aradia22

Yeah, they had very little chance of winning unless the race magically started playing to strengths that only they had (e.g. languages, knowledge) or they got extremely lucky (e.g. finding something in a maze that everyone else struggled with). They seemed relatively nice but I'm not torn up about them leaving aside from my growing dislike of Brooke and Robbie. That was frustrating to watch. I think he might have been physically capable of the task as he got close a couple of times but there was always that hesitation, plus his growing fatigue. I think the cyclists might have managed it if they'd switched things around and not made the one afraid of heights go for the red flag.

Ugh. So over the wrestlers. They don't race that well, they complain all the time, and it was nasty to outright lie to Amy and Maya about the clue. It's one thing to refuse to point them right to the clue or to refuse to say one way or the other but outright lying is not cool. Besides, Brooke acts tough and then cries and complains about everything. It's clear when you hear massage or an kind of spa thing, that you go for the other task. It doesn't matter what the other task is. Their backs looked awful. I think Kym and Alli's elimination was our last chance for an all-female team to win this season. I love Amy and Maya and the fact that Maya is so joyful (she can save an episode for me and it's just like Brooke to resent someone else's positive energy) but with Amy's injury and knowing that they're not the strongest racers to begin with, they'll need another team to screw up to stay in it. Jim was a little too pissy about the flights in the beginning of the episode but the way he powered through the rope and the crab challenge won me over a little. I don't think their the greatest people. Most people can't be perfect. But they're nowhere near as awful as the wrestlers. Add me to the petition to get the cyclists back for All Stars if they're up for it. I think he would have handled the massage better. I got the sense that it didn't bother Robbie as much because it was probably harder to dig into his muscles. Of course the brushing and cupping would still hurt. I don't think the surfing challenge was specifically put in to help the surfers but I do think that when they were designing the race they put in that challenge to bait them if they were still in it. I don't think they try to play to anyone's strengths but there's usually a challenge or two that you'd expect someone to do well on because of their career or special skills... beyond say Jim who thinks he should be good at everything.

Love it. All better names than Stereo Kicks. Boys II Many is my favorite. I thought Lauren was good for Lauren but it still wasn't anything I'd listen to outside of the competition. If you're just a ballad singer... not a songwriter, no vocal tricks, no big range, no unique tone or vocal quality... then you need to be the best. Lauren is far from the best. I don't get Stereo Kicks. You just need to sing in tune for a few bars. How hard is that? It's not even like the ones who can't sing make up for it by being attractive like the boys in One Direction.

I decided on my Stereo Kicks lineup. I would have gone with James, Barclay, Reece, and Charlie with the option of Tom and/or Chris.

Miraculously was safe! Now I'll be fine if goes home. Next week is the Cher Lloyd spot. The week after is One Direction. There's only heartbreak for second place, otherwise known as my favorite to win... Rebecca Ferguson or Marcus Collins. If you win, you could be a Little Mix but most winners are mismanaged and end up in obscurity so I'm hoping it'll be Ben. Ben feels like a Matt Cardle. Oh, right, the results. It was . It went to deadlock. went home.

Ahhh, thank you. Those parts makes so much more sense to me now. I'd thought that they were intentional. Also, Rinaldo, will you be joining us on the boards for awards season? Honestly, not knowing how old she was and not having that perfect image of Judy Garland in the back of my mind, I don't think she looked that bad in A Star is Born. She pales in comparison to her former self but she's still very attractive. Has anyone else seen Illicit or Ziegfeld Follies who wants to chat? Or to tell me where I can find more Virginia O'Brien?

The insight of one quick wikipedia search: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_superbum and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Lily

