his leg. If you’re looking for a male boarding school movie that does a better job, watch The Emperor’s Club, starring Kevin Kline and a really young Emile Hirsch, and also a really young Paul Dano. Patrick Dempsey and Embeth Davidtz are in here too. Man, everyone is in this movie! Anyway, it really does a great job with the pressures people feel in school, with a special emphasis on honor.
• The Breakfast Club. It may be the best pure high school movie out there, but no one can call it realistic. You stick five kids together in detention. They decide to bare their souls, and four of them have dates at the end of the movie. They learn about themselves. They become best friends. The final scene is iconic. But a better final scene that would really screw the realism in? They ignore each other on Monday, just as  Molly Ringwald thinks they will. That’s what would do it for me.
• High School Musical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL37snqMJx8 Too easy.

“I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times. And I shan’t recover this time. I begin to hear voices.” Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

L’Oréal Paris Elnett Hairspray is not new. In fact it’s been around for about 50 years. Back in the early 80s, Elnett was the spray of choice for fern-headed freaks, stylists and models. But because of its use of use of fluorocarbons as propellants, Elnett has not been available in North America since 1987.

I first noticed that Elnett was back when I saw it everywhere backstage at Fashion Week. The smell and the illustration of the 80s-era lady on the canister are unmistakable. Only now the fluorocarbons are gone!

But does the spray still deliver the promised hold without stiffness?

So I poufed the front of my hair up in a pompadour and tied the rest back in two loose plaits — a look I had seen Eric Del Monaco do at the tents (well maybe not the pompadour part). I gave it a spritz of the Elnett Extra Hold and went about my day. First off, its fine mist gets right to the root of your hair to give lift and volume. Secondly, the hold works. I was able to tease my baby fine hair up a whole three inches in the front and my braids never unraveled until I slept in them.

The best thing about Elnett is that it keeps hair in place without creating helmet head. You can even run your fingers through it, although you’ll undermine your coiffure’s structure unless you respritz. It doesn’t feel crunchy and you won’t get those white flakes that gels and pump hairsprays always seem to leave behind. Which is perfect for the tousled twists and somewhat undone braids that are so popular on the runways right now.

The only downside: It smells like hairspray (one reviewer said it had old lady beauty parlour scent). So its best to use it lightly and cover your nose and mouth when you spray it on.

Elnett is available at Shoppers Drug Mart for $8 for the 73ml (perfectly purse-sized for holiday party touchups — not that you’ll need to touch up) and $15 for 300ml. Or you can order it onlinePir Cosmetics for $22.

Olà people!

I’m back and rolling! And friggin’ tired… I kinda maked my math homework this Friday, for 5 hours, non-stop, still not done…
I was gone from the computer for what? 2 days? Oh, and with computer, I mean the ’social’ things. I used the computer, but for my homework and learning my tests…
Hm, I went to Hairspray this Wednesday. It was so … WOOT WOOT! :]
Jim Bakkum played Link, and the winner of So You Think You Can Dance had a small part, too, but as in dancing. She didn’t act. And I believe someone else, I don’t know her name, but she was great! I’ll try to look her up. It was so funny xD
It’s a musical based in the ’60s, and Tracy wants to dance on tv (on the Cornie Collins Show). And to make a long story short: Tracy wants ‘black and white’ people to be equal.
So now you’re thinking: HUH?!
Hah, go see it! If you can of course… Maybe you can watch the film, though I think I prefer musicals :]
I think I’m going to buy the -Dutch- CD… or DVD :]

[I wanted to post a Hairspray song here, but I couldn't find HQ musical versions, so you can look for them there and everywhere]

xoxo

Looking out the window at what promises to be one hell of a snowstorm, I’m feeling a bit blue. But I’ve been a little uplifted today by the emergence of great hair in my office.

It sounds shallow, I know, but seeing someone who looks really put together – great hair, great outfit, great manicure, etc. – really inspires me. Lately, one of my co-workers has had especially sassy hair, full of bounce and shine. She told me that she has been using Herbal Essences Body Envy shampoo and conditioner, and following up with the brand’s Tousle Me Softly line.

I’ve also been using the Body Envy Conditioner, and I’m very pleased with the tropical scent and the way it leaves my hair soft and with a reasonable amount of volume. My bouncy-haired co-worker has been raving about how easy it has been to acheive such hair greatness. After shampooing and conditioning, she spritzes her hair with the Tousle Me Softly spray gel and then blow dries it. To finish, she lifts up sections of hair and sprays her roots with the Tousle Me Softly hairspray.

The result looks effortless, and has certainly given her a bit more attitude. All from a few spritzes of product.

Catwalk Your Highness Products

We had no idea that styling products could be so beautiful.

Tigi is in the process of revamping their entire Catwalk line, and their newest edition, the Your Highness range, achieves volume like we’ve never seen.

Instead of just selling individual products to help you achieve a certain style, the new Tigi Catwalk lines feature a concept from wash all the way to finishing spray.  The formula in each product helps prepare your hair for the next, resulting in a well thought out product line that gives maximum results.

To help initiate volume-lovers into the new line, Tigi released a limited edition introductory set (pictured below) that includes all of the Your Highness range gift packaged in a starter kit that costs nearly 40% less than buying them each individually.

Your Highness Starter Kit

The Catwalk Your Highness line (and the starter kits) include:

Elevating Shampoo (10.14 oz)
Nourishing Conditioner (8.45 oz)
Thickening Gel Creme (7.27 oz)
Root Boost Spray Mousse (8.1 oz)
Weightless Shine Spray (5.15 oz)
Firm Hold Hairspray (9 oz)

Don’t forget Your Highness this Christmas!

I remember sitting in the makeup chair on the set of CSI Miami and the hairdresser scrutinizing over my dry, split hair. (I hadn’t had a trim or haircut in over a year.) She showed me a new hairspray that had just came out that was 1.) Smooth 2.) Silky 3.) Non-flaking in black hair and 4.) Had amazing hold. I was hooked. (and I walked out of the makeup chair looking like a Pantene commercial).

What had all the US hairdressers in a tizzy was L’Oreal’s Elnett Extra StrongHold Hairspray. The European version and American version are apparently very different (and therefore the superior version has been smuggled back in the United States like illegal contraband).

Find it at drugstores and target for $14.99

by sylvia

I think we’re still recovering, and definitely suffering from glitter withdrawal (and NO – that is not a Twilight reference!) but Bianca and I were once again the Belles of the Ball at our company Holiday Party on Friday night.  Granted, it wasn’t that hard, but we like to raise the bar on looking good, so it’s all relative.

We busted out of work early, and headed to get our hair did.  I had mine done by the wee-ist man ever, and I hated it.  Bianca pointed out to me, quite accurately I must admit, that I am never happy when it comes to my hair.  Yes, it surprised me, too. 

And then it was on to Sephora, to buy even more makeup and glitter (as if you could ever have enough).

And then to the hotel, where we attempted to take showers without getting our hair wet, which didn’t really work for Bianca, but her hair looked better because of it, and I proceeded to tease and hairspray the hell out of my hair in an attempt to give it any body or hugeness whatsoever. 

And then the makeup application.  Bianca did her first smoky eye, and it looked great.  I used the tips y’all sent me, and my eyes looked great, too.

Of course there was preparty drinking.

And a glitter shower.  There is nothing better than a good glitter shower, let me tell ya’.

And then the husbands showed up, and after taking 2.5 seconds to get ready, we were ready to make our appearance, and have all the little people worship us.

We snagged a table close to the open bar, got some drinks, and rubbed the ornamental centerpiece balls all over our bodies (they were glittery - yes we have a fetish). There was also some dancing and tons of picture-taking. And lots more drinking.

Did we mention glitter and drinking?

All in all, even though we were concerned there was no way we could outdo last year, we did.  And despite the mostly boring music and the lack of The Captain, we showed all those peeps that Big Girls Do Have More Fun. 

