I saw a few of these on IMDB (why, yes, I have been watching the Wicked movie), and I thought it would be fun. I’ve only seen Wicked (live), The Producers, and Hairspray (film). And a lot of these come from Wicked (don’t hurt me!). Feel free to add to it via commenting.

1. If Elphaba’s flying solo, at least she’s flying free.
2. Leo Bloom wants to be a producer.
3. Velma Von Tussle used to be Miss Baltimore Crabs.
4. Elphaba and Glinda will be loathing each other their whole lives long.
5. Life’s more fun when you’re dancing through.
6. Neither Elphaba nor Glinda is that girl.
7. When you’ve got it, flaunt it.
8. Elphaba’s flying high defying gravity.
9. Glinda will make you popular.
10. Nessarose is that girl in the mirror, the Wicked Witch of the East.
11. Something bad is happening in oz.
12. Elphaba’s not seasick, and NO! she didn’t eat grass as a child.
13. No good deed will Elphaba do again.
14. Good morning, Baltimore!
15. Without love, life is like a circle with no center.
16. Tracy Turnblad can hear the bells.
17. To get that money, Max Bialystock had to schtoop (probably spelled wrong) every little old lady in New York.

That was harder than I thought. xD And it’s up with you to come up with the other 83 lessons! Good luck!

Today’s blog wanders off-course a bit, but TV’s Tonto was a real-life Mohawk and some Silverheels children attended Carlisle Indian School. Last night my wife and I attended a local summer stock production of The Producers. This brought to mind a Christmas gift from my wife-a set of CDs of old radio shows. While listening to an episode of The Lone Ranger from October 6, 1941, “Loser Takes All,” I heard the villain explain his scheme to his henchman. That scheme was essentially the same one that Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom concocted to defraud little old ladies in Mel Brooks’ classic 1968 film.

Brooks adapted the plot from a gold mine out west to a Broadway play, wealthy eastern investors to sex-starved elderly women, and common criminals to pathetic producers. Instead of having a henchman blow up Nugget Mountain to destroy the unexpectedly profitable mine (which backfires, of course, to reveal a huge vein of gold), Brooks had playwright Franz Liebkind (German for love child and author of Springtime for Hitler) dynamite the theater to stop the unfortunately successful production. The plot’s the same; it’s just details that are changed. Being a G-rated radio show, there were no gay directors, hippie Hitlers or, most unfortunately, no Swedish go-go dancers.

Listen to a short clip of the villain explaining the scheme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1va86GOWIXw

I really wish I had been able to see the above musical, I’m sure it would have made it on this list.  Speaking of this list, this SURELY (how do you convey sarcasm in print?) will be a top post.  The funny thing about this list is that despite absolutely no one caring about it, those who do will probably turn it into one of the most contested.  Anyways kids, while musicals are definitely one of my least favorite genres of entertainment, they have still managed to spawn some of my all-time favorite cinematic endeavors. I find that the best musicals (and there aren’t exactly a ton of them) are the ones that keep you so enthralled you don’t even realize they’re…well…musicals.  There were a lot of close calls and runner-ups, such as Sweeney Todd, Oliver!, and Godspell, but when it came right down to it, I just selected the musicals that I most enjoy watching again and again.

5.  The Producers

This musical receives points right from the start.  The Producers was written, and directed by Mel Brooks.  And if that sheer fact alone doesn’t give the production merit, Gene Wilder co-starred with Zero Mostel as the nebbish Leo Bloom.  As one of Brooks’ first works, The Producers has become a comedy classic over the years with its brilliant dichotomy of the relationship of art and money and its hilarious treatment of the genre with classical numbers such as ‘Springtime for Hitler.’  The Producers has even enjoyed a revival recently with a broadway adaptation that ran from 2001 to 2007 and a cinematic remake starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

4.  My Fair Lady

Pygmallion never looked so good.  Shaw’s original work was adapted to fit the silver screen in 1964 starring Rex Harrison and the incomperable Audrey Hepburn.  Audrey brought an incredible vitality and regal fragility to Eliza that many would argue was counter-productive, however, it made the character stand on its own as more than just gutter trash, but a living, breathing human being who really had just been born on the wrong side of the fence.  Hepburn’s portrayal of the fierce flower girl paired with Harrison’s unrelenting, unfeeling portrayal of ‘enry ‘iggins made this work crackle with virility and magic.  Ahhh, do you hear that, boys and girls?  That’s the sound of Old Hollywood.  It’s waving goodbye and never coming back.

