Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Michael Jackson died yesterday at age 50 of cardiac arrest.

There is not much I can say that hasn't already been said in everyone's facebook statuses over the past 24 hours. However, what I can say is that I feel tremendous sadness that he is gone.

Bubbles, elephant man bones, Culkin molestation, Princeparisblanket aside, MJ was the king of pop and arguably one of the best entertainers of the past century or any century.

I remember MJ coming into my radar when Black and White was all over the radio and truly loving his performance as Scarecrow in horribly misguided, but surprisingly watchable, The Wiz.

It is sad.

RIP

10s a crowd?

"After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year," academy President Sid Ganis said yesterday. "The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009."

HMMM????????

How does this make me feel as an Academy Award purist?

I understand why the Academy has done this. 10 is more than 5. There are now 5 more movies that can advertise that they are a BEST PICTURE NOMINEE. It's good for box office and DVD sales and rentals.

It is also great for Oscar ratings because more stars of the 10 Nominated Best Pictures will be invited and feel a need to have to show up to support their films.

Also with 10 Best Picture nominees chances are more popcorn blockbusters will be nominated for the top award and more of middle America will have seen these films.

I guess it's not really that bad.
But there was a certain prestige about being one of the 5 nominated pictures of the year. Now that the categories has upped its nominees by 50%, it does cheapen the prestige just a bit in my opinion.

I also wonder what sort of films will now have the chance to get into Best Picture. Will it feel like the MTV Movie Awards with titles like Iron Man slipping in?

However looking back over the past five years, I can't help feel sorry for films that definitely would have made the cut had their been 10 nominees in their respective years:

Looking back here are the titles I assume would have made the cut:
2008:
Wall E
The Wrestler
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Changeling
2007:
Into to The Wild
Sweeney Todd
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Once
Away From Her

2006:
United 93
Dreamgirls
Pan's Labyrinthe
Children of Men
The Last King of Scotland
2005:
A History of Violence
Walk the Line
The Constant Gardener
King Kong
The Squid and the Whale
2004:
Vera Drake
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hotel Rwanda
The Incredibles
Kinsey

So what does this mean to 2009's Oscar race. Well it certainly bodes well for Nine to get into the top ten. And here's hoping that PIXAR gets a long overdue Best Picture nomination for UP! which is the best film I've seen so far this year.

Best Picture Two thousand and NINE?

Every few years a movie comes to theatres and I pretty much surrender life as I know it to see it as many times as possible.

It is usually:

A movie musical

&

A female centric movie musical.

Being a huge fan of theatre, I seriously lose mah shit when a musical is adapted into a big screen film. Why you ask? Well first of all, it is the marriage of my love of film and theatre. And whenever a musical becomes a film, they pull out all the stops and you get to truly see how talented some of our movie stars can actually be. It doesn't quite work in the opposite way however. When a film is turned into a Broadway show, often the original cinematic material is compromised in some way to make each number bigger, bolder and more bubblegum. OMIGOD you guys! These movies into Broadway often star very talented Broadway stars but it doesn't have the same WOW factor that a big movie musical can possess with its inventive cinematic stagings of musical numbers.

In 2002, I went to Boston from New Brunswick on my Christmas vacation in order to see Chicago three times. I saw it an additional 3 times in movie theatres. All That Jizz (in my pants)

In 2006, I saw Dreamgirls 16 times in a movie theatre. In January of 2007, if I was anywhere, I was probably in a movie theatre watching JHud belt out And I'm Telling You.

In 2007, I saw Hairspray as many times as possible and was actually crestfallen when the singalong version left Toronto theatres in less than a week.

In 2009
I will probably see NINE for the entire month of November and December.

BEHOLD THE CAST:

Academy Award Winner Daniel Day Lewis
Academy Award Winner Judi Dench
Academy Award Winner Marion Cotillard
Academy Award Winner Nicole Kidman
Academy Award Winner Penelope Cruz
Academy Award Winner Sophia Loren

&
Academy Award Nominee (if only we could rescind this) Kate Hudson

&

FERGIE!!!!!


While I am not keen about the star of Bride Wars and Fool's Gold or the singer of Fergalicious and Boom Boom Pow tainting my cinematic experience. The rest of the cast certainly makes up for these shortcomings.

And after watching the trailer where Fergie, or Stacy Ferguson or whatever the meth they are going to call her, tears up the first act closer BE ITALIAN. I am very keen on all things Nine.

So what to expect with this film:

Rob Marshall did brilliant things with Chicago in 2002 and expect a very similar musical numbers as dream sequences approach with NINE!

The music is beautiful. We have already heard Fergie attack BE ITALIAN in the trailer. I'll be interesting to hear what Nicole Kidman does with Unusual Way, which I believe to be the most beautiful song in the show.

I can't wait to see how DDL fares in a musical.

And it'll be nice to see Sophia Loren, the only actual Italian in the film, in a big Oscar season movie once again.

I am now deciding to take in all the summer sun that is possible and spend copious amounts of time with friends because it is safe to say I will spend two months and many multiples of nine viewing this film. I plan to leave the theatre mid December looking much like the Unabomber. I'm sure to be on cloud NINE!

Not a great night to be the sound man, Alice Ripley or Brett Michaels head.

Let's take you through last night's Tony Awards, which actually was the gayest thing I've watched since my two hours on xtube this morning.

The show opens with Elton John's mic not working. The first of the 800 hundred microphone problems in the opening number alone.