And there’s no such thing as too much glitter….

Today I had the pleasure of going with Liz Silver of the INCREDIBLE rPulse.com (<–check it out!) and not only seeing the celebrities -but interviewing them!  A very special thanks to Liz at rPulse.com!

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO WATCH!

Carol-oke Contest with the GLEE Cast, Nikki Blonsky, & Kimberley Locke

CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE TO WATCH!

TJ Maxx and Marshall’s “Carol-oke” Contest

Featuring:
Cast members of the hit TV show Glee
Actress Nikki Blonsky
Singer Kimberley Locke

Q:  When I blow-dry my hair, I get flyaways around my hairline.  This is especially annoying when I want to put my hair in a sleek ponytail or up-do.  how can I tame these strays?

A:  One hairstylist solves this problem with a toothbrush and hairspray.  Damien Carney, artistic director at Joico International Hair Care, in Los Angeles, recommends that you blow-dry your hair first.  Once hair is dry and styled, spritz a wide-bristle toothbrush with a little hairspray.  A non-sticky flexible-hold formula is best.  Two good choices are Physique Styling Spray and Joico con Text Assertion Finishing Spray.  Then stick back flyaway ends with the toothbrush.  Easy.  One of our staffers tried this trick for a wedding, and her hair stayed smooth all day.  – Carol Straley

Hairspray at The Shaftesbury Theatre

This production is musical theatre at its best. Camp, loud and colourful I defy anyone to see this show and not come out smiling and feeling uplifted. The music is a joy to hear with each number and dance routine adding more vigour and life to the show than the last.

Set in Baltimore in the early 60s, before obesity became such a huge cultural problem, Hairspray centres around Tracy Turnblad, a teenage teenybopper with “indeterminate girth.” With even bigger hair she has one passion: to dance.

After finally winning a spot on “The Corny Collins Show” her dreams come true when she gets to dance live on TV with the dreamboat Link Larkin. This makes her an icon to girls across America who dare to be different. She must defeat the show’s reigning princess Amber and integrate black and white kids on the show in order to win his heart.

Set against the brightly coloured kitsch set, Chloe Hart is wonderful as the vibrant Tracy. She finds much more humour in the part than the previous Leanne Jones. She is clumsy, awkward but unafraid and Hart’s mannerisms are hilarious, especially when feigning with pleasure in the presence of Link.

Liam Tamine is suave and handsome as Link with a smooth voice perfect for the part of the teenage crooner. His performance of “It Takes Two” highlights the flexibility of his voice and is comical in his exaggerated performance.

Sharon D Clarke who plays Motormouth Maybelle (the matriarch of the black community)  is fast becoming a West End legend. Famous for her limitless voice she exudes stage presence and her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” is amazing – expertly hanging back only to surprise us all with her controlled belt in the final choruses.

The choreography by Jerry Mitchell is infectious and perfectly balanced with the lively beat of the music. He captures the mood of the 60s perfectly, especially in the choreography on ‘negro day,’ making the moves clean and simple.

Phill Jupitus as Edna Turnblad (Tracy’s larger than life mother) does not quite fit in amongst the accomplished cast and struggles with the American accent. In full drag if an actor does not fully commit they end up looking like a bit of an idiot: and Jupitus does not commit. He is great at the organised improvisation during “You’re Timeless to me” because he can simply be himself – a comedian.

His best moment is when Velma (the producer of the TV show and Amber’s mother) says, “Oh, your what spawned that (Tracy).” To which Jupitus replies, “Excuse me,” in a voice so low that it penetrates the depths of the theatre.

Unfortunately he does not possess any skills as an actor and makes no attempt to embody the character of Edna at all, appearing mainly  wooden onstage.

This aside Hairspray is a wonderful show that the young energetic cast thrive in. With Sunday matinees just added this is a great musical to take the family to in the run up to Christmas.

Silly Trivia: The cast of Hairspray use 80 cans of Hairspray each week to keep their 175 wigs in place.

Rating: Get the best ticket money can buy.