3.  The Wizard of Oz

It’s funny, but whenver people seem to talk about musicals, this one seems to completely slip their mind.  The Wizard of Oz was a masterpiece of cinema FAR ahead of its time.  Still considered one of the pinnacles of fantasy, Victor Fleming’s epic stretched every Hollywood convention at the time to its hilt to produce this astonishing beauty.  It made great use of the newfound Technicolor! technology while utilizing all sorts of effects and generic theatrical conventions of which still stand the test of time today.  All the musical numbers are poignant, catchy, and can stand the test of time.  Just try to keep yourself from humming the scarecrow’s theme.  ‘Oh, I, could tell you why…’

2.  South Park

A masterpiece of a movie, let alone a musical.  Everything good about the cartoon was brought to the big screen in a script that was sure to dissapoint and, instead, delivered more than its fair share of awesome.  Honestly, how many cartoons do you know that have made a successful transition to the big screen, let alone a MUSICAL transition.  With musical numbers such as Blame Canada, Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch, and What Would Brian Boitano do? South Park asserted its ability to keep you laughing while writing an amazing soundtrack to boot.

1.  Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is, without question, in my top 5 movies of all time.  So, naturally, it should ring true as my favorite musical, as well.  Gene Wilder portrays the quintissential ring leader of this magical exploration into every child’s factory of fantasys.  All the while rewarding sinful behavior with equivalent punishment.  Not a single part of this 1971 classic dissapoints.  If you haven’t seen it, BUY IT.  If you don’t like it, hold your breath and count to 48,139.

Here’s a random collection of movie filming locations, of which I don’t have enough photos to warrant a separate page.

Big

FAO Schwarz, 5th Avenue & 58th Street, New York, New York

12-year old Josh Baskin, frustrated at his slight stature, turns into a grownup after making a wish with a fortune telling machine called Zoltar. After frantically searching for the Zoltar machine to turn back into a kid, Josh has some time on his hands, while waiting for information from the Department of Consumer affairs as to the location of a Zoltar machine, and gets a job in the data processing department at MacMillan Toys. One Saturday, Josh spends a little time browsing at New York’s famous toy store, FAO Schwarz. Many locations of the store were used here, and I visited the store many times with my then 4-year old daughter. (She was very much into “Hello Kitty” stuff and FAO Schwarz had a huge area dedicated to this cute kitty). At that time (around 1991-1992), the store had changed very little since the movie was filmed.

In one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, Josh runs into his boss, the owner of MacMillan Toys, who spends his Saturdays at FAQ Schwarz observing what toys kids are into. He and Josh spend a little time bonding as Josh explains his likes and dislikes of various toys (much to the bemusement of Mr. MacMillan). They stumble about a large floor model “piano,” where Josh starts to play “Heart and Soul.” Mr. MacMillan joins in, and together they do a well-coordinated routine consisting of Heart and Soul and Chopsticks. Having not had so much fun in a while, MacMillan taps into Josh’s knowledge of toys and makes him vice president….one of them, anyway – they have a hundred of them!

From the movie:

FAO Schwarz, approximately 1991 – 1992:

Rye Playland, Rye, New York

Two scenes in Big were filmed at the location below, which is Rye Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York. It was depicted in the movie to be “Seapoint Park” New York. In one scene, Josh goes to Seapoint Park on a date with his co-worker, Susan.

At the end of the movie, Josh returns to Seapoint Park after discovering that a Zoltar machine is here, so that he could make a wish to turn back to a kid again.

Rye Playland Boardwalk, taken approximately 1991:

Jingle All the Way

Mickey’s Dining Car – St. Paul, Minnesota

36 7th St W, St Paul, MN‎

The Producers

Bethesda Fountain in Central Park – New York, New York

This is from a scene from “The Producers,” in which down-and-out Broadway producer, Max Bialystock (Lane) is trying to convince his mousy accountant, Leo Bloom (Broderick) to participate in a get-rich scheme. They will oversell shares in a Broadway show, keep the additional money and go to Rio. But in order for the scheme to work, the show must be a “surefire flop.” Leo is too scared to do it, and runs away as Max desperately convinces him that it will work (“We Can Do It”).

August 2008

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

The Sun Motel – Braidwood, Illinois

Del Griffith (John Candy) and Neal Page (Steve Martin) are two very different businessmen who met by chance in New York City when Del “steals” Neal’s cab to the airport. Unfortunately, the simple, short flight from New York to Chicago just before Thanksgiving turns into a two-day ordeal, bringing Del and Neal together as they make their way from New York to Chicago by way of Wichita, Kansas.

In this scene, they are waiting for a ride to the “people” train station, 40 miles away, which they will make sitting in the back of a pickup truck. They just spent the night sharing the last motel room in town, at the fictional “Braidwood Inn.” This motel is actually in Braidwood, Illinois along I-55.

June 2006

From the movie

June 2006

A Christmas Story

The house in the movie “A Christmas Story” is located in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, click the link for the official site. You can visit it and go on a tour! The house was being restored when we passed through Cleveland in July 2007, we just took a couple of exterior photos.

In yesterday’s Weekend Today, the leading article, Universities in scholarship war, highlighted the increasing trend of local universities offering bond-free scholarships to their students. What interested me in particular, was this quote by a 20-year-old student who had secured such a scholarship:

“I got disillusioned by the idea of a bonded scholarship, because I wasn’t ready to commit to a career or company yet.”

This certainly sparked my interest, as she had echoed the sentiments I had when I was her age. Most of the scholarships available 4 years ago when I first applied to university (how time flies!) were bonded, meaning that I would have had to serve for about 4 years in the company that had sponsored my studies. To a 19-year-old who had no idea as to what she wanted in her future career, the idea of a bonded scholarship sparked an inner monologue similar to the one below:

“At least I’m guaranteed of a job once I graduate, that’s good right? At least my parents can be proud of me for once.”

“But I don’t know if I like the job/company… I might end up being stuck and miserable for the next 4 years.”

“Oh but it’s only going to be 4 years. Maybe the time will pass by quickly..?”

…which pretty much added to the confusion.

The dangling carrot in the form of the sponsored tuition fees is certainly attractive to students and parents alike, given the high cost of university education in Singapore. But I think that many students balk at the idea of serving a bond, mainly because of the lack of freedom to change our minds about the company we would want to work for upon graduation. (Well technically you can buy your way out of the bond, but then you have to live with the stain of being labeled a “bond-breaker”.)

Personally, I feel that at 19 you cannot expect the average youth to know what he wants to do. Even now at almost 23, I still ask myself the same questions. What do I want to be? Where do my interests lie? Why am I finding it hard to decide on a career when others seem to have no problems? What’s my special talent?

Recently, I made an important decision. After having studied accounting for almost 4 years, I decided that I would not become an accountant, or an auditor, or a tax consultant or any other jobs to which I would have been a shoo-in for, given my qualifications.

Many people have questioned my decision. As a couple of friends put it, “With your degree, you are absolutely assured of a job”. And even when I said that I was not interested in it, they would say “just spend a couple of years slogging it out, earn some money and then switch jobs”. While I saw where they were coming from (a practical approach), I thought they were missing the point.

If I took the route they described, it would be no better than serving out a bond to which I felt obligated, without a frisson of passion for the job. I would be no better than a drone.

Sure, some would call me impractical, foolish or even reckless, but I am absolutely certain that accounting is not for me. It does not match my personality, nor any of my abilities, and frankly, I have no care for it. Like the above video from The Producers, I can definitely identify with Leo Bloom, the accountant who realises that he wants to be a movie producer (perhaps without the dancing showgirls).

As to my actual career plans? I am almost afraid to say it, but I still don’t have a clear picture of what I want to do with my life. However, I do feel like my decision to “break my bond” so to speak has been a step in a positive direction, albeit a small step.

Does anyone else feel the same way? And to those who have found their true calling, how do you decide that it is truly what you want to do and not just a hunch that you may be blindly following?

La premisa es simple. Reúne inversionistas. Vende acciones de la obra, digamos un total del 5,000%, y logra que esa obra fracase. Con un balance en rojo, vas a retribuir el 5000% de cero y podrás llevarte lo que sobró de tu fiasco para unas lindas vacaciones. ¿Qué puede salir mal? Sólo Mel Brooks puede dar la respuesta…

…pero lo que queremos ver son las piernas infinitas de Uma Thurman en el remake del año 2005 (sin desmerecer los atributos de Lee Meredith en la original de 1968), así que si quieren saber más de Los Productores, tienen toda la Internet para hacerlo.

This post is courtesy of Kei_Kun. First posted on the original blog.

So 1/4/07 has passed, and so too has the second staff-led April Fools. This time, the GA’s had taken over, wiping out all of the staff with one fell banning, before going on a pink parade. Now, looking round, users noticed one thing…banned people posting. The joke fell quickly, but it led to a cheap laugh.As a joke, it was still good – some newer users were fooled good – but it paled in comparison to the huge conspiracy that was 2006. Mr Leo Bloom still affects people today, and there are still some skeletons in the closet…

However, the day took a turn when Causa and F_F led a revolution, supported by the Galactic News Network. Dark matter and SOLID managed to find expose’s on the GA Dictatorship, F_F found their secret base and with a crack squad, overran the GA’s. Kodiak was powerless as Causa haxed his way to glory.

Now again, it was a bit obvious, but for cheap laughs, 2007 proved good in the end. But it paled to 2006, and users wait for another year to pass…

*end transmission*