Then this happens. Yes, older male ballerinas lifting, in a figure skating pairs lift, younger male ballerinas. And this is the moment all red states officially turn their TVs to the NBA finals.

Brett Michaels almost loses his head when a set piece essentially clothes lines him. Look closely at this picture. Brett is in the middle getting nailed by that big Broadway set piece. He has literally just been thrown off his feet.
It actually might have been the highlight of the show.

LIZA... there ... are... no .... words!

Then comes Dolly. Dolly and Liza on one stage is the theatrical equivalent to a simultaneous BJ and RJ.

SO MUCH BROADWAY ON ONE STAGE.
Jessica Fletcher lives... and wins a TONY!

Would you rather see Shrek or spend a night in a morgue with dead bodies... I actually don't know.
Constantine Maroulis needs to find himself a Bermuda Triangle and get lost in it.
Doogie Howser M.D. grew up to be a talented and handsome P.B. (power bottom).
Speaking about those who are destined to grow up into talented and handsome power bottoms, the three Billy Elliots won Best Actor in a Musical.
Carrie Fisher was there in her Pennington's (14+) best.
Next time can the Tony Awards hire a director who, you know, can direct. Why don't we not cut to Dolly Parton by accident after she loses or pan away from the dead people's names during the IN MEMORIAM. Just a thought.
Frank Langella is not nominated for a Tony but wins the Fuck You Award to the Tony voters who forgot to nominate him.
West Side Story and Hair delivered great performances. Everything about Guys and Dolls, Shrek, Rock of Ages sucked except for this chick from Rock of Ages.
I love Marcia Gay Harden but something in her face just looks off.
What the fuck was up with Alice Ripley. She wins Best Actress in a Musical, says something about JFK, screams like she's in pain and basically confirms that she is as mentally ill as her character. She made Liza look like the model of composure and poise, which is not an easy feat.

BEST ENDING EVER!!!! “This show could not be gayer if Liza was named Mayor and Elton John took flight..” So true and I couldn't have been happier.

Tony Soprano meets Antoinette Perry!

Hey gals and gays.

It's early June. I have written nary a blog since February. Two things have happened recently that have forced me back into blogging. I have recently become unemployed (as of, you know, today) and I was also recently interviewed for a How Do You Solve Maria follow up documentary where I am listed as "ENTERTAINMENT BLOGGER". I figured it was time to hop back on the blog bandwagon as 1. I have more than enough time to blog and 2. I don't want to be falsely credited as something I am not. Like the time I was credited as comedian Michael Lawrence on Much Music's Video on Trial. To quote Kelly Clarkson NEVER AGAIN.

So here it is ENTERTAINMENT BLOGGER Mike Yerxa blogging about the gayest awards since the grabby awards. the TONYS.

I did my annual April trip to New York to scope out all that might glitter Tony gold. I was able to see 5 shows in 4 days featuring the likes of Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, and even Tony Soprano himself.

Here's my rundown.

Thursday: Exit the King

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, & Claire Fisher.

Price for Ticket: $25 (Thank you 4 year old expired student I.D.)

Thoughts: I really didn't know WTF was happening. But great actors are great actors and it was this or The Little Mermaid.

Friday: God of Carnage

Starring: That crazy bitch from The Mist, Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber, Tony Soprano, and that actress that you recognize but can't think of her name. (Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, and Hope Davis)

Price for Ticket: $20 (Standing room only bitches)

Thoughts: Really really really funny and entertaining. Who knew a play about two sets of parents meeting about one boy hitting the other with a stick could be so entertaining?

Saturday matinee: West Side Story

Starring: A guy too old to play Tony, an Argentinian import Maria, a completely forgettable Riff, and a miscast, but fierce Anita.

Price for Ticket: $24 (partial views. I made friends with the New York ticket brokers who rip people off and sell these seats for $90 a pop)

Thoughts: I had a perma Orgasm face (see below) during this show. BRILLIANT!!!

Saturday evening: 9 to 5 The Musical

Starring: Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty.

Price for Ticket $66 (thanks to one of them Broadway discounts I found on the internet.)

Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised. I hate to say but I could barely get through the movie and I love a female centric comedy especially one that is pro feminism. However this show was clever and a lot of fun. I want Dolly Parton to adopt me.

Sunday: Hair

Starring: Lots of broadway folk who got naked.

Price for Ticket: $75 (some special deal I found, which was great because this show is selling like a Hannah Montana concert)

Thoughts: It has the best music and it was really great production. I really do like when people can naked in a musical. The girl who sang Aquarius can belt better than American Idol all divas combined (of course not including Fantasia and Jhud). But give me her over a thousand Trenyces and Syesha Mercados.

So I got to see 5 show that will factor largely in the Tony Awards. I still haven't seen Billy Elliot. I won't see Shrek The Musical. And I am sure that any one of the thousand high school productions around the continent of Guys and Dolls is better than the one on Broadway right now. ZING!!!

Here's what I think will win at Sunday's awards.

Best Musical: Billy Elliot
Best Play: God of Carnage
Best Revival of a Musical: Hair
Best Revival of a Play: The Norman Conquests
Best Actor in a Musical: Trent Kowalik, David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish in Billy Elliot
Best Actor in a Play: Geoffrey Rush in Exit the King
Best Actress in a Musical: Alice Ripley in Next To Normal
Best Actress in a Play: Marcia Gay Harden in God of Carnage
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical: Will Swenson in Hair
Best Supporting Actor in a Play: Roger Robinson in Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Karen Olivo in West Side Story
Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit