..I want Sam.  But.. I don’t want to want Sam.  I want to want Brandon and I do want Brandon but I don’t even know if Brandon wants me and Sam doesn’t want me even though he occasionally acts like he wants me which makes me want him more.  Austin is out of the picture now, thank God.  (We went on a single date, and I thought I had made it clear that we weren’t really officially anything,  but he’s going around Youngsville saying he broke up with me.)  And then there’s this Collin boy who I guess is interested in me now, and Chloe wants me to want him.  I trust Chloe’s judgment, really, seeing as she’s my best friend and all, but I myself don’t really want to want him, mainly because I don’t know him all that well.  I know enough not to want Trey anymore, and I guess I don’t, which is probably why I want Sam again.  Sam is lovely, but he hates me.  Brandon is lovely, too, I suppose, but he just plain worries me.  He seems like the type that has a lot of secrets.  Sam’s like that too, but I can handle Sam.  He’s pretty perfect, actually, and the best part is, he can handle me.  The thing is, he just doesn’t want to.

“Mamma mia, here I go again.  My my, how can I resist you?  Mamma mia, does it show again, my my, just how much I’ve missed you?  Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted, blue since the day we parted.  Why, why did I ever let you go?   Mamma mia, now I really know, my my, I could never let you go.”

I bet you can figure out who that Mamma Mia nonsense right there is about.  In fact, I’ll give you three guesses.

heeelt slut… trött… slutkörd.

Jobbat idag. Har storstädat hemma + tvättat hela kvällen. Rensat mina mysiga avlopp inne på toaletten. I handfatet hittade jag något som såg ut som djävulens avkomma. Det var inte vackert. Det är inte jag heller för tillfället. Jag ser ut som 25 svåra år med 25 svåra kommande. Jag ska ju infinna mig på Högmässan i GA-kyrkan i morgon för att invigas…? eller nåt sånt… Jag ska i alla fall stå framför alla människor och se glad ut. Vill gärna se halv-fräsch ut så nu dansar jag ner i sängen med en natta-macka och en film. Anki har lurat på mig Mamma Mia! Inte min typ av film direkt men man får ju ta sig en titt i alla fall…

ÅÅÅh vad skönt det ska bli att krypa ned. God Natti!

Brandi Lynn Burkhardt was born June 25, 1982. Brandi is an American vocalist, actress and beauty queen. She grew up in Pasadena, Maryland but currently lives in New York City.

She toured the country in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, in the Jekyll and Hyde-Ressurection Tour. Her Broadway debut came when she was cast as Lucie Manette in the Broadway musicaladaptation of A Tale of Two Cities which opened for previews on August 19, 2008 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New Yorkand had an official opening of September 18, 2008. The production announced on November 4 that it would be closing on November 16, but the producers announced on November 7 that due to poor ticket sales the following week, the production would close on November 9, 2008. She was connected to Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure by Frank Wildhorn, and sang the role of Alice on one of the demos, but is no longer connected to the production.

She had recently played Sophie Sheridan in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia. She began her run on January 27, 2009 replacing Allison Case. Burkhardt played her final performance on September 20, 2009 and was succeeded by Alyse Alan Louis.

After touring the country in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, with the Ressurection Cast in concert form, Burkhardt joined the cast of the NBC daytime drama Passions as the mysterious Siren, a mermaid now living on land. She is also seen in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, as a “Sample Sales Woman.” She was persauded by co-star James Stacy Barbour to audition for A Tale of Two Cities. The two knew each other from an unreleased commercial concept album of Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula, the musical.

Secret Wish: That she had saved her Mamma -Mia wedding dress for us!

Já sabia que não ia escrever nenhuma maratona de palavras, mas sinceramente até correu melhor do que o esperado.
De manhã não escrevi nada porque nem estive em casa, e definitivamente estava demasiado longe de um computador ou papel e caneta, para poder pensar em fazê-lo.
De tarde, escrevi cerca de 500, o que é menos do que queria, mas melhor do que parecia que ia conseguir espremer, que, sumariamente, seria zero.
Depois de jantar e ficar totalmente traumatizada com o filme “Mamma Mia” (O horror, o drama, a tragédia!), fui enterrar-me no meu quarto para ver se o meu muso saltava cá para fora e me inspirava.
Ao som dos Flyleaf e do Marco Beltrami, consegui dançar, digo, teclar, quase mais 1500 palavras, o que fez com que chegasse à meia-noite com mais quase 2 000 palavras que no dia anterior.
Não foi mau, mas também não foi bom e continuou atrasada na contagem. Nada que eu não consiga recuperar até segunda, mas bem que podia terminar antes se conseguisse tirar o meu muso do seu casulo. Espero bem que no fim saía dali um(a) belo(a) borboleta(o?). Viridis, vais pagar-me por isto!

Ah! Não me quero esquecer de mencionar que ontem escrevi uma cena muito sexual, sem sexo. Como é que eu fiz isso? Não me perguntem, mas foi um daqueles momentos em que me deixei levar pelas personagens.
E já agora … música e dança são SEXYs! Ponto final, parágrafo.

Contagem “Através do vidro“: 18 477 palavras.
Contagem total: 41 882 palavras.

Having a good conversation is one of my favorite feelings. That moment when you feel almost buzzed with the excitement of how much you want to respond to and absorb what the other person is saying. These conversations happen both with the people I love most and oddly, the people I know least. With the latter category, the buzz comes from the fact that neither one has any expectations for what the other will contribute. I live for these chats.

Peace,

Sources: weheartit, imdb

Blog title from “The New Year” by Death Cab for Cutie

Ingrediente: 1 aluat, 300 g carne tocata mixta, 2 linguri ulei (de masline), 1 ceapa, 2 catei de usturoi, 3 linguri pasta de tomate, 150 ml vin alb, 2 linguri oregano taiat marunt, 1 lingurita sare, piper macinat proaspat, praf de boia de ardei, 400 g broccoli (conopida mica) oparit, 200 g cascaval ras

Mod de preparare: Carnea tocata se prajeste binein ulei. Ceapa si usturoiul se taie marunt si se adauga la carnea tocata. Se adauga pasta de tomate si se stinge cu vin alb. Se fierbe acoperit, la foc mic, 10 minute. Se adauga oregano si se condimenteaza cu sare, piper si boia. Se incalzeste cuptorul la 220C. Se intinde aluatul. Se oparesc rosiile, se cojesc si se taie felii, apoi se impart uniform pe aluat impreuna cu broccoli. Se toarna sosul de carne tocata deasupra. Se presara compozitia cu cascaval si se pune la cuptor pentru 20-25 de minute.

Move over Hans Gruber, the bitch is back. And she’s writing for RvR. In the first of a new series where she gives her movie views, alien slayer Ellen Ripley rips into Mamma Mia. Man, she’s tough…

By Ellen

“I have a curious streak that gets the better of me sometimes. That nagging feeling of ‘surely it can’t be that bad’ has led me to make some questionable DVD choices. With this spirit of adventure in mind, I’m hoping you won’t close your browser window when I admit that I’ve seen Mamma Mia.

Within three minutes of the opening credits, I realised that the only way to survive the saccharine dialogue was to wash it down with neat bourbon – but it’s taken me months to piece together what bothers me most about this kind of film. It’s not that people want to see them. It’s that producers and movie studios are making them so poorly.

There’s a wealth of great musical romances in the world, dating back to the early days of film. Singin’ in the Rain was released by MGM Studios in 1952. At its conception, the film was a vehicle, a catalogue of the songs already featured in musicals released by MGM in the preceding 30 years. Producer Arthur Freed chose songs based on their popularity and the romantic storyline was later crafted around them.

Sound familiar?

