Small Talk: The Quiver

[BkWurm1]

Avatar was a simplistic story, but the visuals were good and I was oddly moved by large blue aliens. Wish I had been able to see it in 3D as opposed to DVD, people keep on raving about it.

 

Aren't they still doing sequels?  Unless that got scrapped it wouldn't surprise me if before the new movie is released that they original might show up again 3-D in the theaters again. 

[Genki]

I love Galavant!! I love the fact that there is a 2nd season and now I'm super excited. I love a musical comedy with bite.

[BkWurm1]

I love Galavant!! I love the fact that there is a 2nd season and now I'm super excited. I love a musical comedy with bite.

I really, really, really wanted to love it and all I managed was to tolerate most of it.  Most of it I just didn't find funny.  The exception was the scullery maid and her cook boyfriend. 

 

I'll probably watch it again but I hope they up their game this year. 

[Genki]

According to my sister and my friends I have a weird thing for Darker Musical Comedy. (Crazy Ex-grilfriend is another fave). Also I love legally blonde the Musical but I'm iffy on actual the movie.

 

Whereas something like Wicked, Once or Rent only get a "meh" from me, like the music but not the story or characters. This article from Pajiba sort of summarises my feelings on Rent. In Defence of Benny form "Rent"

[bijoux]

Oh, yeah. I love the music from Rent, but aside from Benny, the lot of them are pretty muh shitheads. I seem to recall being okay with the lawyer as well.

[Morrigan2575]

Oh, yeah. I love the music from Rent, but aside from Benny, the lot of them are pretty muh shitheads. I seem to recall being okay with the lawyer as well.

Was Benjamin different in the Musical?  I've only seen the movie and he was pretty much the jerk/villain of the film.

[bijoux]

I am talking about the film. The script said he was the villain, it just didn't come across that way to me. The 'heroes' were self-involved jerks who were comvinced tehy were sticking it to the man. I'm saying this with the caveat that I saw the movie a long time ago but it's the impression I was left with even when the storyline faded from my memory.

[tv echo]

Deleted.

Edited December 7, 2015 by tv echo

[kismet]

I've seen RENT the movie which is honestly not as good as it should be considering they got most of the original cast. Perhaps it didn't help that they were all about 10yrs over what age they should be in the show. Watching actors in their 20s struggle with the realities of life as 20y olds is far different experience from watching 30y olds pretend to be 20y olds struggling makes their struggles seem less authentic. I have seen the show live twice (once on Broadway) and listened to the soundtrack for years now. For me it was always a coming of age story & at it's heart a love story. It was people growing up (or not growing up) with developing ideology. The struggle of being in your early adulthood when you want to be doing so much more of what you dreamed about doing, but really you have to still pay the rent. So its that struggle between your ideals and the realities of life.

 

I never saw it as a hero & villain story. Benny doesn't get painted in the greatest light because he has the most discrepant ideology from his former friends. But nobody is really the bad guy in the story. It's more the system they are all raging against. It was a modern telling of the opera La Boheme which I honestly have never seen, so I'm not sure if that is why Benny at times is given villain-esque overtones.

[Genki]

I was in my 20's the first time I saw rent on stage, and I enjoyed it but didn't love it. When I saw it later I realised it was because they were SO irresponsible that I didn't really sympathise with the characters. But I love the music (except for "Glory").

[kismet]

Experiencing RENT as a young adult vs. a standard age adult is completely a different experience. I've always loved it, but they are totally irresponsible when it comes to practical life. I sympathize with the characters because life is hard for lost souls. And the Rent concept could be really high meta if you wanted to really get deep. That often times in life people don't invest in what they should and are often just "renting" life. As was explained in "What you own" with its classic lines, like "So I own not a notion. I escape and ape content. I don’t own emotion- I rent". Which I think is timeless and ageless as a metaphor, since so many people struggle with fully engaging in life and relationships in this modern world whether they are in their 20s or any age.