Hairspray continues at The Shaftsbury Theatre until Octobet 24th 2010. To book tickets click here

Listen to the first 50 seconds of this one, and the only conclusion you came come up with…

Is this woman is on drugs.

WTF is with the “young articulate” bullsquat?

For my film class I was required to write an ideological essay.  My subject?  Racism in Adam Shankman’s Hairspray.  Here’s the essay:

“Tomorrow is a brand new day, and it don’t know white from black” (Shankman).   Racism is a rampant topic in Adam Shankman’s Hairspray, a 2007 adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.  Hairspray shows the racism that was a common thing in 1962 Baltimore.  Shankman shows racism best through the differences of the main characters, through The Corny Collins Show, and also by using the various musical numbers to convey the ideas of racism and bigotry.  One of the best ways that Shankman showed racism was through the main characters.

The characters in Hairspray all have different ideas of what is right and what is wrong.  Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) wants everyone to be equal.  She also wants the black characters to be able to dance on the Corny Collins show with the rest of the characters.  It is her goal to make everyone agree with her, and to eliminate segregation.  One of the first things she says when she is on the Corny Collins Show is that she wants everyday to be Negro day.  The major sponsor for the show becomes irate, and calls her a communist.  This in turn shows the prejudice that occurred during the era.  There were several references to communism in the movie, but this one was the most prominent.  Her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes) agrees with her, but she has to deal with her very religious mother.  Penny falls for Seaweed’s (Elijah Kelley) charms.  All her life she has heard bigoted ideas, and remarks, and she is afraid of the consequences that she could face.  Motormouth Maybelle puts what people will think of Seaweed and Penny’s relationship best, “a whole lotta ugly coming at you from a never ending parade of stupid” (Shankman).  In the end, she gets over those fears and does what she thinks is right.    One of the very first scenes in the film addresses the issue of racism in the 1960s.  Penny and Tracy rush home after school to tune into the Corny Collins Show.  When they get to Tracy’s house, Penny hides when her mother, Prudy (Allison Janney), walks in the door.  Prudy calls the music on the show “Race” Music.  Tracy tries to tell Edna (John Travolta), her mother, not to tell Prudy that Penny is watching the show as well.  When Prudy finds out she firmly yanks Penny from the house, and bans her from the house.  There are many instances where Prudy shows the audience exactly how bigoted people can be, not only in the 60s, but also today.  She gets angry when Penny shows any affection for black people, and she becomes frantic when she sees Penny kissing Seaweed on live television.  Interracial kissing was looked down on in the 60s.  The first interracial kiss didn’t occur until 1968, when there was a kiss between Kirk (William Shatner) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) on Star Trek.  John Waters, the screenwriter of the original 1988 version of Hairspray, aptly named Prudy to show just how bigoted she is.  Her first name describes her perfectly, prude.  Another one of the characters is surprisingly even more racist.  Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), the station manager, is a miserable woman.  Not only is she extremely superficial, but she’s also a gigantic racist.  After the opening song on The Corny Collins Show, Velma asks Corny (James Marsden), “Detroit Sound?  What’s that, the cries of people being mugged?” (Shankman)  Only moments later Velma says to Corny that the kids need to be steered in the White direction.  She feels threatened by black people and there are several times in the movie where she shows this.  When her daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow), and a group on Negro day sing to same song, this threatens Velma.  She’s “prejudiced, peroxided, [and] mean-spirited … who stoops low and stops at nothing to keep the black kids off the air” (Reed).  She also feels threatened by Motormouth Maybelle, and she makes it known throughout the movie through her body language.  Link Larkin (Zac Efron) is affected by the racism in the 1960s.  When Tracy asks him if he is going to come on the march of protests with him, he says no because he’s afraid he’s going to miss his big break.  He thinks that if Velma sees him protesting, she is going to destroy his career.   Like many youths in the 1960s, he is heavily influenced by the adults around him.  Link comes around in the end, because he realizes that racism should not cloud one’s judgment.  During the final dance number, he grabs Little Ines (Tracy Parks) and dances with her in front of the camera, and in front of all the talent agents.  He puts everything on the line to break taboos, and to show people that the colour of someone’s skin should not matter.  The Corny Collins Show, which basically is the movie’s version of American Bandstand shows a lot of the racism that was present in the era.

The Corny Collins Show is “a local whiter-than-white American Bandstand”  (Travers), and is the show that every teenager loves and watches.  All of the main cast members are white kids, and they only have black kids on the shown once a month, on Negro day.  The theme song of the show is called “The Nicest Kids in Town”, and the council members are referred to as “nice white kids who like to lead the way” (Shankman).  During the song white is emphasized.  The show also holds a dance at different schools known as the hop.  They have the black kids segregated from the white kids, and when Tracy wants to dance with Seaweed he tells her, “Are you crazy?  You gotta dance with your kind, I gotta dance with mine” (Shankman).  When she asks why, he tells her that’s just the way things are.  Corny Collins wants the station to change its ways, but Velma and the Sponsor have different things in mind.  After Corny selects Tracy to be on the show, and after both Velma and the show’s sponsor find out how outspoken Tracy is, he faces opposition.  He wants to break taboos, and he has trouble doing so because of Velma.  During Miss Hairspray, the live show, the taboos are broken, because Little Ines wins Miss Hairspray during the dance off.    The Corny Collins show is reminiscent of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and John Waters smartly crafted the Corny Collins Show after it.  Although both The Corny Collins Show, and the characters of Hairspray are very good at showing the racism that was present in the 1960s, nothing worked better than the songs of Hairspray.

The songs of Hairspray are upbeat and a lot of fun, but most of them contain a very serious message.  “It’s remarkable …  that some fairly serious issues get discussed in song and dance” (Ebert).  “Run and Tell” is one of the first songs that discusses racism, Seaweed sings it to Link, Tracy and Penny.   “I won’t ask you to be color blind, ’cause if you pick the fruit then girl, you’re sure to find.  The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice…” (Shankman).  The song is basically saying that you should get to know the person on the inside, as opposed to judging someone based on the colour of his or her skin.  It is also saying that you should not totally disregard something bad that a black person does just because they are black.  It is calling for equality for everyone, both bad and good.  After Maybelle tells everyone that Negro Day is cancelled, Tracy suggests that they go on a march.  During the march, Maybelle sings “I Know Where I’ve Been”.  The way that Shankman filmed that scene added a lot of emotion to it. “There’s a road we’ve been travelin’.  Lost so many on the way.  But the riches will be plenty worth the price we had to pay” (Shankman).   The scene is edited with long dissolves; this makes the scene more emotional, and drives the message further and harder.  The solemn march signifies many of the protests that went on for equality for black people, and for many people who wanted equal rights.   It is definitely the song that evokes the most emotion.  The most well known song, “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, has a few messages in it.  The main message is best described as “the times they are a-changin” (Dylan).   It is the song where all the taboos for television are broken, including the first time a black person and a white person dance together on television.  Maybelle puts it best, “Tomorrow is a brand new day, and it don’t know white from black” (Shankman).  There was also an original song written for the film that plays during the credits, “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)”.  The main message behind the song is that even though we have made so many strides in eliminating prejudice, there is still a lot of work to do.  People are still being discriminated against, and it has to stop.

Racism in the 60s was widespread and Hairspray shows it effectively, and some of it is still true today.  Shankman’s version of Hairspray shows the effects of racism through its main characters, The Corny Collins Show, and through the musical numbers.

Works Cited

Hairspray. Dir. Adam Shankman. New Line Cinema: 2007, Film.

Travers, Peter. “Hairspray.” Rolling Stone 18 Jul. 2007: Print.

Reed, Rex. “In Summer Heat, Hairspray Is a Welcome Spritz.” New

York Observer 17 Jul. 2007, Print.

Ebert, Roger. “Hairspray” Movies and More. 20 Jul. 2007.

Roger Ebert, Web. 29 Nov 2009. <http://www.rogerebert.com>.