But while the precedent for this kind of production meant that a feel-good romp by the Aegean Sea was almost guaranteed to be a commercial success, it seems no one took the time to ask if this was a film worth making. It might sound like I’m being unnecessarily critical of Mamma Mia, but where Singin’ in the Rain has heart, Mamma Mia is never more than soft sand and glitter balls. Gene Kelly performed Singin’ in the Rain’s title number with a fever of 103; co-star Debbie Reynolds had to be carried off set after finishing her dance scenes to song ‘Good morning’ after bursting the blood vessels in her feet (Dominic Cooper says he was very comfortable on location in Skopelos, thank you very much). It’s the teeth-grinding dedication of it all that shows up on screen, that sense that the actors are giving the performance of a lifetime.

Meryl hid wherever she could from Pierce's warblings

The worst thing that Singin’ in the Rain can be accused of is irony. The plot involves Debbie Reynolds’ character overdubbing the lines of famous movie star Lina Lamont. The songs are in fact sung by Jean Hagen, who plays Lina on screen. It’s also interesting to note that while the film is quick to point out the injustice of an uncredited performer singing for someone else, MGM don’t give any credit to the young lady who sang for Debbie Reynolds. By comparison, the worst thing Mamma Mia can be accused of is Pierce Brosnan, singing for himself. Why would you do that to an audience?

All in all, never let it be said that audiences shouldn’t succumb to the occasional good love story. A Hollywood romance and a mug of cocoa is possibly the best answer to the cold winter nights ahead. All I ask is that the love stories are just that: good. And maybe that Pierce Brosnan doesn’t sing again.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK…

RIPPING RIPLEY? or RIP-OFF RIPLEY?

DEFYING GRAVITY: Currently thrilling all “Gleeks” (as fans of the hit FOX-TV show are called: The new Sony CD, Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Series star

MICHELE: powerhouse

Matthew Morrison (aka Mr Schu) and Wicked alumnus Kristin Chenoweth deliver a powerhouse performance of Heart’s Alone. Spring Awakening star Lea Michele duets with Chenoweth on a dynamic version of Kander & Ebb’s Maybe This Time, pairs with series co-star Chris Colfer on a soaring version of Stephen Schwartz’s Defying Gravity, and joins co-star Cory Monteith on lead vocals for Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Music lovers and Broadway show tune aficionados characterize this first Glee CD as “delectably youthful” and “electrifyingly fresh” — and who are we to argue? And here’s another one to add to your Christmas list. The all-star soundtrack for Rob

FERGIE: one of Nine

Marshall’s screen version of the Broadway hit Nine will be released digitally December 15 and available for purchase in stores on December 22, three days before the film opens here. Bonus material on the disc includes a new version of Quando Quando Quando, performed by Fergie, who also sings one of the show’s big hits, Be Italian. Other so-far unlikely warblers include a clutch of Oscar winners who star in the movie — Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Judi Dench, who gets to deliver the Follies Bergere showstopper. Can’t wait.

THE SHADOW OF HER STYLE: Supertalent Camilla  Scott always delivers the goods, in big stage musicals like Crazy For You, Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You, on U.S. soaps like Days Of Our Lives and The Guiding Light and

SCOTT: Larry's lady?

in intense TV dramas like Law And Order and This Is Wonderland. Now she’s playing another sublimely talented dame – the late, great Vivien Leigh – in Austin Pendleton’s wry behind-the-scenes comedy Orson’s Shadow. Set in 1960, it’s Pendleton’s version of what really happened when legendary London critic Kenneth Tynan brings Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier together to collaborate on the English language premiere of Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. Olivier, deep in the throes of his affair with his young co-star Joan Plowright, is not yet separated from the mercurial, iconic and fatally unstable Ms Leigh, which makes backstage rehearsals very, very interesting. After previews start tomorrow, Orson’s Shadow opens next week at Theatre Passe Muraille, with Christopher Stanton as Kenneth Tynan, Paul Eves as Olivier, Janet Porter as Joan Plowright, and Steve Ross as Orson Welles. To order tickets, click here.

DICKINSON: dog show?

DRAGONS’ DEN GOES TO THE DOGS: Woofstock creator Marlene Cook, the brainy entrepreneur whose annual summer salute to Man’s Best Friend drew 300,000 participants to downtown T.O. this year, pitches the Dragons tonight with five look-alike dogs — one for each dragon. Would you be surprised to learn that Ms Cook matched Kevin O’Leary to an English bull terrier?  Probably not. But apparently finding an apricot poodle with a coat that was just the right shade of red to represent Arlene Dickinson was a far greater challenge. To catch all the Dragons and their canine cut-ups, tune in CBC-TV tonight at 8 pm.

TOMORROW:

Julia Roberts, The Frantics, and more Dragons!

Y tu, Gossip Girl? Man, it seems like every show this week is taking off for Thanksgiving. Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Sex & the City, M*A*S*H, all the faves!

Gossip Girl did have a show last night but it was a rerun and not the good kind of Rerun, like the one from What’s Happening? It was the one about the end of summer. PUH LEEZE Gossip Girl. We know none of those plots matter anymore. So, instead I watched a movie starring Jesse Eisenberg and Carter Baizen that was directed by Fred Durst. Just k’ing! I watched movie trailers.

Sadie Hawkins Dance! In my khaki pants! The girls ask the guys! It’s always a surprise!

It’s nice to see Kaitlin Olson from It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia taking on the new role of “Best Friend in a RomCom.” You need sass for it, and I think she has sufficient sass. Also, I know this is the magic of movies, but between the earrings gag (“Keep your ears warm”?) and the fact that he is Adam Scott (no offense to Adam Scott, it’s just he often plays assholes) I don’t think that things are going to work out for his character. But O Valencia! (instrumental) rocking, shennagans happening, superstition, happenstance, TRUELOVE! Also, I hope that the end of the movie is paced exactly like in this trailer. Adam Scott, just walking over, proposing, Ozymandias looking mopey.

Also

Amanda Seyfried only takes two roles. The first role she takes is high school students in uncommon high school stories and the second role she takes is anything shooting in magnificent locales with ABBA songs. Probably. I like how this movie flips everything OUT OF CONTROL. She has the handsome, dashing, foreign boyfriend but she wants the other handsome, stuffy, foreign guy! Take that preconceived notions!  However, I feel like its a cop out to use the Rock Remix of “Love Story” because someone spent a lot of time playing the banjos on the regular “Love Story.”

En hel helg är över.
Som vanligt hinner man inte med. Man tycker den bara hinner starta, så är den över. Just i helgen har Max tagit ytterligare ett kliv framåt i “snack & prat”. För i helgen har han kommit med flera ord, som meningar och han försöker “säga” många ord som han aldrig tidigare har sagt. Så det känns toppen och framförallt låter det såååå otroligt gulligt då det kommer små ord. Jag blir lika paff varje gång.

Imorse var det min tur att ha sovmorgon. Max ställde sig upp i sängen och ropade på pappa att han skulle vakna. Jag försökte blunda och låtsas sova, så det skulle finnas en chans att jag somnade om igen, då de lämnade rummet. Men imorse var det svårt. För när de skulle gå ut ur rummet så hör jag Max säga “hejdå mamma” och väntar förstås att jag ska svara hejdå. Men då säger pappsen “jo, mamma ska sova“. Då hör jag Max säga “sovgott mamma” och så gick de. Så med ett rört leende på läpparna så vänder jag på mig och faktiskt somnar om och vaknar utvilad. Underbart!

Lördagen…..

Ihelgen har det varit härligt väder här. Solen har fått vara framme en stund och igår passade vi på att vara ute en del. Först blev det att smutsa ner sig i sandlådan…

…för det blir verkligen grisigt då all snö har tinat bort och det har regnat i flera dagar. Inte trevligt då man ska ta av kläderna fulla med blöt sand.

Kojbygge…..

Efter sandlådan blev det kojbygge med pappsen i vår “lilla skog”
på tomten, bakom lekstugan. Fanny hittade nämligen en perfekt
plats för en koja under en stor gran och stora stenar.

Så pappsen & Fanny drog dit tallris och de “byggde in” kojan. Max som inte är så rörlig i sina kläder ute, satt mest och tittade på intresserad och hade inlägg i konversationen =)

Sedan fick han förstås komma ner i kojan och se han oxå.

Söndagen…..