 

That and "Seasons of Love" always makes me reflective and causes me to tear up just a bit. Because how does one measure one's life when we are summing it up at the end?

Edited December 7, 2015 by kismet

[Morrigan2575]

I've never seen the play but in the movie, I do think Benjamin is painted as the villain (so to speak).  We don't get many Benjamin scenes but, he's pretty much set up as the face of the establishment in the movie, IMO.  I don't necessarily think he's a villain but it's hard to view him objectionably since the movie focuses more on the other characters who view Benjamin as the "enemy"

[kismet]

Benny is the face of the establishment. He is someone that has sold out to the establishment and is perfectly okay with it, which is why he is less focused on in the story. Because the story is about people struggling to find themselves and to do that by not selling out. Benny "sold out", a major crime in a idealistic group of artists in their 20s dying of HIV/AIDS, struggling with drug addiction and trying to achieve their artistic dreams. Even Joanne (the lawyer) who had a solid job, was still fighting the establishment & not settling on just being a lawyer by bucking against her parents & dating someone as wild as Maureen.

[Happy Harpy]

I've never seen Titanic actually. I never had anything desire to watch it and now it's a ridiculous perverse goal of mine to never see it.

I had successfully avoided it in theater, but then I was cornered by a very pregnant and extremely emotional friend. I found it even worse than I imagined it would be, plus of course I couldn't snark aloud, and my only good memory of it is my "It's that guy" moment with Victor Newman's cameo.

 

I wouldn't watch Avatar if they paid me for it, and I have no pregnant friend craving for movies about giant Smurfs so this time I should be OK. And, oh: Go, science!

 

On a completely different topic...sorry to get serious all of a sudden (and I hope it won't dampen the TV/Movies discussion!) but I wanted to say that my thoughts are with the people of San Bernardino, and everywhere else where people had to die and suffer, again, at the hands of fanatics.

[Menrva]

I had successfully avoided it in theater, but then I was cornered by a very pregnant and extremely emotional friend. I found it even worse than I imagined it would be, plus of course I couldn't snark aloud, and my only good memory of it is my "It's that guy" moment with Victor Newman's cameo.

 

I wouldn't watch Avatar if they paid me for it, and I have no pregnant friend craving for movies about giant Smurfs so this time I should be OK. And, oh: Go, science!

 

On a completely different topic...sorry to get serious all of a sudden (and I hope it won't dampen the TV/Movies discussion!) but I wanted to say that my thoughts are with the people of San Bernardino, and everywhere else where people had to die and suffer, again, at the hands of fanatics.

Glad to know I'm not alone in my Titanic-avoidance! I did see Avatar, though mostly because I was curious to see a movie in 3D IMAX. Boy, was that a mistake! First time I ever got motion sickness while sitting still. 

 

Never saw Rent, though I enjoyed the music. I did see Wicked back when it was still in previews and Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were incredible. Ms. Chenoweth had injured her neck and despite the program announcing that her understudy would be performing, she came out anyway and did the whole show in a bedazzled neck brace. It was hilarious.

 

San Bernardino makes me sad too, and frustrated, and angry…because nothing I say or do will make a damn bit of difference…

[foreverevolving]

So far I only had the pleasure of seeing Rent in movie form. The musical is on my bucket list of musicals to watch, but I feel it won't be as good as with the original cast.

It is also one of my favorite movies/plays, but I am an idealist to my core, artistic and responsible only to a degree, I tend to go against the establishment and established notions of how things ought to be done (even when it looks like I am following the stream) I always end up doing things my way. So for me, even though I am almost in my 30's, it is a story with a powerful message that speaks to who I am. 

[kismet]

So far I only had the pleasure of seeing Rent in movie form. The musical is on my bucket list of musicals to watch, but I feel it won't be as good as with the original cast.

It is also one of my favorite movies/plays, but I am an idealist to my core, artistic and responsible only to a degree, I tend to go against the establishment and established notions of how things ought to be done (even when it looks like I am following the stream) I always end up doing things my way. So for me, even though I am almost in my 30's, it is a story with a powerful message that speaks to who I am.

It was amazing live. Never fortunate to see it live with the original cast. But the ones I saw were still great! The first time I saw it was one row from the back of the balcony, I couldn't see a thing of what was going on. But it was so nice to hear it live, after hearing it for so many years on my speakers.

[Genki]

Alas I don't live in the US so I never see original casts, I'm just happy when productions come out to my town, like "Heather the Musical", (which I just found out yesterday and I'm super excited about), or "Book of Mormons".

[Morrigan2575]

I do love the fact that I live close enough to NYC to see the Broadway productions. I've seen Nine, The Producers, Dance of the Vampires and Rock of Ages with their Original casts. I also got to see Hugh Jackman in Boy from Oz and Billy Joe Armstrong in American Idiot.

I was very disappointed because I missed Tim Curry in Spamalot by a couple of weeks. I do love Broadway, I just wish the tickets weren't so darn expensive. The Book of Mormon is still on my list but those tickets are hard to come by.

[Sakura12]

I loved The Book of Mormon. It's one of my favorites. I saw Grease and Hairspray on Broadway, The Lion King in London and Wicked and The Book of Mormon in Chicago. I know people think Wicked is overrated but I just love the songs. 

 

I've only seen the movie version of Rent. I wasn't that impressed with it.

[Morrigan2575]

I saw Wicked too but, that was long after the Original cast departed. It's funny, at the time I didn't think it had very good music. However, the songs come up a lot on Pandora's Broadway channel and, I've really started loving the music.

I've probably seen way too many shows but, I do love them. I will say this I've seen Les Miserable 3 times, and I'm proud of it. Not exactly Broadway but, I've seen The Radio City Christmas Spectacular once in my life and it was one time too many. I'll never understand the families that make it an annual event.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[kismet]

I too have seen Les Mis three times (including the new restaging, not as good as the original), not ashamed either. I love to see the touring Broadway Productions and there is a Summer Beach Theater near me that puts on good shows (albeit a little older) on near me. I have only seen 3 shows on actual Broadway (Les Mis, Rent &  If/Then, original cast). If/Then was actually a really cool show with its set-up and premise. The music was good, but I don't think it makes a good listening to at home because it doesn't have the same effect without the visuals.

 

Book of Mormon is so worth a ticket. I never thought I would love it as much as I did. My sister and I actually took my mother for a present because we wanted to go, but we thought she would hate it and she wound up loving it. There was only one song she found inappropriate and she is a religious person, my sister and I were shocked that she enjoyed it so much. I guess the humor was more universal and less crass than we imagined.

 

Phantom of the Opera was my gateway live musical, I must have begged my Mom for months during the commercials to take me. I was so excited when she caved and said alright. My Mom thinks Phantom is too dark & depressing a show. But it was amazing. I've been hooked ever since. Granted I've been watching musicals since before I can remember, my Dad was a big movie & musical buff - so he always let me watch them.

 

I'll have to listen to Pandora Broadway and see how it goes. I made an Indina Menzel one and it is not that good IMO. Not that they are all great, but I love that musicals are making it back on mainstream TV because I think they make for quality entertainment. And they introduce music and storytelling to kids.

Edited December 8, 2015 by kismet

[apinknightmare]

I've only seen Les Mis and Phantom live. 

 

And I have tickets to see Hamilton in June, so there's that.

[calliope1975]

I've seen Rent twice. I definitely feel that I related more when I was younger; now I'm all - get a job! Book of Mormon twice. My friend took me to see Wicked on Broadway a few years ago. I'd only had the cast recording and it was so different then what I'd been imagining. Got tix for Hamilton in March - beyond excited. I have to work in NYC for about 2 months starting in February so I'm going to take as much advantage of that as I can. 

[wonderwall]

I've seen Phantom of the Opera, How to Succeed in Business (Daniel Radcliffe), and Death of a Salesman (Andrew Garfield)... They were pretty great! I especially enjoyed the last two :)

[Morrigan2575]

I've never seen Phantom, I've deliberately avoided it, no idea why.

My first professional musical (not school related) was Cats down in Philadelphia. I actually liked it quite a bit.

Other than the shows I previously listed, I've also seen Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Jekyl and Hyde with Sebastian Bach (that was fun), Tony and Tina's Wedding (off Broadway).

I almost forgot I did see Jelly's Last Jam with the amazing Gregory Hines and Ben Vareen.

[wonderwall]

I've never seen Phantom, I've deliberately avoided it, no idea why.

 

I had no choice but to see it -_- my parents wanted to lol

 

OH! I also saw the Lion King in Singapore a while back

[apinknightmare]

Got tix for Hamilton in March - beyond excited. I have to work in NYC for about 2 months starting in February so I'm going to take as much advantage of that as I can. 

 

You should definitely hit up a Ham4Ham show at least once while you're there. So fun!

[calliope1975]

You should definitely hit up a Ham4Ham show at least once while you're there. So fun!

 

I plan to. The crowds seem insane though. 

 

Last time I was working in NY, I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's with Emilia Clarke and the guy who now plays the Riddler on Gotham. There was a tub scene where they were both naked, and when they got out of the tub I saw his balls, and I can never unsee that. Ever. :/

 

I also caught Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I was front row which was way too close, but I didn't know better at the time. I love live theater. I'm going to save up so I can, hopefully, catch some other shows. 

[Orion]

There are two fairly easy ways to see Broadway shows at a discount that I use a lot.

 

The first is that almost all Broadway shows run a special in July/August for one day only sale for select showing at 50% off the ticket price.  There are a lot of good broadway handles on twitter that announce when that sale is going on. For a Wednesday matinee the price drops to around $40 for good seats.

 

The second, and this one is a little bit harder but worth it if you have the time. Every theater has a certain number of standby tickets available for the day of the showing. If you go by the theater around 10am and sign up they announce the winners of the raffle for the tickets between 12-1pm. I find the best way to get a ticket is to go in a group of 3-4 people each of you sign up at 2-3 theaters and make sure at least one member of your party is at each of the places you signed up to be on the standby list. That way, the person at those theaters, can call the person who won to rush back and claim those tickets  Depending on the availability the raffle winners can purchase up to 4 tickets. Those tickets go for $25. Obviously this works best if you don't have your heart set on one particular show.

[BkWurm1]

I live about a forty minutes south of the Twin Cities in Minnesota.  It's a great theater town and over the years I've enjoyed what's come through but my favorite experience was getting to see the preview of The Lion King with the original cast BEFORE it went to Broadway.  I'm still sad about one of the songs they cut for time. 

Edited December 8, 2015 by BkWurm1

[foreverevolving]

speaking of Brodway!

I'll be in NYC this month and was thinking of hitting a show, any recommendations? (price is an issue, but at the same time I only sit orchestra- I can't do balcony!- let's just say $100 a ticket is a bit pricy at the moment.. i'm also a student, though not in NY, and a AAA member) 

 

BTW show can be an off broadway too. 

[kismet]

There is always the Tkts line in times square if you have time to wait in line. I have had luck with that line. I think they have an app or something now.  

 

I really enjoyed If/Then. I don't think you can go wrong with most of the Broadway shows. Usually its a lack of available time & $$ to see everything you want, not a lack of good shows.

[KenyaJ]

I saw Book of Mormon with the original cast, and even though I'm probably still paying off the tickets, it was worth every penny. I thought I was going to pull a muscle from laughing so hard. And we saw Jon Stewart in the audience at intermission, so that was awesome.

 

My mom, brother, and I are thinking about going up to NY overnight during Christmas to see Hamilton. We live in Florida and the tickets available through resale are insanely expensive, but I really want to see the original cast. I haven't listened to any music other than the cast recording for the past two weeks, and I'm more than a little bit obsessed, so what's a little Broadway-induced debt, right?

