aradia22

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.

Thanks for the recommendation. This is one of the newer fun country songs I can get behind. It sounds a little like something that would come out of Nashville (the TV show).

Oh, I agree. I just thought David Guetta was considered a producer and not a DJ. I can't keep up with these things. I like Titanium. I don't need to see him onstage but I like some of the songs he puts out.

I decided to finally watch Ex-Lady (1933) today. I still have 12 minutes left but I'll get to it tomorrow. It was an odd set up. The dialogue is fine but I hesitate to call it a good script. I feel like the first twenty minutes was a tidy, efficient movie in and of itself and having them get married kind of deflated the tension for the rest of the movie. I wasn't bored exactly but I didn't find it entertaining or engaging either. I was just listening for the wit of the dialogue. It was interesting to see Bette Davis this early in her career. More than with Three on a Match I saw all the familiar expressions. She's not like a Hepburn or a Crawford who has particular tics but I know how she plays certain emotions. It was all there but it was softer in a way. Not actually soft, but I guess, more natural. The leading man had his moments but I think a stronger actor might have made the movie more entertaining. Not by much though. I really do think all the tension left the movie after the marriage. It didn't feel like there were stakes. They were just trying things out. It was the most uninteresting version of examining a couple's relationship issues. It also felt oddly confined. I mean the home/hotel sets were spacious and lovely but it felt a bit like a play. In a play it doesn't bother me when there aren't a bunch of characters and you're largely confined to the same sets but this felt small. The costumes are gorgeous. I usually don't notice underscoring unless it's manipulative but I liked the romantic music playing under everything. It gave me the feel of watching a classic movie the way not every old movie does if that makes any sense. Edited to add that the movie does get to a conclusion "it hurts both ways but this way it hurts less" but it's not entirely satisfying as I think the issues go unresolved. That said, it's a rare movie that acknowledges things are complicated without tying everything up in a bow or leaving devastation and chaos. It's a more mature ending to say we know the issue is complex but we're pressing on.

I don't really get DJ's or producers either but I don't hate his songs like other people do. Sometimes I do listen to EDM stuff like Avicii and wish that they could just take out the dance breakdown and leave the vocals.

I got around to watching An En Vogue Christmas. The acting was solid. The women of En Vogue weren't bad. They didn't betray any nervousness or register as emotionally flat or have weird line delivery like novice actors can but there were just slightly off in that almost imperceptible way. It didn't hinder my enjoyment of the movie though. For once they hired a bunch of actors who could pick up the slack. I feel like Christmas movies usually go for whoever's the cheapest. The musical performances were good though sometimes I thought the vocals were a little off. When I watch a Christmas movie I expect to be emotionally manipulated and this got to me real fast. I'm a sucker for that father/daughter stuff and emotionally manipulative music and I was tearing up 10 minutes in. The plot was a little convoluted. It took them a while to really explain the relationship with the uncle and why she was away for ten years. It made sense with the reveal but I think it made the beginning of the movie weaker. There were no clear antagonists. There was uncle Marty and Mr. Powell and boyfriend Rick but none of them really served the purpose that an antagonist is supposed to and I wish they'd just used most of that time to focus on something else. Maybe something was lost in rewrites.

http://playbill.com/news/article/amanda-green-revises-trunk-songs-and-pens-additions-for-peter-pan-live-ugg-a-wugg-also-given-makeover-335704

More TV. http://playbill.com/news/article/backstage-with-disney-on-broadway-celebrating-20-years-will-air-on-abc-with-performances-by-ashley-brown-adam-jacobs-335945 http://playbill.com/news/article/midtown-men-concert-featuring-christian-hoff-michael-longoria-daniel-reichard-j.-robert-spencer-sets-broadcast-dates-335841 http://playbill.com/news/article/stephen-colbert-to-host-kennedy-center-honors-335758 Mildly interesting read on Into the Woods. http://playbill.com/news/article/from-boom-crunch-to-the-last-midnight-how-into-the-woods-transformed-throughout-the-years-335786

You weirdos. It's OK. I still like you. I'm going to watch animated movies and read YA literature (as long as it's good, I mean) forever. I don't believe in genre segregation or limiting yourself. I go where the good stories and creators are. Of course, I'm not going to force myself to watch something terrible just because it's popular or follow things I have no interest in. I haven't seen a superhero movie since the last (Tobey Maguire) Spiderman. I'm pretty sure the Vampire Diaries are about vampires and the Hunger Games are about games. ;)

Just a place to share current favorites and new discoveries (whether they were just released or you just listened to them for the first time).

I'm not a big concert person putting anything musical theatre aside. I would say that was first real concert was Oh Land. Honestly, I think most of the singers I like wouldn't sound as good live as they do on their albums. And I have better things to spend my money on than watching pop acts lip-sync.

It's hard for me to answer this because I pay very little attention to what other people like and I have no interest in music journalism. My only gauge of these things is whatever ends up in the top 40. I will second Yuna. Artists like Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson know how to write pop hits but I think it's worth it to do a deep dive and listen to the rest of the songs on the albums that aren't the singles that make it to the radio. Then there are the people who have their fan bases but should really be appreciated by everyone... Fiona Apple, Melanie Fiona, Beautiful Small Machines, April Smith, Oh Land, the bird and the bee, etc.