Idag har vi inte haft någon teckenkurs. Det var en del bortfall av deltagarna så då  hoppade vi över denna gång. Pappsen & Fanny ahr varit iväg och hämtat hem en utegran till advent. Sedan tog vi en eftermiddag med spel vid köksbordet. Vi introducerade Max i memoryspel för första gången.

Jag hade skrivit ut
och plastat in några
kort från cd-skivan
“materialhatten“.
Jag valde ut röda och blå saker.

Tanken med memory är att vi främst tänker träna begreppen
“lika” och “olika“ samt “rätt” och “fel” med detta.

Sedan blir det ju även träning i färger och att kanske komma ihåg var motiven var såsmånigom. Vi får vi se hur han tycker det är och hur han klarar det. Nu idag tyckte han det var kul och var otroligt duktig på att vänta på sin tur och att bara vända 2 kort åt gången.

Mamma mia……

Vi satt oss sedan nu på eftermiddagen och såg
“Mamma mia” filmen igen på dvd. (den är ju såå
bra med all superbra musik) Det var så roligt att se
Max i första hälften av filmen. ….
 

För det varvas ju hela tiden med
sång och musik. Så Max satt som
vanlig i sin lilla fotölj då det var
vanlig handling och då det blev
sång och musik var han upp och dansade,
spelade luftgitarr och sjöng i  “tumme-micken”.
Så höll han på så upp & ner och upp & ner=)
medans mamsen och storasyrran försökte
sjunga med så gott vi kunde i låtarna.

It’s not clear whether someone asked him or not, but Richard Curtis seems to think that he is now responsible for presenting a vision of Britain that glows with progressive energy and infectious optimism. Not for him the kitchen-sink realism of Ken Loach or Andrea Arnold, or the hard-knock macho silliness of Nick Lowe. He’s more interested in treating the stuffy image of Britain as a curtain that can be pulled back to show a country that will be compelled to dance if someone plays the right song. Thanks are due for making British history as funny as he (and co-writer Ben Elton) did with Blackadder, but his dominance over British film and TV becomes hard to swallow as we are submerged under a tide of worthy feel-good pablum such as The Vicar of Dibley, The Girl in the Cafe, the TV adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith’s cutesy The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, etc. As with overworked screenwriter Andrew Davies, Curtis gets everywhere, and for those of us who would like British culture to contain more than slightly raunchy adaptations of classic novels or movies that make committee-driven American product feel like the works of Jean-Luc Godard, the ubiquity of these two men begins to feel a little oppressive.

The Boat That Rocked is Curtis’ most recent attempt at mythologising the British Experience, taking the fascinating story of Radio Caroline and reducing it to a bog-standard rebels vs. Empire tale riddled with dick jokes, unappealing caricatures, and a depressingly retrograde attitude to women. Actually, “jokes” is the wrong word to describe the zaniness that pervades the movie. There is never anything as concrete as a joke delivered. Instead there is a nebulous air of “humour”, an ambience that feels funny without ever doing anything amusing. It is to comedy as froth is to food. Unfortunately that froth is thinly spread over two hours of footage.

Giving a synopsis of the movie is simultaneously difficult and very easy. Difficult because a lot of small things happen that mean nothing in terms of plot, but easy as the central thread of the movie — youth vs. old age — is presented with Manichean simplicity. As with Radio Caroline, the movie’s fictional counterpart — the imaginatively named Radio Rock — broadcasts pop music from a boat moored somewhere in the North Sea to a large audience of young listeners. Unlike Radio Caroline, Curtis creates a scenario where the British government — and by association the BBC — have restricted the amount of popular music played on licensed national radio, and Radio Rock serves as a corrective to this by pumping out a non-stop barrage of The Who, The Small Faces, The Kinks, and the odd Motown/Stax classic for variety. Of course, the BBC played more popular music — and Radio Caroline less subversive music – than Curtis will admit. He operates in broad strokes, and fact will merely reduce the impact of his blunt message.

While the boat is populated with a menagerie of ill-defined “characters” (in both senses of the word) having the time of their lives, the establishment is painted as a group of out-of-touch, sour-faced nags, as grey as Steve Bell’s caricatures of John Major. It is painful to see Kenneth Branagh trying — and failing — to breathe life into the character of Sir Alastair Dormandy. Given no inner life to work with, Dormandy states quite clearly that he is trying to destroy pirate radio as he thinks it’s horrible and hates the thought of the public enjoying themselves. His unsubtle grouching is mostly aimed his equally hateful second-in-command, played by Jack Davenport. Much has been made of the name of this character — Twatt — though less note has been made of the decision to change the name of personal assistant Miss C from the original name of Miss Clit. Curtis must be more interested in displaying Twatt than acknowledging the existence of Clit, I guess.

That might explain why The Boat That Rocked is set in a retrograde world where women are sexually liberated enough that they don’t seem to mind being swapped around from one Radio Rock DJ to another as if they were soulless commodities. One excruciating scene shows DJ Dave (Nick Frost) attempting to deceive groupie Desiree (Gemma Arterton) into sleeping with virginal wallflower Carl (Tom Sturridge, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights), the inference being that Desiree will be just fine with this because it’s all fair game and not actually non-consensual sex. Even Radio Rock proprietor Quentin (Bill Nighy) endorses this deflowering project, bringing his niece Marianne (Talulah Riley) onboard as a figurative virginal sacrifice to Carl, who is then seduced by Dave behind his back despite his earlier efforts to help the young man.

It’s the last thing you would expect from Curtis, and one suspects he is trying to pay homage to Carry On-style British sauciness, but his attempts to make this seem charming and empowering fail because the only contrast to this selfish behaviour is the colourless world populated by fun-hating automatons like Branagh and Davenport. It’s either grey cardigans or thoughtless sexual voraciousness, and you don’t want to be on the side of the squares, do you? It doesn’t matter if you treat your fellow man / woman with contempt, as long as you’re having a good time doing it. Besides, Curtis is otherwise politically correct enough to add an almost mute black kid (Ike Hamilton) and a lesbian (Katherine Parkinson) to the crew, because yay diversity! Calling the tone of the movie schizophrenic is putting it mildly.

It doesn’t help that Curtis’ cast of characters are unforgivably awful, and his impressive cast wasted. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans play egotistical buffoons who care more about upstaging each other than about the feelings of their colleagues, shunning feeble Omega-males Chris O’Dowd, Rhys Darby and Tom Brooke (playing Baldrick-surrogate Thick Kevin) as if tainted. Even Nick Frost’s innate likeability is not enough to make his character endearing, which says much for Curtis’ misunderstanding of tone. If only someone had taken Curtis to one side to explain a truth established a long time ago: there is nothing more tawdry and depressing than hearing an Englishman talk about sex. Memories of Robin Askwith peering through bedroom windows at horrified housewives in their underwear flash through the mind. If Curtis is trying to evoke memories of British sex comedies from the Sixties and Seventies, the pertinent question is: why in the world would anyone in their right mind want to do that?

If we’re meant to be attracted to this group of misogynistic grotesques, the reasons are lost in the edit, which could account for the majority of the movie’s flaws. Tales are told of an original three-hour edit, pared down to 135 minutes in the UK and 90 minutes in the US (where the title has been changed to Pirate Radio). The UK release seems so unfocused that it feels like Curtis lost track of all of the footage in the editing room and accidentally deleted the wrong scenes, leaving us with lots of pointless dancing and a disparate collection of second acts that have no context. As such it is hard to criticise the movie for its sexual politics or unappealing characters because we cannot know if these failings would have been resolved had the editing been tighter. Much as I don’t want to attribute gross negligence to a man who has been telling stories with some success (financial and artistic) for a long time, it’s apparent that The Boat That Rocked is not a finished product. Was Curtis bored with this project by the time of release? Did the shooting schedule run over due to all of the larks, leaving less time for post-production?