Round two. Lauren Platt: Don't You Worry Child. This was much better than her first performance. Still kind of boring but competent. Oop, wait, her voice cracked again. I'm still going to put this among her better performances. Ben Haenow: Thinking Out Loud. Coffee shop. Meh. But not bad. He hasn't gotten to genuine but he's reached bland so at least it isn't so smarmy. Stereo Kicks: Run. I think they did this in boot camp. James starting off a little tentatively. You can be quiet while still having that contained power. I think Reece's voice is mediocre but relatively pleasant. Weird that he's getting more screen time this week. Good job hitting the notes, Tom. He still has a weird chipmunk voice though. James is still the best but he cracked a bit and then was a little shouty. Don't get sick, James Graham! Stereo Kicks cannot go on without you! Someone was throwing off the harmony a little. Oh, good, James is back. Whew, I was getting scared. The poor thing's going to get vocal damage carrying the group like this. Fleur East: If I Ain't Got You. A bit meh. Good, but it could be better. This suits her so much that it doesn't really push her to stretch. Even when she tries for Whitney and doesn't get there at least she gets to a high point. You know what I mean? Andrea Faustini: Hero. I think I like him better when he's singing in Italian. But also, you know, with some restraint. Round one rankings: 1. Stereo Kicks 2. Andrea 3. Fleur 4. Ben 5. Lauren Round two rankings: 1. Andrea 2. Stereo Kicks 3. Lauren 4. Fleur 5. Ben Overall rankings: 1. Andrea 2. Stereo Kicks 3. Ben 4. Fleur 5. Lauren My guess is that even though I think he doesn't try hard enough Ben will be safe since he's a favorite to win. Stereo Kicks did well this week and so did Andrea plus he probably has a boost from being in the bottom 2 (and getting Andrea fans scared that he'll be eliminated). So I'd guess that the two girls will be in the bottom 2. Fleur will probably go and I'll be really sad and angry.

OK, here we go. Round one. Ben Haenow: Come Together picked by One Direction. So many jokes. So little time. This is a great song for Ben. A little rock with nonsense lyrics. I feel like he could be trying harder. The vocals are mediocre. He's relying on the natural quality of his voice. Lauren Platt: Clarity picked by Little Mix. If this was for Andrea I could make a joke about his terrible diction. Not horrible. Not great. I get where this would be a good choice for her but she's not landing all the notes. But I think I've heard her be worse? So... yeah, she better not win. Stereo Kicks: Just the Way You Are chosen by Tulisa. Tom Mann started off OK. Not great but OK. Same for Charlie though he was a bit flat. Same for Reece who I think is slightly better than the other two. Maybe. I don't know, this song doesn't start off strong so as long as you can sing Happy Birthday you can pretty much sing the beginning of this song. Jake was OK today. I've realized he's singing from his throat. He should stop doing that. Oh, thank God, James is back! Chris and the one whose name I can't remember got a little duet portion. I can't pick apart their voices enough to tell who was a little off but they were also basically fine. I think this was a good week for them. It was a good level of boy band mediocrity. One Direction light. And isn't that what the producers have always wanted? Fleur East: A Fool in Love chosen by Emeli Sande. Well, at least it's not another person directly affiliated with X Factor. I don't know this song which makes it harder to critique but I think it's a bad choice going for throwback when everyone else is doing relatively current hits. It wasn't awful but I don't think it plays to Fleur's strengths. Also, what was with the fans? Andrea Faustini: Chandelier chosen by Sam Smith. Why would you do this to me, Sam Smith? On the plus side, while I didn't exactly enjoy it, the song prevented Andrea from being Andrea for most of it so it was more enjoyable than the majority of his performances. I revise my opinion. Good job, Sam Smith.

I didn't know what to call this. A "celebrity" singer/group picks the first song. The audience voted on the second song.

They cast a girl who says she's part Cherokee so it's totally cool now. *sarcasm*

I still couldn't sleep so I watched Ziegfeld Follies (1945). I was able to relax without having to worry about the story since it was a revue. Thankfully the creepy puppets were gone after the opening. There was something very disturbing about those puppets and I usually like stop motion and that sort of thing. I wasn't that into the pink number. It seemed like a joke. Cyd Charisse's dancing didn't captivate as much as it normally does and Lucille Ball and the cat women were just odd. I only started to like the movie during Virginia O'Brien's number on the horse. I need more Virginia O'Brien performances. The Traviata number was also good. I don't have the best ear for opera but it's La Traviata and besides those Sharaff gowns were enough to keep me entertained. The Lucille Bremer/Fred Astaire waltz was nice. I thought the princess dress she wore was boring until it started to move. Ugh, I love dresses like that. The sliding runways or whatever they used were a nice touch. I thought the number told a story effectively. Of the comedic skits, the Fanny Brice one was the only one that got me to laugh. It gave me a little more perspective on Funny Girl to see the real Fanny Brice in action. The other performers weren't bad but the telephone operator and Red Skelton skits were kind of lame, like those SNL skits that have the smallest kernel of an amusing premise and go on way too long. The "Pay the Two Dollars" skit wasn't bad but I just felt bad for the guy. There's schadenfreude and then there's watching someone get abused for no reason. I expected to love the Lena Horne number and sometimes it's just nice to see a performer like that on film but I thought the song was mediocre and the staging was awkward with everyone frozen. Deep breath. So... the yellowface number. With both Fred and Lucille in yellow face. And the male character being a creepy stalker while the female character ended up being mercenary. For the sheer intensity of the Orientalism I'm going to say this was worse than the first time I saw him do blackface. Not as shocking but more insulting. It was cute to see Judy Garland ham it up but her song was also rather weak. I didn't really enjoy Kathryn Grayson's singing at the end but it might be worth watching for the spectacle of the foam and the Follies style dancers/models? I'm going to say this is another one that you fast forward through or only watch clips of online, though I think it's worth it to watch it on a bigger screen.