Bob Dylan. “The Times They Are A-Changin’” The Times They Are A-Changin’.

Columbia, 1964. Vinyl.

We all know that bleach can permanently discolor our clothes. But you might be surprised to find out that there are five commonly used household items that can either stain or discolor your favorite garments.

-Try an anti-stain formula antiperspirant / deodorant.
-Apply antiperspirant / deodorant before you dress, and wait until it’s completely dry before putting on your clothing.

4. Hairspray – Just like perfumes & colognes, hairsprays often have a high amount of alcohol as an ingredient, causing discoloration or yellow stains when coming in contact with clothing.  Keep in mind that the chemical reaction can occur and be”invisible.”  The damage may already be done and will show up when the garment is cleaned (the dye washes away, or heat makes the stain visible).

Ein Nachtrag zur Camp-Diskussion: Von Dirk Peitz gefragt, wieso seine 50er-Jahre-Seifenoper “Hairspray”, die jetzt als Musical in Köln anläuft, so “gut funktioniere”, antwortet der Filmemacher John Waters (der seine Höhepunkte mit der Darstellung campiger Abseitigkeiten wie transgender Kot-Esserinnen feierte), man müsse die “Haispray”-Geschichte von dem dicken Mädchen, das den besten Jungen bekommt einfach lieben, weil sie so unwahrscheinlich sei. Dazu Dirk Peitz:

Die Pointe besteht darin, dass das genau das Gegenteil von Camp wäre, so wie Susan Sontag ihn 1964 in ihrem berühmten Essay “On Camp” beschrieb: Camp sei die reine Feier der Oberfläche, der Sieg des Stils über den Inhalt, der Ästhetik über die Moral, der Ironie über die Tragödie. Vielleicht haben sich heute Oberfläche, Stil, Ästhetik, Ironie so zu Tode gesiegt, dass nur noch der Kern von Camp sichtbar wird, der Inhalt, die Moral — und uns anrührt.

Der Text über die konsequente Selbstentschärfung des ästhetischen Querschlägers John Waters ist unter der Überschrift “Rentner im Land der Schande” in der Wochenend-Beilage der Süddeutschen Zeitung erschienen und leider nicht online.

Spontan stellt sich mir die Frage, ob Musicals nicht per se und notwendigerweise Camp sind. Wegen des Genre-Schemas, das der Film “Team America” satirisch am Beispiel des Musicals “Rent” entlarvte: Oh, du hast Aids? OK, wir singen und tanzen dazu! Weil wir ja unentwegt singen und tanzen, egal, ob es gerade angemessen ist oder nicht! Form schlägt Inhalt!

Video: Szenen aus “Team America”

Susan Sontag, die als Beispiel für Camp unter anderem (den Musicalvorläufer?) “Schwanensee” nannte, schreibt in ihren “Notes on ‘Camp’”:

Concert music, though, because it is contentless, is rarely Camp. It offers no opportunity, say, for a contrast between silly or extravagant content and rich form. . . . Sometimes whole art forms become saturated with Camp. Classical ballet, opera, movies have seemed so for a long time.

Und Musicals? To becontinued.

Last night saw the launch of AirScript, a new handset that will allow audience members to watch a show with the script in their chosen language at their fingertips.

The launch took place at The Shaftesbury Theatre, who is the first theatre to pioneer this new technology.

Translated in 6 different languages; German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, the device can be rented for £6 per performance (on a par with similar Museum devices) allowing a foreign audience member to follow the script in real time. Eventually up to six additional languages will be added to the database.

It will be free for the visually impaired or hard of hearing.

Individual translators were used in order to give a good quality version of the script. The inventor and Chief Executive of Show Translations, Alexander Vegh, told an invited audience at the launch that a “word for word translation would not work” as it may not necessarily make sense to a foreign reader.

How does it work?

Refreshingly the Chief Executive of Theatre of Comedy Company, James Williams, said at the launch that “there has to be a human being there somewhere. That is what theatre is about.”