This stew of unresolved threads cannot be called a movie. It’s a themed sketch show, intentionally leaving the odd memorable moment adrift in a content-free tone soup of tone. Daisyhellcakes (whose affection for Curtis’ work was severely dented by this movie) observed that its poor-plotting and forced air of jollity were reminiscent of Mamma Mia, and she’s onto something, and not just because criticism of the subject matter comes with the risk of being labelled a humourless prude. Other than a subplot about Carl finding his father (played by Ralph Brown as a stoner, for a change), Curtis cannot bring any subplot to a satisfying conclusion and so resorts to Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd’s trick of battering the audience with relentless upbeat exhibitionism. There are a seemingly infinite number of montages showing people dancing around their radios, cross-cut with shots of DJs yelling tedious insults about penis size at each other over the assorted Sounds of the  Sixties. If you thought Good Morning, Vietnam would have been a better movie without Robin Williams or the clumsy rhetoric about the horrors of war, you were wrong.

Perhaps Curtis has watched too many clip shows on Channel 4, and thinks that as long as he adds a couple of  scenes that resonate enough to get a mention in one of those time-wasting monstrosities then his job is done. The only moment that generates an emotional response is when Chris O’Dowd’s virginal DJ Simple Simon Swofford is jilted by his new bride (January Jones, not setting the world of comedy on fire with her two scenes). As she leaves him after seventeen hours of marriage to be with Rhys Ifans’ lothario Gavin, a heartbroken O’Dowd plays Lorraine Ellison’s gut-wrenchingly beautiful Stay With Me and mimes along, face contorted in pain.

Sadly, any hope that this scene will add an extra dimension by reflecting on the emotional fallout that can come with free love and — more importantly — what these characters actually think other than “Fab grooviness!”  is futile. O’Dowd seemingly forgives Ifans a few minutes later, and by the end of the movie he has found a new love interest whose boobs drive him into paroxysms of screeching joy. The calculation of Curtis is even more apparent when — during a credit sequence that features much of the leftover footage of the cast members dancing badly — Ellison’s breathtaking version of Stay With Me is replaced by a soulless cover version by Welsh squeak-merchant Duffy. Cross-media synergy pours from the screen, with Duffy’s impression of a jilted mouse providing the soundtrack.

Making this nostalgic movie in the Internet age — where we have a hither-to unheard-of opportunity to express ourselves or find like-minded individuals — there is potential here for an exploration of what it was like to live in an era when broadcasting thoughts and music from the fringe was a privilege of a select few willing to oppose the restrictive establishment. The Boat That Rocked is not interested in that, and shouldn’t be criticised for telling a different story. Nevertheless, what we get instead of an exploration of… well, anything, is a melange of disconnected anecdotes and an ill-defined shout of rage at officious nay-sayers who think they have the right to monitor and protect our morals. It’s impossible to tell if Curtis has anything substantial to say within the chaos of this edit, though it must be noted that his rush to paint the British government as the enemies of anything progressive means he has to attribute the formation of the pirate-radio-killing Marine Offences Act to a joyless villain with no soul. In real life the act was put into law by the Postmaster General, who at the time was Tony Benn, one of the most fearless and progressive politicians the UK has ever seen. Even though Curtis has made it clear that his movie is a fantasy, it’s still inspired by reality, and this misrepresentation of what Benn stands for leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

The Boat That Rocked is worth avoiding for many reasons: the relentless wave of forced glee, the depressing stream of witless dick jokes, the contrived Field-Of-Dreams-esque uplift of the final scene. However, beneath the whirl of colour and cheekiness  of his fantasy world is a mass of contrivance that betrays the far more interesting and complex tale of the battle between Radio Caroline and Tony Benn. Any serious message that could be derived from the very real conflict between the government and the motormouth DJs of 60s pirate radio has been drowned out by the endless Funn! ™, leaving us with a Cool Brittania promo vid that would have seemed hoary last decade. It’s a vapid exercise in nostalgia porn that wallows in the murkiest waters of seaside-postcard-esque British culture and reveals Curtis’ carefully sculpted reputation as a writer of sophisticated comedy is an empty PR fantasy. Other than the similarly regressive Lesbian Vampire Killers — a contender for worst movie of the decade — The Boat That Rocked is the most dispiriting British film released in 2009. Do yourself a favour and find a copy of Allan Moyle’s Pump Up The Volume instead. It features 100% less Rhys Ifans and has Leonard Cohen and Sonic Youth on the soundtrack. It’s good enough to make me moodily dance around my radio.

Fans of MAMMA MIA! can become a Super Trouper for the night at one in the West End, while raising money for BBC Children in Need with BBC London 94.9FM’s special gala performance of the hit musical at the Prince of Wales Theatre on Wednesday November 18.

Guaranteed to get you in the mood for dancing in the aisles are BBC London’s 94.9FM Breakfast show presenters Paul Ross and JoAnne Good, as well as Sony Award-winning morning show presenter Vanessa Feltz and afternoon host Danny Baker, who are all delighted to be introducing this fun-packed gala performance. All money raised will go towards helping disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. The dress code for this very special red carpet performance is ‘glamorous’ so attendees are encouraged to get their glad rags and dancing shoes on.

via BBW

1. El Fantasma de la Opera

Productor(es): Andrew Lloyd Webber

Primer estreno: 1986 en Londres.

Precios ganados: 3 “Olivier Awards” (Mejor actuación en un Musical, Musical del año, Mejor Musical) en 1986,7 “Tony Awards” (Mejor Musical, Actor Principal en un Musical, Actriz Protagónica en un Musical, Director, Escenografía, Vestuario, Iluminación) en 1988, 7 “Drama Desk Awards”, 3 “Outer Critic Circle Awards” (Mejor Musical, Mejor Diseño, Mejor Actor) y 4 “Drama Critics Awards” (Mejor Actor, Mejor Escenografía, Mejor Vestuario, Mejor Iluminación).

Producciones: La obra ha sido traducida en varias lenguas y presentada en más de 20 países del mundo, entre ellos México, Brasil, Argentina.

Sinopsis: El fantasma de la Opera es un joven genio de la música, que vive en los subterráneos de la Opera de París. Durante algún tiempo se ha dedicado a horrorizar a los artistas y empresarios del teatro, pero con el cambio de propietarios del lugar todos esperan que la situación cambie. Misteriosamente un telar cae sobre Carlotta , la diva de la compañía y ésta renuncia. Su lugar es ocupado por una bailarina desconocida de nombre Christine, que ha tomado clases de canto con un desconocido a quien llama el Angel de la música e impresiona a todos con su voz. Ahora empieza una compleja trampa de amor entre Christine, el Fantasma, que ella descubre ser su Angel de la música, y Raoul, un viejo enamorado.En la rapresentación final, en la que Christine es la protagonista, el fantasma rapta la joven y se enfrenta sucesivamente con Raoul, que al final logrará escapar con su querida.

Canciones más famosas: Piensa en mi, El espejo, Musica en la oscuridad.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

2. Cats

Productor(es): Andrew Lloyd Webber

Primer estreno: 1981 en West End Theatre (London).

Precios ganados: 2 “Olivier Awards” (Best New Musical y Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Musicals) en 1981; 7 “Tony Awards” (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Featured Actress(Betty Buckley) y Best Direction) en 1983.

Producciones: Después de su enlace en Englaterra, el musical gana notoriedad en todo el mundo (EE. UU., Hungría, Japón, Australia, Francia, Mexico, Argentina, China, Taiwan, Tailandia, Noruega, Oslo, Suecia, Italia, Brasil).

Sinopsis: La historia contada en CATS se desarrolla en un depósito de chatarra y siempre de noche. Se tiene que decir que este mucical es casi sin trama: solo encontramos a unos gatos que presentan al público los otros gatos. Todos los gatos se llaman “Jellicles” y una vez al año hay el “Jellicle Ball“, que es una noche muy especial por que todos los gatos “Jellicle” se reunen en el depósito y bailan por toda la noche abajo la luna llena. Hay un antagonista en esta historia y es Mcavity, un felino criminal, que ententa derrotar la fiesta de los Jellicle.