Since I've seen Ex-Lady, I went back and watched Illicit. It's interesting to see how they changed things. Ex-Lady introduces the issue with the romantic rival and the disapproving father early while Illicit goes straight in with them living together and him pushing for marriage. But really, though, it was so strange to see Barbara Stanwyck with that crazy pre-Raphaelite hair... and singing too! I think Illicit is the better movie. It makes more sense. It's more tightly plotted. I get why everything's happening. Ex-Lady maybe has more to say but the structure is off and I don't think it has a good sense of its message, just the questions it wants to pose. The leading man in Illicit was no better than the one in Ex-Lady but his character was better. It made more sense to have the two rivals be hovering in the background as they were. They seemed much more random in Ex-Lady. Stanwyck's character was stronger as a woman who was frightened of marriage because of her parents and friends' divorces, who ended up being forced into marriage and being unhappy, etc. etc. Overall, the whole thing just made more sense and thus was more compelling and sympathetic than Davis' character who was like a weird bohemian doing relationship experiments... sort of? I feel like the long-winded drunk character might have been better in Ex-Lady though it helped that in Illicit he was just comic relief without the confusing sideplot with his wife. There were just too many extra side plots in Ex-Lady. The costumes in Illicit were also great. I think it's worth it to watch both movies. There are worthwhile things in both and they're different enough that it's not like you're wasting time on a lesser version of one by watching the other.

Sometimes you just really need to watch something in color. I had the time so I decided to put on A Star is Born (1954). Jesus Christ, this movie is long. Judy Garland was in top form. Her acting was more engaged than I've seen her in anything else and the musical numbers? Wow. That was like a master class. But it went on so long. It was more miniseries than movie. I didn't feel like all that time was really giving the characters more depth than they would have had in a 2 hour movie, maybe even in a one hour movie. I considered turning the film off in the beginning before Norman went to go find Esther and before she sang her second number in the blue dress at the club. He was just such an abusive troll of a drunk. I think the film recovered his character a little bit from there but I could never fully get behind him. It wasn't a bad performance and it wasn't a poorly written character. I can buy that there would be a character like that. But it wasn't compelling for me to watch. Even when he was sober I found him a bit of an asshole from the way he treated people (which yes, made sense with the characterization of a big Hollywood star who wasn't used to hearing no and had all his messes cleaned up for him) to the way his genuine moments still felt manipulative (like during the party where he told Esther she should stay away from him because he destroyed everything. I don't know if it was intentional on the part of his character but it was clear that would only make her cling harder to him). Even though he ended up making an unselfish choice, in making it, he took away her power to choose. I suppose I'd compare it to movies like Funny Girl or Singin' in the Rain and maybe even Easter Parade. This didn't work as well for me outside of the musical numbers. It's still a good movie that everyone should see at least once and I'm glad that I saw it but it's just not the kind of thing that would connect with me because of Norman's character and the lack of depth. It was interesting to see them play around with the means of storytelling a bit though I wouldn't call it experimental. I was thrown off when the photographs started and I thought something was wrong with the way my DVR had recorded the movie. It also looked like a bunch of different movies. There was the garish movie of the first 10 minutes or so. Then it kind of morphed into Gypsy backstage when Norman wrote on the wall with the lipstick. Then there were the dark parts of the movie with all the shadows. There was a bit of that gritty 70's look. And there was also that clean brightly colored 50's musical look. I don't have the film vocabulary to discuss it in any other way but it was like watching a bunch of different movies at once. I did like the way it portrayed the movie making business and celebrity. Yeah, there were times when it was a bit more glamorous or humorous but I think there was enough truth in there with the way she was originally treated as a contract player and the crowds at the . It just didn't move. I'll cry during almost anything and I didn't even tear up. It did what shorter movies do with the big dramatic speeches in lieu of slow character development. I was happy that Tom Noonan came back and I think they failed at making Libby the big villain because he totally had a point.