I'd guess that I probably started listening to country music maybe 8 years ago give or take and I've only listened on and off. Sometimes I'll have periods where I listen to a ton of albums and most of the rest of the time I'm listening to new albums in other genres or just listening to whatever playlists I've made for myself because I'm lazy and I don't always want to think about new music and decide whether or not I like it. With country, I've heard more singles than full albums. Ever since Taylor Swift's first album, I've always considered her more singer songwriter than country. The spectrum is something like Taylor then Sheryl Crow then Shania Twain then Martina McBride then Faith Hill and then we really make the jump into country and out of pop/singer songwriter crossover. As you may be able to tell, I'm all about the ladies but then I rarely listen to male artists in any genre of music. There's no one artist I know really well. I've heard more Greatest Hits than full albums. But I like what I've heard of Trisha Yearwood and Loretta Lynn and Skeeter Davis and Tammy Wynette. I need to do a deep dive on Reba and Dolly and Patsy. Of the newer stuff, I've listened to more bands... Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Eden's Edge, Pistol Annies... though I do like Kacey Musgraves and Caitlin Rose. I've listened to a few Miranda Lambert albums just to form an opinion. I think she has some nice singles but I'm not that impressed with her voice. I'm more forgiving of vocals with country, especially if the songs are great, but I like big voices. I love Jennifer Nettles but her songs are pretty weak. I don't need a country song to be Sondheim but sometimes I feel like I'm losing brain cells listening to a Jennifer Nettles or Kellie Pickler song. I think I should do a deep dive on The Judds as well. Any recommendations for girls with big voices like Leanne Rimes would be appreciated.

WHAT? I'm always amazed when people haven't seen/read Harry Potter. I laughed during A Little Night Music and chuckled at Show Boat but I don't generally find musical humor that funny. Like, oh that was amusing... but generally not laugh-worthy.

She was gorgeous at the end of the movie. They could have done a lot more with the premise. It wouldn't even have taken more special effects. Just punch up the script and give her more motivation at the end. I wonder if they didn't give her a speech because there was some issue with the way they projected her image onto the footage. Otherwise I can't explain why they severely limited her dialogue at the end and I think never showed her actually talking once she was giant (the voice was always heard when the camera wasn't focused on her). It would be fun to see someone do a take off the premise today. You could manage it even with a low budget with the technology today.

Is everyone else going to watch the parade this year? I'm sure On the Town will do "New York, New York" and Side Show will probably do "Who Will Love Me As I Am" but I'll try to catch it anyway. Also, reminder. Kristin Chenoweth's PBS special is on Nov 28 on PBS. Should I want to see this? http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178507/broadway-legend-tommy-tune-will-return-to-the-stage-for-lady-be-good-at-encores/ Other assorted stories... Performances of the Heidi Chronicles begin on Feb 23, 2015. I wonder when Bryce Pinkham will leave Gentleman's Guide. Robin Hood musical http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178460/make-way-for-merry-men-the-heart-of-robin-hood-will-swing-to-broadway-following-canadian-run/ I'm still not sure if this has singing in it but it seems on par with that Dorothy of Oz movie with Lea Michele. Which I still haven't seen. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178542/kristin-chenoweth-alan-cumming-more-voice-a-crew-of-magical-creatures-in-new-strange-magic-trailer/ Has anyone heard of Mozart in the Jungle? I probably won't watch. I'm think I'm set with Galavant premiering in January. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178518/odds-ends-premiere-date-set-for-bernadette-peters-new-show-glee-star-darren-criss-big-problem-more/ I don't have high hopes but I like to keep track of anything musical. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178524/broadway-alum-taye-diggs-will-star-in-topher-graces-movie-musical-one-shot/ John Cameron Mitchell is returning to Hedwig starting on January 21 for an 8-week run. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178422/bring-it-home-sugar-daddy-hedwig-creator-original-star-john-cameron-mitchell-will-don-the-wig-on-bway/

I like the site even if I do sometimes forget what I'm doing and click the links, thereby using up my monthly allowance and hitting the NYTimes pay wall (all I ever read are theatre/arts/dance reviews). What did you dislike about It's Only a Play? I used to watch Moulin Rouge over and over when I wasn't watching Chicago so I don't blame you. ;)

Welcome! It's exceedingly rare for me to consider paying for a play but maybe someone else will have something to say. Most of the things I've read about The Real Thing have been more negative than mixed though, if that helps.

The light isn't great here and I wanted to watch something short and not too serious so I put on Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. I can see how it'd be a fun movie to see on a date at a drive in. The special effects were hilarious. A ball on a string, the projection of the giant, overuse of the smoke machine... The script wasn't too terrible. It was pretty basic instead of being laughably bad. It was odd that the doctors were still acting like she could be cured and nattering on about her pituitary. The husband was also weirdly chill about his being thwarted by having a GIANT wife. Also, if her hand was that big, how did she fit in her bedroom? It would have made more sense if she'd shot up to 6-8 feet and only gotten really big at the end of the movie. Also, how did the "radioactivity" make her blonde? And how is she both as tall as the electrical cable towers and as tall as a two story bar and grill? Did becoming a giant impede her ability to say anything other than Harry? For anything other than a night at the drive in or maybe a snarkfest I think I'd skip this one. The Wasp Woman and Little Shop of Horrors (the musical) have more to say.

OH MY GOD, you guys. were the bottom three and was safe. That means were in the sing off. was in the sing off, you guys. This almost makes up for Only the Young going home last night. Not really. Obviously the judges sent home. And this will probably boost votes next week with people scared about going home. But for one shining moment I was happy.

On the one hand, yes, they should be teaching them something and it would be great if they focused more on what they were doing right and wrong in panel instead of making up nonsense words. On the other hand, what happened to practicing in the mirror at home. They're all so focused on the drama and just hanging out with each other and drinking too much that we never see them working on their modeling in the house like they used to in previous cycles. And speaking of those previous cycles, there have been 20 of them. They used to teach them things and no one in their right mind goes on a reality show without watching previous seasons of the show. Did they learn nothing from watching previous cycles where they used to coach them?