Canciones más famosas: Memory.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

3. Les Misérables

Productor(es): Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Boublil

Primer estreno: 1980 en Paris.

Precios ganados: 8 “Tony Awards” (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by a Featured Actor/Actress in a Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Lightning Design, Best Direction) en 1987.

Producciones: La producción original francesa ha sido traducida y representada en Inglaterra, EE. UU. y en Canada. Tuvo un gran éxito en Inglaterra, así que se puede considerar el musical que por más tiempo se haya representado en el teatro de West End.

Sinopsis: Jean Valjean, es un joven francés que tiene que proveer a la hermana y los hijos de ésta. No teniendo mucho dinero y desesperado por su situación, Jean se ve obligado a robar un trozo de pan. Por este crimen se le condena  a 5 años de trabajo forzado en la cárcel de Tolone, pena que será extendida a 14 años por varias tentativas de escapar. En 1815, a la edad de 46 años y después de 19 años de reclusión Jean está liberado de la cárcel. Una vez salido Jean vagabundea por el sur-este de la Francia y con el pasar del tiempo cae en las viejas costrumbres así que comete  otros robos.

Es aquí que Jean se da cuenta que había errado muchas vezes y que ahora era el tiempo para cambiar vida. Por esto Jean muda en un otro pueblo, esconde su pasado y se presenta como  Monsieur Madeleine. En este pueblo Jean encuentra una mujer que está en punto de muerte y le pide de encontrar su hija Cosette, que había sido alejada de ella. Jean mantiene su promesa: encuentra a la joven y cuando descubre las condiciones en las que ella tiene que vivir, decide raptarla para ir a vivir en Paris. En seguida Cosette se enamora de un joven liberal, Marius, con el cual empieza una platónica pero intensa relación amorosa.

Hemos llegado al año 1832 cuando en París se desarrolla una revolución estudiantil. Marius decide de participar a la revolución, convencido que no podrá estar junto a Cosette. Cuando Jean descubre las intenciones de Marius, corre en su ayuda y le salva de la muerte. Marius y Cosette se casan y asistirán algunos años más tarde a la muerte del viejo Jean.

Canciones más famosas: I dreamed a dream.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

4. A Chorus Line

Productor(es): Joseph Papp (1974-1990) y John Breglio (desde 2006 en adelante)

Primer estreno: 1974 en Broadway (EE. UU.)

Precios ganados: 9 “Tony Awards” y el “Pulitzer Prize for Drama” en 1976, London Evening Standard “Best Musical Award” y 5 “L.A. Drama Critics Awards” en 1977, 2 “Tony Awards” en 2006 por mejor “Musical Revival”.

Producciones: en todos los EEUU y en Australia (Sydney), el estreno se interrumpe entre 1990 y 2006.

Sinopsis: El reparto para una nueva producción teatral de Broadway está casi al completo. Sólo quedan 17 bailarines para escoger. Por ellos esta es la única posibilidad de lograr lo por lo que han trabajado por todas sus vidas y por hacer lo que siempre habían soñado.
Pero antes de decidir quien tomar, el productor les pregunta hablar de ellos mismos. Él quiere saber algo más que sólo el nombre, la edad, la ciudad de donde son. Quiere saber algo personal, algo que ha caracterizado sus vidas.
Así uno a uno los bailarines se presentan y hablan sobre ellos mismos, compartiendo con nosotros sus experiencias de vida.

Canciones más famosas: One, I hope I get it.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

5. La Bella y la Bestia

Productor(es): Linda Woolverton

Primer estreno: 1994 en Broadway.

Precios ganados: 1 “Tony Award” (Best Costume Design).

Producciones: El musical ha sido producido en muchas lenguas y se han hecho diferentes Tours por toda Europa.

Sinopsis: Bella es una joven soñadora que vive en un pueblo con su padre Maurice, un inventor al que muchos consideran un viejo loco . Un día Maurice marcha a una feria de inventores, pero se pierde en el camino y acaba prisionero en un extraño castillo. Bella, preocupada al ver que el caballo de su padre regresa sin él, sale en su busca y al llegar al castillo descubre que su señor es una horrible bestia, pero aún así decide intercambiarse con su padre para salvarlo. Allí conoce a unos objetos que poseen vida entre ellos un reloj, un candelabro, una tetera y una graciosa tacita. Ellos quieren hacer sentir a bella en su propio hogar aunque la bestia la trate con maldad, porque quieren romper el hechizo de la rosa, dentro de toda esa aventura se descubre el amor que se tienen la bella y la bestia. Y luego de una jugada del destino Bella es encerrada con su padre en su cabaña por Gastón, un Malvado que no acepta que una mujer lo rechace. De allí parte al castillo de la bestia con el pueblo enfurecido decidido a matarla. Pero Bella y a su padre pueden liberarse y se van inmediatamente a ayudar a la Bestia. Más adelante se libra una batalla entre Gastón y La Bestia, batalla que gana la Bestia, este victorioso se reúne con Bella,se besan y rompen el hechizo en el que vivían los seres del castillo.

Canciones más famosas: Belle, Be our guest, Beauty and the Beast.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

6. El rey León

Productor(es): Walt Disney Theatrical.

Primer estreno: 1997 en Minnesota (EE. UU.).

Precios ganados: 6 “Tony Awards” (Best Musical, Best Scenic Design for a Musical, Best Costume Design for a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Direction of a Musical) en 1997, 8 “Drama Desk Award” (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Direction of a Musical, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical, Outstanding Costume Design, Outstanding Lighting Design, Outstanding Sound Design, Outstanding Puppet Design) y el “Theatre World Award” en 1998.

Producciones: Después del estreno en Broadway, el musical viene producido en Englaterra, Japón, Canada, Alemania, Australia, Corea del Sur, Francia, Sur Africa, Singapore y es conocido en todo el mundo por su escenificación espectacular.

Sinopsis: Simba, un pequeño león, es el próximo rey de la selva, pero un accidente adelanta todo esto, ya que su padre muere al salvarlo de una estampida de animales. Simba, se siente culpable por la muerte de su padre y se aleja de la manada, dejando el trono al malvado león hermano del rey muerto.

Canciones más famosas: Hakuna Matata, El ciclo de la vida, Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

7. Grease

Productor(es): Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Primer estreno: 1972 en Broadway (EE. UU.)

Precios ganados: “Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography” y el “Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Costume Design” en 1972; “Theatre World Award” en 1994.

Producciones: Hay producciones de este Musical en todo el mundo: en 2008 llegó incluso a China.

Sinopsis: Estamos en el año 1959 en la “Rydell High School”, en la que encontramos a un grupo de jovenes, que están viviendo en pleno su adolescencia. Enmedio de todos estos jovenes, está Sandy Dumbrowski, que está nueva en la “Rydell High School”. Después de poco se descubre que Sandy y el líderazgo de la gang de los “Burger Palace Boys”, Danny Zuko, han tenido una breve romanza en el verano antes.
Mientras Sandy cuenta a sus nuevas amigas más los fuertes sentimientos que tiene por Danny, este enfatiza más la fuerte atracción fisíca de su relación. En continuación los jovenes tienen que enfrentar los tipicos problemas adolescenciales: amor, amistades, violencia entre las gangs y también el embarazo de una de las amigas.
Al final, Sandy y Danny superan todas las diferencias y los problemas entre ellos y se enamoran.

Canciones más famosas: Summer Nights, Greased Lightning, We go together, You better shape up.

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

8. Mamma mia!

Productor(es): Catherine Johnson

Primer estreno: 1999 en West End Theater (London)

Precios ganados: 1 “Olivier Award” (Best Supporting Performance In A Musical) en 2000, 2 “Drama Desk Awards” (Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical) y el “Theatre World Award” en 2002.

Producciones: Este Musical ha obtenido un gran éxito y se han organizado Tours en casi todos los paises del mundo: Canada, EE. UU., Australia, España, México, Países Bajos…

Sinopsis: Estamos en el año 1999, en la preciosa isla griega de Kalokair, donde encontramos al hotel Villa Donna, que regentan Donna, su hija Sophie y su prometido Sky.