I know Justin Beiber was joked about but I think the intention was always to cast a woman. It's kind of a panto thing and you'd have to change the key of the songs for a guy. It's not that Allison Williams is ravishingly beautiful but right now I don't think she's doing enough to suppress her femininity. The accent doesn't help. If anything it makes her more feminine.

I finished up Skylark. It was kind of unsatisfying. The slapstick on the boat didn't work for me and I didn't really buy it as motivation . There's a way to sell going with either man and I don't think they did a great job of making this ending work. But I'd still recommend watching the movie. It's good if not great and again it looks gorgeous.

I watched the special today. At first it felt very staged in the auditions. There have been documentary style behind the scenes things before and this felt much more artificial. I did like seeing how David Chase handled the kids at the audition. Kind of awkward thinking about all those crushed dreams though. As it went along I was kind of impressed with the scope of the production. There's a lot that can go wrong with this one, more so than Sound of Music and it's really risky to perform along to a prerecorded track that can't adjust to whatever's happening in the moment. The set looks interesting. I'm intrigued to hear the new songs from Amanda Green. There's a chance the rest of the cast could outsing Allison Williams and Christopher Walken still looks kind of out of it to me but I'm feeling positive.

Since I was in the mood to listen to albums after Gentleman's Guide I decided to listen to another show I'm thinking of seeing, Side Show. Oh. So now i know why "Like Everyone Else," "Feelings You've Got to Hide," and "Who Will Love Me As I Am" are the popular numbers from the show usually used in promotional materials. Because the lyrics for everything else are... well... kind of incredibly stupid. There's a sense of rightness to good lyrics. They're not really obvious rhymes but they seem to fit the music and sentiment perfectly. Side Show's lyrics fit the music rather awkwardly and putting that aside, they're still kind of dumb. Even in the big numbers (Feelings and WWLMAIA) the blend of Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley and the soaring music barely cover up how silly some of the lyrics are. Norm, Jeff, Alice, and Emily sound great. The cast is talented but yeah, most of these songs don't work. It's both the music and the lyrics. I mean, it's mostly the lyrics but the music is also at fault. I know they've reworked it for the revival but my enthusiasm for seeing the show is quite dampened.

I decided to finally take the time to listen to the Gentleman's Guide cast album. I still don't think it's a great musical but it's a charming, amusing one. The lyrics aren't brilliant but they're very clever and competent. It's difficult to comment on the music as it is trying to mimic a specific style so there's not as much room to innovate and play. I couldn't shake the feeling after the first 5-10 songs that there was something about it that reminded me of Curtains. The accents they adopted weren't terrible but I feel like the slippage between the accents they were doing (and sometimes failing to maintain) and genuine British accents would be as annoying to British listeners as British musical theatre often is to me when they attempt any accent other than their own. The lyrics and the accents require precision and I'll admit there were times when needed to look up the lyrics because I lost a line or two in a song. Lauren Worsham was the star of the album for me. I'll see if I can't find the time (and wiggle room in my budget) to see this. It seems like a fun time similar to The 39 Steps.

Like a billion. There are too many film festivals and awards for me to care about. Sundance, Toronto, the Spirit Awards, the SAG awards, the Golden Globes. I can't. Put it on TV and give me a red carpet and I'll try to care.

I didn't watch. I just caught the clips online. Charli XCX is someone I feel like I should like but I don't. I listened through her album and put it on one of my playlists but I didn't have an immediate "I love this!" reaction. The performance was odd. It didn't feel as punk and rebellious as I think she wanted it to and the vocals were weak. Also, the part about not going to school felt like sad pandering. I thought Ariana Grande was kind of weak. And I like both of her albums. They're pleasant at first and then they grow on you. Her vocals weren't that great but then she had a lot to do. I'm not going to pretend that Selena Gomez sounded incredible. But she sounded fine. It was weak but on key and it made me want to listen to her album where the vocals would be fixed in the studio. For this kind of "proving you can sing with a ballad" performance I thought she did OK. Bang Bang was amazing. Bang Bang is always amazing. Though I'm getting kind of tired of hearing it, it's always fun. I loved Lorde's performance. It was the only one that felt exciting and present. She looks fully engaged and happy to be on stage in a way most acts don't. Her weirdness feels genuine and motivated unlike the pretensions of other pop stars.