[Morrigan2575]

I have 2 weeks off before the end of the year, maybe i'll suck it up and buy the ridiculously expensive tickets for Book of Mormon...as a Christmas Present to myself.

[Coop33]

My sister recently moved to New York and I am definitely planning on taking advantage of the free place to stay to see many more shows than I've been able to. We have a good amount of theater here in Chicago, but it's still nothing like Broadway. 

 

The last thing I saw in New York was Fun Home which was sublime. Planning on spending and arm and leg to see Hamilton on my next visit to New York this spring. I am completely obsessed with the cast recording. Hoping to maybe catch Waitress as well.

[Carrie Ann]

I'm going to Hamilton in June, and I would love it if I could squeeze Waitress in while I'm there too.

[KenyaJ]

My sister recently moved to New York and I am definitely planning on taking advantage of the free place to stay to see many more shows than I've been able to. We have a good amount of theater here in Chicago, but it's still nothing like Broadway. 

 

And now you're getting Hamilton next September! So exciting!

[foreverevolving]

If/Then is coming to my town in a few months.

[kismet]

And now you're getting Hamilton next September! So exciting!

So glad to here its hitting up other major cities, here's hoping Boston is on that list of cities.

[tv echo]

TVLine blind item - any guesses?

 

Blind Item: Complicated Love Story Rocked By Seasons-Old Loose Thread
By Team TVLine / December 7 2015, 1:18 PM PST

http://tvline.com/2015/12/07/blind-item-drama-series-love-story-old-plot/

[apinknightmare]

That is the most convoluted blind I've ever read. Could be Grey's - I don't watch The Good Wife, so IDK. 

[looptab]

I don't know, all the refernces to ships and maelstroms and whatnot made me think of OUAT and CaptainSwan. Plus Ghost of story arcs past, and they are going into the Underworld-maybe Neal is coming back. Or Mila. But it probably won't be them, I'm so bad at these things, haha.

[dtissagirl]

There's no couple on Good Wife to be rattled right now, so I don't think they're it. It sounds like something Shondaland, yes, but no idea.

[Morrigan2575]

People in the comments translated it into English. Last I looked, NCIS was a popular guess

[kismet]

It does have a Shondaland feel to it. It might be Grey's considering its a veteran show. I don't watch any of the CBS procedurals, but it could be one of them considering CBS is often a veteran network with all of its long running dramas. ANd honestly, this blind item seems like it could be broad enough to cover some of those not the focus of the show couples.

 

OUAT is another good guess with its ghosts & maelstroms like @looptab said.

 

The most interesting thing is that it said the "health of the couple" won't hinge on the reveal, but there will be "carnage" which makes me think that the main couple will weather this storm, but other stuff will happen to newer show developments. Perhaps it might by the GOOD WIFE.

 

That's about all I have, most of my shows can't be considered veteran shows.

[apinknightmare]

See, "health of the couple" makes me think it's Grey's, haha.

[dtissagirl]

Nobody is gonna go for a guest spot on NCIS or OUAT thinking they have a shot at an Emmy nom, will they?

[looptab]

LOL, you're right. Totally forgot the Emmy part. 

[kismet]

See, "health of the couple" makes me think it's Grey's, haha.

I only thought Good Wife because @dtissagirl said that no couple is rattable on it. But I don't watch the show, so what I know about it is minimal other than what makes it to previews and media outlets. There is just no couple on Grey's that I think has enough longevity or clout to be considered a veteran couple or have a loose thread from a plot years ago. But the story does have Shonda-light written all over it, which is essentially what GA is a this point.

 

It seems like a much ado about nothing blind item. It is just a rehashed plot contrivance that the writers are drumming up. I feel bad for whoever's show it actually is, because it sounds like crap writing to have to endure.

Edited December 8, 2015 by kismet