A punto de casarse, Sophie, una chica inglesa de 20 años, descubre el viejo diario de su madre y encuentra descripciones de varias citas íntimas con tres hombres: Sam, Bill y Harry. Sophie cree que uno de esos hombres es su padre, y les envía una invitación a cada uno a su boda sin decírselo a su madre.

El día antes de la boda, la madre de Sophie, Donna, comienza a recibir a los invitados en su hotel. Las primeras en llegar son sus dos mejores amigas: Tanya, una mujer rica y tres veces divorciada, y Rosie, una mujer soltera a la que le gusta divertirse.Al ver sus tres exnovios en su hotel, Donna se sorprende mucho y confiesa a sus amigas que los tres posibles padres de Sophie están en el hotel, pero que realmente no sabe cual de ellos es su verdadero padre.

Sophie esperaba que reconocería a su padre en el momento en que lo viera, pero ahora esta más confundida que nunca. Así durante la despedida de soltera Sophie decide que debe hablar con cada uno de los tres hombres por separado. De estas conversaciones sale que los tres creen de ser su padre.

El día de la boda, Donna, después de haber descubierto que todavía está enamorada de Sam, confiesa a Sophie que su padre está en la isla, pero no sabe cuál es de los tres. Sophie, atónita, reconoce que ella les invitó. Los tres dicen que están encantados de ser los padres de la chica. Sophie tiene otra sorpresa reservada para Sky y le dice que será mejor que retrasen la boda y recorran el mundo como siempre habían querido hacer. Al parecer, de nada servirán los preparativos de la boda, hasta que Sam se acerca con la última sorpresa: le pide a Donna que se case con él y ella acepta. Al final, Sam y Donna están casados, y Sophie y Sky realizan un viaje alrededor del mundo.

Canciones más famosas: este musical está basado en las canciones de ABBA como “Honey, Honey“, “Dancing Queen“, “Mamma mia“, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!“

¡Mira aquí un trozo de este Musical!

The Dubai Shopping Festival Office has stated the one whole week of festivities to mark the occasion of Eid Al Adha and the UAE National Day that falls on December 2. The second edition of ‘Eid in Dubai’ – Eid Al Adha will begin on November 27 and will close with the National Day Celebrations till December 3rd.

The DSF office will be making sure to stretch the spirit of Eid and the Glory of the UAE’s 38th National day among locals, expatriates and tourists. Dubai will be a first choice destination in the region during the week from 27th November to 3rd of December.
On November 27, ‘Eid in Dubai’ will feature an collection of family-oriented cultural and social programmes across Dubai. Some of these highlights are… more at http://www.dubaisurprises.com/index.php/all-news-one-source/the-nation/354-eid-al-adha-and-uae-national-day-celebration.html

The Norway production of Mamma Mia

2008: Mamma Mia! di Phyllida Lloyd

Prodotto da Tom Hanks, campione d’incassi in USA, incoronato al National Movie Awards come miglior musical e per la migliore interpretazione femminile, lo scorso anno è giunta finalmente in Italia la versione cinematografica dello spettacolo che spopola da decenni nei teatri di tutto il mondo.

Diretto da Phyllida Lloyd (regista dell’allestimento originale a Broadway), il film è una fiaba musicale (con scenario pittoresco che più non si può) ironica, fresca, elettrizzante: regala due ore di spensieratezza e di allegria, senza mai un attimo di stanchezza. Grande ritmo, battute spesso divertenti e non banali, canzoni (“abilmente cucite insieme”, Il Messaggero) orecchiabili cantabili accattivanti e dall’arrangiamento sorprendentemente moderno.
Un inno alla vita e alla gioia con il palese messaggio che la possibilità di essere felici prima o poi viene offerta a tutti: ma il film abilmente e sottilmente introduce temi non usuali nel musical e che fanno onore alla sceneggiatura di Catherine Johnson (l’adulto costretto a fare i conti con la sua vita, la gioventù in cerca di identità…) e prende posizioni non convenzionali (la donna ha il diritto di gestire il sesso come le pare, l’omosessualità non è uno scandalo, giuste per i giovani le esperienze prematrimoniali…).
Naturalmente domina il tutto la grande Meryl, divertente e divertita quanto mai, encomiabile nella sua capacità di rinnovarsi e di giocare con entusiasmo e ammirevole vitalità. Anche i critici che non si sono mostrati molto teneri con il film hanno applaudito la sua eccezionale performance: scrive Il Giornale “Un gioco di nostalgie, ripicche sentimentali, disvelamenti ed equivoci sopra i quali troneggia una sorprendente Meryl Streep abilissima cantante, che è il vero asso della manica del film”, Il Messaggero “Strepitosa la performance di Meryl Streep… che riesce a comunicare un’energia, un buonumore, una felicità (artistica innanzitutto) semplicemente irresistibili”, Cinematografo.it “Una Meryl Streep pronta per le Olimpiadi” , La Stampa “Il coraggio di cantare, ballare, saltare, ma soprattutto di indossare, per quasi tutto il film, un’informe tuta di jeans su scarpe da ginnastica raso terra… Meryl Streep, 59 anni e madre di quattro figli, vince la sua ultima sfida d’attrice”, Quotidiano Nazionale “Strepitosa e scatenatissima Meryl…”, Rolling Stone “Meryl Streep can do anything”, Il Corriere della Sera “Ma la carta vincente è Meryl Streep… Considerata a ragione la grande tragica di Hollywood… domina dall’alto del suo carisma”, Ciak “L’eccezionalità è in Meryl Streep che si anima come una ragazzina prodigio”, La Repubblica “Meryl Streep domina la scena come una regina incontrastata e i tre partner maschili… sembrano adattarsi docilmente e volentieri a un compito un po’ ornamentale” .
Da sottolineare che nella bellissima e struggente “The Winner Takes It All”, una Mina o una Barbra Streisand non avrebbero potuto fare di meglio.

Bravissime Julie Walters e Christine Baranski, autoironiche e godibili al massimo. Deliziosa (e mai leziosa) Amanda Seyfried.

Spiritosa e sorprendente la sequenza dei titoli di coda, “con un’ironica esibizione on stage dell’intero cast in preda a un delirio puro anni Settanta, con acconciature e costumi meravigliosamente kitsch” (Movieplayer).

p.s.

Mamma Mia! è il musical che ha incassato di più nella storia del cinema, guadagnando $142 734 000 negli USA e $356 626 198 nel resto del mondo. Con un incasso pari a £69.05 milioni Mamma Mia! è il film che ha incassato di più nella storia inglese. In Italia nel primo fine settimana ha incassato 1.851.134 euro, diventando la miglior apertura di sempre per un musical in Italia. Nella classifica mondiale dei 10 film hanno incassato di più nel 2008, si piazza al 6° posto con oltre 573.000.000 milioni di dollari incassati (da Wikipedia).

scheda

riconoscimenti e premi

sito italiano

sito ufficiale

Here we go again…

I’ve spent the morning reading “You know your not in Houston any more” lists and looking up the menu for Outback Steakhouse to see if they actually have Blue Bell ice cream. Seriously contemplating going. If only there was Mexican food here… My eyes kinda teared up when I saw “tex-mex” nachos on the menu.

I would kill for a buffalo cheeseburger from Bubba’s accompanied by a few Shiner Bocks. I’d kill a buffalo.

Entering into Texas-withdrawl, I beginning to dream about juicy steaks, fried okra, pecan pie, taquitos, kolaches, tortillas, and BBQ ribs. This morning I lay in bed thinking about how I could and did frequently eat alone at cafes or little burger joints, without any feelings of being alone or abnormal.