Thoughts on the performances during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I pretty much only watched NBC. I popped in to CBS to see Taylor Swift and Pippin but if anything else happened on CBS, I missed it. On the Town went with a dance number. Still not feeling it. Honeymoon in Vegas surprised me. I'm not super familiar with Jason Robert Brown but even I know that this was a departure from his usual fare. Right now it's feeling a little like Bullets Over Broadway... flashy spectacle. The melodies don't seem very complex and the lyrics seem jokey. It doesn't feel highbrow or lowbrow but somewhere in the middle. I'm not sure if it's something I want to see but it's not something I don't want to see. This is the same number Gentleman's Guide always does but this is the first time it's made me want to see the show. I am really surprised that Side Show went with that number. It felt kind of like Chicago. Everyone seems to be opting for their "fun" numbers for the parade. Like HIM, it has me intrigued. The Last Ship wasn't awful. It wasn't Once or anything. But yeah, I have no desire to see this show. The Peter Pan live performance was kind of encouraging though I felt the complete absence o Allison Williams. The costumes looked much better than they have in the commercials and promotional photos. The Rockettes were getting it done.

Anyone else watching the parade this morning? While they showed some commercials you'll note they kept Alison Williams in the booth with the anchors and far away from the performance. That said, the costumes looked a lot better than they did in the commercials or the promotional photos.

Ha! It's not ideal for me either but I've become obsessive and I like to write down quotes and get photos of the clothes I like to inspire me later. Thus, it takes me forever to get through a movie if it has great dialogue or costumes. And I don't have time to start from the beginning or I'll never get through the movies clogging up my DVR. Oh, lord. My stomach hurts from laughing.

I decided to start watching Skylark (1941). Ben's pitch about the costumes and Claudette Colbert being shot from her left really sold me. He said the costumes were by Edith Head but the credits said Irene. Anyway, they were gorgeous either way. I've only seen Ray Milland in Dial M for Murder and Claudette in It Happened One Night so this was an interesting experience. He was very natural as a romantic leading man. Nice but not bland. Charming but not trying too hard to please. She seemed more mature in way that I haven't seen a lot of actresses play. It was nice to be watching a genuine romantic comedy again but there was something a little awkward about it. Perhaps it was that Colbert was doing a lot of the heavy lifting. I guess I'd explain it like if you were watching a sitcom like I Love Lucy but the character wasn't able to hear the laughter of the studio audience. Also, I love that old movies recognize the importance of having adorable little dogs. I feel like another part of the issue was Ray Milland's Tony was a little erratic. Sometimes he was super sweet and loving and sometimes he was more harsh like DMFM Ray Milland. It was not Wife vs. Secretary where Clark Gable was a little oblivious and distracted by work. This was like watching two different characters. And he oddly became more unlikable when he was being charming in the second half because there would be no problem if he'd been this guy to begin with. He only wanted to try hard when he lost her. Brian Aherne had the easier job of it as he just had to be charming and got to work up to having more emotions and investment in the situation. I love him in this movie. I actually liked almost all the smaller characters from the best friends down to the waitress. The casting seemed good, there was just something about Milland and Colbert that felt off, a combination of the writing and the performances. The old-timey subway was fun. Though would the guys all really side with the wife while the women were against her? Also, I couldn't shake the feeling during the movie that there were shades of other actors in their performances. I couldn't figure her out. The low voice was pointing me to someone but I couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe some Norma Shearer or Garbo or Bette Davis? I don't know. It didn't feel like she was wholly comfortable in the part. There was a bit of Jimmy Stewart and Robert Taylor and Cary Grant in there but I couldn't figure out the others. It's a beautiful movie to look at with great dialogue and gorgeous costumes and solid performances. But I think as an overall story it could be better with stronger characterization. It just didn't have that magic and I didn't care about the characters. But it's still worth a watch just because of how beautiful it looks. You could take hundreds of screengrabs that would make beautiful art for your walls. Every movie can't have that magic. I have 30 minutes left. I may not get to it for a few days.