This means that a person in the circle of the theatre will control a laptop, moving the cursor down the script as the show progresses. If an actor ad libs or a piece of set fails then the script will move accordingly.

David Bradshaw of Cambridge Consultants (developers and manufacturers of AirScript) said that there are three things that make a product successful; “it must solve a real world problem; it must be commercially viable and the product must have a unique relationship with its user” – much like a mobile phone.

He also said that “theatres are not typically welcome of technology” – for example we have all had embarrassing moments when our phones have rang during a performance. Therefore the device is designed to be discreet within the theatrical environment.

Another major problem facing the designers was the fact that the device would have to be wireless. According to Bradshaw, “wirelessly supporting potentially hundreds of devices simultaneously in a theatre was one of the main issues that we had to overcome, but perhaps more important was ensuring that the handsets were universally accessible and non distracting.”

Testing it out

During the performance of Hairspray last night members of the press sat with the Game Boy/Sat Nav black handsets on their laps.

I tested one out and found that they are incredibly light and not at all distracting. Controlled by one touch of the screen, when you select what language you desire, the device automatically controls itself.

When Phil Jupitus, playing Edna Turnblad, improvised for a few minutes the AirScript simply displayed improvisation and the script stopped running.

A widescreen with LED back lighting makes the device discreet and simple. It also has a low power consumption that makes the handset last up to six hours – sufficient for a West End musical.

One third of West End audiences are foreign

According to a Society of London Theatre Box Office Data Report (2008), about a third of London’s theatre tickets are purchased by overseas visitors to London, many of whom are non-English speakers. Therefore there is a definite gap in the market for this type of product.

Problems with the product

However, when I used the product the WIFI did loose connection during the opening number – only for a few seconds but it does raise the question of how reliable the WIFI will be – even if there are back up systems in place.

I thought that having the script on your lap, for example, may not be as natural as seeing subtitles in your peripheral view (like during Opera performances). However, the physicality of glancing down to see the script is not the problem.

The most challenging things about AirScript is that as you look from the bright stage to the darkness of the screen it takes a while for your eyes to adjust. You have to truly concentrate to see the faint text on the screen. This is partly due to the LED backlighting used to prevent the distraction of other audience members but it means that you can’t switch quickly from stage to screen – it is almost one or the other.

Will other theatres take on this new technology?

James Williams said, “it is appropriate that Hairspray, with its broad-based appeal, should be the vehicle for bringing the West End this concept for universal success.”

It is questionable as to whether other theatres will follow the lead of The Shaftesbury Theatre due to the set up costs and the fact that it costs £6 a go.

With ticket prices steep and the universal language of music and dance it will be interesting to see how popular the devices become. Williams said that other theatres were waiting to make decisions, “looking to see how it goes here.”

There will be a website launch next week.

This picture was taken at a junior high dance. This was the only time period in my life when I had big bangs. Upon a closer inspection, the reader will notice I am wearing a neon colored Swatch Watch and an outfit from the Gap.

I was very awkward and self-conscious in middle school. I wore glasses, braces, curled my bangs every morning, and sprayed my bangs with L.A. Looks hair spray to keep them nice, high, and rock solid.

My bathroom in seventh and eighth grade smelled distinctly like a combination of burnt hairspray and burnt hair. That’s because I spent twenty minutes every morning warming up my curling iron, sticky with hairspray residue, so I could curl the top half of my bangs backwards, and the bottom portion of my bangs towards my forehead.

I would then spray my bangs thoroughly with hairspray to keep them big, puffy, and in place all day. Sometimes (and this is probably what caused the burnt hairspray-burnt hair aroma), I would hold the hot part of the iron up to my freshly sprayed hair to make it dry more quickly. This would make a soft frying sound and would singe the hair of my bangs. It also seemed to make my curled bangs harder.

To say the hair in my bangs was damaged during seventh grade was an understatement. This was why I had to curl my bangs EVERY morning. A lot of seventh grade girls probably found themselves in this very same predicament during the fall of 1989.

I also had a small, travel sized bottle of hairspray from the drugstore that I kept in my locker for afternoon maintenance.

By the end of the eighth grade, I was growing my bangs out and opting for a natural look, with long brown hair and no bangs. This is how I have worn my hair ever since.

Bra saker som har hänt:

- Middag med TGI Friday’s och Hairspray med flickorna i fredags.  (Mindre bra: att Morgan Alling var med i Hairspray. Det kompenserades lite av Rolf Lassgård i städrock, stödstrumpor och morgontofflor.)

- Lillasysterhelg. Vi shoppade och drack vin och hängde. (Mindre bra: att hon inte kan få bo hos oss alltid. Varken Lillasyster eller Ron verkade speciellt pigg på den idén.)

- Jag har vunnit en cykel. Jag knåpade ihop ett litet tävlingsbidrag till en tävling som Håll Sverige Rent hade på Skolforum för några veckor sen. Idag ringde det en kvinna och berättade att mitt rim hade vunnit första pris! (Mindre bra: att jag kommer att vara med på bild på deras hemsida.)

Och imorgon ska jag äta sushi med LaKex i Gallerian.

Den här veckan verkar bli rätt dräglig faktiskt. Trots Den Galna Kollegan som bara blir värre och värre att samarbeta. Snart ger jag henne på moppo.

Jag såg som ni redan vet musikalen HAIRSPRAY på Chinateatern i Stockholm i lördags kväll.

Jag tillhör en av de få som inte sett filmen eller läst boken utan endast sett intervjuer med aktuella skådespelare då Hairspray gick på Broadway samt sett intervjuer i svensk morgontv med Rolf Lassgård och Jessica Heribertsson inför premiären på China. Så mina förväntningar var svävande, egentligen ickeexisterande faktiskt.

Hairspray utspelar sig i Baltimore i USA 1962, och tar upp problematiken kring att vara en “good american housewife“. Den behandlar också tunga ämnen som klassklyftor och rassegregering, fast på ett mycket naivt och lättsmält sätt med musik, dans och humor.

Huvudrollen som den tonåriga, mulliga Tracy Turnblad spelas av för mig tidigare okända och för rollen handplockade Jessica Heribertsson, som har förmågan att spela barnsligt gullig och samtidigt sjunga som en hel kvinna! Hennes far spelas av Morgan Alling, som gör en mycket bra rolltolkning och hennes mor spelas av giganten (på mer än ett sätt) Rolf Lassgård som visar sig vara en dragqueen av klass! Fler stora namn är Helena Bergström, Birgitta Rydberg (dotter till Eva Rydberg) samt Gladys Del Pilar vars skönsång är en av musikalens verkligt stora behållningar enligt mig.

Hairspray är humor och underhållning för den stora massan. Den sprider glädje på ett lättviktigt sätt, och berör svåra ämnen men utan att gå på djupet på något vis. Publiken bjuds på en fartfylld musikalisk fest med glitter och glamour och mycket skratt och det är säkert precis vad publiken förväntar sig och vill ha.

Jag var lite rädd att jag skulle tycka att Rolf Lassgård i kvinnokläder skulle bli lite väl tramsigt för min smak, men ack så fel jag hade. Lassgård briljerar i rollen som Mrs Turnblad och samspelet med begåvade Morgan Alling är ett sant nöje att beskåda! Lassgård som kvinna kunde lätt blivit ett spektakel men blev enligt mig kvällens höjdpunkt, tack vare hans fantastiska skådespeleri och känsla för tajming.

Helena Bergström gör en stor roll som den intrigerande Velma von Tussle, men hon känns emellanåt lite tafatt och ganska ofta lite väl tillgjord tycker jag. Alla sång och dansnummer håller hög klass men musiken blir ibland på gränsen till störig och jag tappar då och då koncentrationen istället för att sugas in i föreställningen. Men kostym och scenografi är läckert tilltalande och koreografin sprudlande glad så det är svårt att se Hairspray utan att känna sig nöjd och upplyft efteråt!

Foto: Mats Bäcker