Perhaps this spurs from my little jaunt into Japanese cuisine last night. I came into a large amount of money (large to me, I’ve somehow been subsisting on 5000 yen a week… Lord knows how. I spend 2000 yen in transportation. 1000 yen, at least, in drinking. And that leaves 2000 yen for food even with the 100 yen shops, it’s cutting it close. Needless to say, I’m finding it easier and easier to pull on my skinny jeans in the mornings.– oh, the money came from working at the TJK high school festival last weekend. It’s about 6000 yen for having a great time.) and wanted to celebrate with a real meal. The friends I could contact all had plans and since I left my phone in my apartment I was unable to call Naomi, who usually shares Thursday’s evening meal time with me. I decided to try eating alone. In Aobadai, the station near my apartment, many restaurants thrive on the commuters who pass through. I really wanted Ramen since the weather has turned cold. I’d been to one of the Ramen shops with Naomi so I knew the drill (some restaurants here have specific ordering rituals, like purchasing a ticket prior to entry that states what you want and then handing it over as you seat yourself, other places have menus with pictures which makes it easy to order, others have only Japanese– also some restaurants require you to take off your shoes or sit in a specific place or have a group with you). And wanted to eat there, however, as I passed by the Ramen shop, no one was in there so I walked onwards. It was early yet- 5:30pm. I found an Indian restaurant, a Jamaican bar, a German sausage shop, a few Japanese izakayas, an Italian cafe,  a curry shop and some quick dining spots in addition to a McDonald’s, A KFC, and a Wendys. Lots of the places didn’t open until 6 so I walked around for a little while and decided that for my first forray into the world of single dining I would go to the quick dining spot which has cheap meals and the ticket dispenser thing. I followed a young woman inside and ordered. I was the only gaijin and sat at the long table that circles the kitchen. I placed my ticket down and tried to figure out what to do with myself. In America, I’d have a book and a secluded table to myself but here I was out in the open where everyone could see I was an American female and eating alone. The other female seemed to be getting something to go and shortly departed into the night. I was surrounded by men. But then my food came and I began my meal with a mumbled “Itadakimasu” threw some pickled ginger over the meat bowl, broke an egg over my rice, and handled my chopsticks like a pro. Ate as fast as I could since speed in eating alone is imperative here. These kids are in and out in like 10 minutes. I later got a tummy ache… in the future I will eat a a steady pace. Anyway, since I overcame the first eating alone challenge I will not explore some of my other options. Might even go to the mysterious cafe right near my apartment; they have no windows and only the entry door which is wooden… sometimes when I pass by it’s slightly ajar and I can see some people inside.

Anyway, TJK high school festival was immeasurably fun! I woke up early on Saturday and met my friend Yuki in Shibuya to take a bus to the TJK high school campus.

The entrance to TJK High School

The school itself was huge in comparison to my college. We made out way up to the 6th floor and to the TJK college booth. It was an advertisement for the multicultural dimensions of the college and we offered Hello Kitty trinkets in exchange for successfully completing a quiz on international things (the quiz itself was only 8 questions long but was quite difficult… There would be a poster board filled with information on a subject and then a question relating to the subject: highest grossing film in the US, which word is not from the American Indians, what do Finnish people believe that Santa rides, what country does not border China, ect…) I with the help of a translator got 7 questions right ( the one I got “wrong” was highest grossing film of 2009 which I said was Transformers and actually is… the answer they gave was X-Men… and because they were wrong I didn’t get a Hello Kitty trinket >.<). No one actually got all 8  questions right on the first day… so there were lots of Hello Kitty things left over for the second day.

My job was to hand out the impossible quiz.

Our booth was set up in a classroom.

Harumi and I greet all the passers-by and give them chupa-cups!

The TJK International Team!

English and Korean are some of the languages taught to TJK so we represented those countries!

I got to sneak away from my post to attend a traditional tea ceremony. This is after the ceremony. I’m next to the submerged boiling pot for the tea and pretending to hold the tea bowl. I learned all about the ritual which involves a lot of bowing, honorifics, turning of the tea bowl ect…

MAMMA MIA HERE WE GO AGAIN MY MY HOW COULD I FORGET YOU!!! Amazingly well-choreographed!

The TJK high school festival was astounding. Much better than the TJK college festival… sadly. But in Japan they really take high school seriously more so than college, it seems.

After the festival I went with a bunch of the booth workers into Shibuya for crepes and Purikura:

Purikura 1

Purikura 2

Purikura 3

Purikura 4: I decorated this one. I like bows!!

Purikura 5!

Purikura 6

My 5 day weekends will be ending this Sunday. Dr. Nickum is returning from Spain and so his classes will commence again. I’m actually pretty relieved. I need structure for optimal performance and all these lazy days have made me a bit sedentary. I’m looking forward to working hard again.

This Sunday is 3-5-7 day where children (girls and boys aged 3 and 7 and boys aged 5) gather a their neighborhood Shinto temple to celebrate youth. I’m planning on going to visit Rebecca’s host family’s shrine to see all the little kids dressed in kimonos. It should be wonderful.

So I’ll have some interesting things to update with soon. I’m planning on posting more now that school will be kicking in a little bit. I seem to be more productive when I’m busier.

Also coming up: a trip to Kamakura, Chef’s Western dance party, Thanksgiving with my Parents in downtown Tokyo, Disney Sea, Mt. Fuji, and more!

Image from here

Just as I wrote out my “Five Shows You Should See on Broadway” there happens to be five shows you shouldn’t see as well. Let me qualify that by saying that most shows that get produced on Broadway are worth seeing for one reason or another — they wouldn’t have landed on Broadway if there wasn’t something unique/special about them. But there’s some shows that you should probably just stay away from, especially if you are in NYC for only a limited time. I always think, “Will I regret it if I miss this show?” If the answer is yes, than I make sure that I go. Unfortunately, there are a few shows that you might just regret actually going to and spending all that money on.

Here’s a list of shows that I’ve regretted going to:

1. Bye Bye Birdie at Henry Miller’s Theatre – Oh, what can I say? It’s a mess. After sitting through this, my friend and I coined the phrase, “The best high school production of Bye Bye Birdie I’ve ever seen.” But then I digress, I’ve actually never seen Bye Bye Birdie performed at a high school. From the color-coordinated costumes to the lack of choreography, this show is just wrong. Oh, and did we mention that the teenagers are actually teenagers? So, if you are willing to shell out between $86.50 – $136.50 to see high schoolers perform, than more power to you. But I left, severely disappointed. The moment when you really want to walk out is during Gina Gershon’s mess of a dance, “Spanish Rose” — if you actually can call a “half-fan kick” dancing. It’s not scheduled to close till April 25, 2010. April can’t come any sooner.

2. Billy Eillot at Imperial Theatre – I’ll probably get some flack for this one, considering it won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. The first time I saw this, I actually almost walked out during intermission. I hated it that much. I wanted it to be so much more than it actually was considering that I loved the movie SO much. My biggest beef with this show, is that somewhere along the way, it lost its “heart”. The show changes so much with what Billy you see. The first time, I saw the “angry” Billy. Th second time was the “confused” Billy. These kids have to be a triple threats and both of the ones I saw were incredible dancers, but lacked in the acting department. Maybe the two new Billys will be better? Also, I have to talk about the set: it neither gives a clue of where we are or what time period we’re in. And for a show that specifically needs to identify both, I was sorely disappointed. (And that damn circular bed just drove me crazy.) The show is incredible in regards to the dancing, so if you are a dance enthusiast than you should check this one out. I say: pass. Wait for it to come on tour (or don’t). More info, here.

3. West Side Story at Palace Theatre - This is another show that I should have loved, but instead really felt nothing for. I saw a matinee, which might have influenced my overall feelings, but I really thought I would like it and I didn’t. It has the makings for something incredible. Obviously, the show is incredible, yet I felt that this revival didn’t have anything new to offer, except for the genius performance by Karen Olivo playing Anita (who won the Tony Award). Olivo was the only one to give a fresh perspective to her character. Finally, they are replacing Matt Cavenaugh, who plays Tony, on December 13th. Frankly, they never should have cast him in the role in the first place. Riedel, of the NY Post gives some advice to the next Tony, “Don’t miss any performances, don’t get old, and don’t get married.” Apparently, Ms. Olivo has been missing performances as well, so your best bet is just to miss this one altogether. More info, here.

4. The Phantom of the Opera at Majestic Theatre - I solely write Phantom of the Opera on this list because you are better off seeing it in Las Vegas than in NYC. I’ve actually never seen the Broadway production because there is always something else that is more important. Always. The Vegas version is quite thrilling, especially since they cut all the nonsense to 90 minutes. Besides, the sound design is the best I’ve ever heard from any show, anywhere. See something else on Broadway and take a trip to Vegas to see Phantom. You won’t regret it. Besides, it’s been running on Broadway since 1988. Maybe with the sequel, Love Never Dies, coming out next November on Broadway it will finally die away…. maybe. More info, here.

5. Mamma Mia at Winter Garden Theatre – Really, I mean really. This show should close so something else worth seeing can take its spot. Immediately. The show opened back in 2001. We are at eight years now. Playbill.com says, “The infectious music of ABBA provides the framework for a romp through the preparations of an unusual wedding.” Romp. Now I’m for sure not going.

Seriously, people. Stop. Going. To. This. Show.

More info, here.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Memphis at Sam S. Shubert Theatre – I actually hate putting Memphis on the “shows you should skip” list. I really don’t want to because the performers are kind of amazing — it’s the show that just doesn’t work. All of the sudden the show ended and I didn’t know why? That’s how convoluted the story gets to be at the end. You can’t deny the comparisons between Hairspray and Dreamgirls; it feels awfully similar to both of those shows and not in a good way. My friend and I decided that all of the performers in Memphis should be in Bye Bye Birdie and than, we would have something to write home about. Though Chad Kimball gives a unique and note-worthy performance, we unknowingly ended up hating him and his ridiculous Memphis accent. Montego Glover’s vocal range is impressive throughout, she’s just not given the songs to truly shine and show off her magnificent instrument. Bay Area local, James Monroe Iglehart, stole the show with his Act II performance. The audience couldn’t get enough of him. All in all, it’s a talented cast, just not a great show. More info here.

Today I had the delight of watching the famed ‘Jennifer’s Body,‘ which ideally focuses on many controversial concepts which include subjects such as; Satanic worship, torture, mutilation, demonology and lesbianism. Oh, well, sounds like everyone’s first day of the summer break, right? No, of course not. This appeared to be apparent as Box Office sales didn’t exceed more than $19 million with its $16 million budget at hand and scoring particularly badly among critics.

I’ll dive right in to the pool of blood and bad attempts of comedy left behind by the film’s oh so apparent success among younger viewers, which was also dubbed ‘Twilight for boys‘ by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert, who enjoyed the film. To be fair to Jennifer’s Body, it wasn’t an entirely bad film, it was indeed an interesting and original plot, however it could have been tackled far better by Diablo Cody who, to be honest, had her heart set on the film, but not necessarily all of her head. Fox’s acting was adequate at best, which significantly contrasted against Seyfried’s, who I have to admit, was surprising to say the least. Brody was also rather convincing as a slick-haired, satanic worshipping lead singer, which one wouldn’t have envisioned from his performances on ‘The OC.’

Roger Ebert was correct in saying that Jennifer’s Body is Twilight for boys, I mean how many women out there are prepared to sit through 102 minutes of blood-dripping, body-dismembering, scantily-dressed-cheerleading? Well, I’d imagine a few. It’s like Twilight in the same sense that every female in the world would go to see it because of the actor’s portrayal of the protagonist, who beyond all disbelief is Megan Fox, most men’s favourite young actress of the year.. or four. It’s also like Twilight in the sense that it’s completely and utterly successful beyond ever imagined. Oh wait a second…

Jennifer’s Body, overall, isn’t great. If you enjoy cheap thrills, then hey, be my guest. However, as the analysis goes; the acting is poor, the satirical side of it fails to achieve what it’s designed for, and probably the best part of it was the ending where I had a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to watch any more of what I thought would be a crazily good film. Unfortunately, it isn’t.  Despite a few occasional moments in the script, kudos to Cody for those, the film really can’t take off as what it’s supposed to be, comedy, slasher, horror or a film about female empowerment and it’s not like any other teen horror movie out there, for starters this one has some degree of a plot line, but it’s still not really worth the money of a cinema trip. Sorry folks. Oh and this poster is blatantly a rip of True Blood.

Termine Musical Starlights in Alsdorf und Düren

Das Musical Starlights gibt drei Gastspiele in der Stadthalle Alsdorf und der Arena Kreis Düren im Landkreis Aachen. “Musical Starlights” ist eine Show, die sich aus Highlights bekannter Musicals zusammensetzt. Wer kennt sie nicht? Die Musical Hits “Mamma Mia”, “Cabaret” oder “We will rock you”.

Deborah Sasson vereinte die original Solisten aus “Phantom der Oper”, “Les Miserables” und “Jesus Christ Superstar”, einem hervorragenden Chor und bekannten Tänzern aus der Musical Szene.

Die Termine für diese Musicals in Alsdorf und Düren sind:

22.Januar.2010, Arena Kreis Düren, 20 Uhr und

27/28.Februar.2010, Stadthalle Alsdorf, jeweils 20 Uhr

Mittels Videoprojektionen tauchen sie in die Welt der Musicals aus “König der Löwen”, “Mary Poppins” oder “Tanz der Vampire”. Zudem erleben sie Musical Hits aus den Highlights von “Moulin Rouge”, “Hairspray” und “We will rock you”. Erleben sie eine Zeitreise durch die schönsten Musicals und lassen sie sich in einer traumhaften Show verzaubern.

Quelle: http://www.baffy-scorpion.de/index.php/musical-starlights-aachen-dueren/

This weekend has been one of the best I have had in a very long time. It might have been one of the busiest but also one of the funniest.

On Friday, five workmates came up to London and I met up with them and stayed with them until today (Monday). I am now extremely tired and I think the amount of wine I have drunk is taking its toll!

Source: pelion-paths.gr

So, what did we do that was so good. On Friday we went to Rainforest Cafe for a meal before going to see Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales theatre. The show was fantastic, with a relatively small cast, but everyone was up dancing to the songs in the grand finale. There was a great atmosphere and even one of my workmates that hates Abba was up on her feet!

Saturday we were up really early. I don’t think I have seen 6:30 in the morning for quite some time. But we had eaten breakfast and were in Knightsbridge by 8:15. There was a parade organised by Harrods to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. The film was also the stores theme for Christmas and a fake snow machine turned the outside of Harrods into a winter wonderland.

After Harrods we went to Buckingham Palace and were heading for Petticoat Lane market when we get distracted by a film crew just off Liverpool Street. We were even more shocked when Clint Eastwood walked out of a small cafe. He was directing his new film, ‘Hereafter’ so we stayed and watched some of the filming before going back to the pub. We had a nice meal in a restaurant called Biagio’s in Piccadilly.

Source: thisisfragiletent.files.wordpress.com

Sunday morning we had an hour longer in bed before making our way to the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday. The sheer presence of people made it very humbling and although we were stood in the same place for four hours, it was a great experience. We even saw BBC newsreader, Sophie Raworth. I would definitely go again next year.

After the Cenotaph we walked to Covent Garden and had some lunch. I found some mulled wine and we had a look around the stalls and watched some of the street performances before making our way back to the South Bank where we had a 5:00 flight on the London Eye, complete with a glass of champagne. Although it was dark, London looked spectacular. It is such a lovely city anyway and in the dark it really was breathtaking.

We were going to go back to Covent Garden but were too tired, so settled for a Wetherspoons in Trafalgar Square before catching a bus to Harrods to see the lights. ‘The Emerald City’ as Harrods is currently known looked absolutely amazing. After taking numerous photos we made our way back to where we were staying and drank too much wine. So much in fact that four of us ended up walking down Oxford Street in our pyjamas and I climbed onto the top shelf in one of the wardrobes.

Regardless of the final nights antics, the weekend was really enjoyable. They are booked up for next November as well. But today I am very tired. I think I will watch a bit of TV and then have an early night because I really need it!