I shall overcome...

Nobody puts baby in a corner, but Mirvish does put a piece of shit in a theatre. That piece of shit is entitled Dirty Dancing, which I had the misfortune of seeing on opening night here in Toronto. You know a show is a turkey, when you receive a comp ticket and you are still wanting to leave at intermission. I seriously cannot imagine spending money on this crap. It is the theatrical equivilent of food you would put in a trough for a sow.

The whole show is bland and boring and no scene in the second act is longer than fifteen seconds. The whole thing had a very Rocky Horror-esque feel to it with women, who loved the 80's classic, waiting anxiously to join in with the actors as they yelp out the iconic "I carried a watermelon" or "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" lines.

Any redeeming factors you ask? The set was cool, but looked like a theme park ride. Baby offered the only remotely human performance. I stand by that I think Melissa O'Neil (Season Three Canadian Idol Winner appears in various Supporting roles) has a decent voice. Johnny's body was nice. Hmmm... yeah, that's it.

Perhaps the most insulting thing of all, and there are too many to list, was the scene in which the token black female castmate was forced to sing "We shall overcome", while a projection of Martin Luther King Jr. is projected on the back wall. At that moment, which is possibly the most offensive thing I've ever seen in a theatre, I'm sure that MLK Jr. must have been convulsing in his grave, while the singer on stage wishes she could just escort herself to an early one.

Safe to say I will not be returning for a second viewing of Dirty Dancing the Musical. However, I shall overcome...

I've been waiting for a film like this....

Last night I had the amazing fortune to finally see Enchanted. The eagerly anticipated new Disney film featuring animation and live action. Essentially, the new century's Mary Poppins. The film is utterly enchanting. It is wonderfully charming, lively and has a huge heart. You really can't help but smile the entire time. The main reason for your 107 minute long ear to ear grin is because of one thing and that one thing is the phenomenal performance of Amy Adams.

What makes Enchanted so clever and watch-able is that it sends up the Disney Princess genre while also honoring it. Who doesn't love the idea of a Disney Princess standing at the window of her Forested cottage calling out, in song of course, to all woodland creatures to come help her clean her house or make a new dress for the ball?

Amy Adams's Giselle walks a very fine line in the film. Adams performance is brilliant because she never turns Giselle into a caricature. It never enters the land of spoof or camp. Adams naivete, innocence, and earnestness are genuine and note perfect. Speaking of note-perfect Adams is a great singer as well.

Enchanted is currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, which would make it one of the top reviewed films of the year. It's cotton candy and sweet but not really serious Oscar fare. However, every review mentions how extraordinary Amy Adams is. Here's a sampling:

"Ms. Adams proves to be an irresistibly watchable screen presence and a felicitous physical comedian..." New York Times

"It has its own fabulous femme in the irrepressible Amy Adams (Junebug), a most worthy successor to Andrews' song-and-dance crown." Toronto Star

"I hadn't seen in a long, long time: an honest-to-goodness movie star brightening an actual movie… Here she becomes a star before our eyes, and it's like witnessing an entire garden grow in under two hours." The Boston Globe

"Amy Adams is the movie" Richard Roeper

"Adams is the wish your heart makes when you want a storybook princess for the ages. She's wicked good." Rolling Stone

"Playing perky and gee-whiz, Adams never overdoes the earnestness or even hints at condescending to the role, and it is impossible to think of "Enchanted" without her." Los Angeles Times

"The film, anchored by an entrancing performance by Amy Adams… Adams is spot-on in portraying the pure-hearted Giselle.." USA Today

Across the board raves for a ravishing, entrancing, star-making performance usually means a knock on the Forrest cottage from Oscar. It is my prediction that Amy Adams will be amongst the five nominees for Best Actress. Otherwise the Academy hasn't been waiting for love's true kiss in the form of Amy Adams' Giselle.

What we know for sure....

It's mid November and what I love about this time of year, besides brisk autumn mornings and the fall figure skating season, is how day by day the Oscar race becomes more defined. A film or performance either emerges as a frontrunner, a potential nominee, or as a no factor in the equation.

So at this point, what do we know for sure? Well as of right now it's safe to say that...

Marion Cotillard is the front runner for Best Actress and I don't think anyone can beat her. She is astonishing in the role. She truly becomes Edith Piaf.

Early on this year it was thought that the Best Actress award would be a cake walk for Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Remember back in 1998 when a young unknown Australian actress brought the fiery Virgin Queen to life and then went on to lose the Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow's sweet, but rather uninspiring performance in Shakespeare in Love. Well 2007 would be the perfect opportunity for redemption. But then the reviews poured in and they were abysmal. The horrendous reviews, combined with the deafening buzz CB's creating with her Dylan Doppelganger in I'm Not There in the supporting category, has left Lizzie eating dust. I am not foreseeing Elizabeth the Third.

In the Valley of Elah, Reservation Road, Lion for Lambs, Rendition, and Things We Lost in the Fire. Five films featuring a combined 10 previous Oscar winners and directed by 3 Oscar winning filmmakers have all gone belly up. Not a single one of these films will factor come Oscar time.

No Country For Old Men is a major contender. While I wasn't crazy about the film, it is at 96% critical approval at Rotten Tomatoes.com, which means that a lot of people really like it.


One thing to definitely point out is that it is only November 21st. We have only set up our first base camp on the huge trip up Oscar mountain. We still have precursors, guild awards, Golden Globes nominations and of course the Holiday box office rush to deal with. But as of now bet on an absent Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth in the winner's circle and wager on a very present No Country for Old Men in most top categories.

Fantasia, Frankenstein and all things Rosie Perez

I love musicals. Probably more than anything in the world. Nothing brings me such a complete sense of overwhelming joy. Seeing a good musical for me is like eating a good meal or having a good workout, it's food for my soul.

Of course the best place to see a great, big faggy musical is that lovely drag in NYC called Broadway. I try to make it there as much as humanly possible. With the 2007/2008 season shaping up to be a very eventful one, I knew I had to fly down to sample this year's fall offerings.

This fall on Broadway is really about two shows; Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein and Disney's The Little Mermaid. Both shows are hugely under the Broadway microscope. Young Frankenstein happens follow up to mammothly successful Producers. It also is having the gall to charge people $450 for a "premium seat". The Little Mermaid is perhaps the most beloved Disney movie of all time. Both shows opening had problematic out of town try outs and bad press started to plague them before they have even opened.

The Little Mermaid started previews after my fall trip, so it sucked that I wouldn't be able to channel my inner Ariel and sing Part of Their World under my breath live and in person. But it just gives me another excuse to have to take a mid February trip.

I went to New York with two things in mind this trip. I needed to see Young Frankenstein before the experience of seeing it was tainted by the hype and hoopla. I also needed to see Fantasia in the Color Purple round 2. I had seen her in June and she was a revelation.

I had five opportunities to see shows. Besides The Color Purple and Young Frankenstein any other show I would see was like gravy on top of a huge Broadway meat loaf and mashed potato sundae.

So when all was said and done I saw:

Mauritius: A new play about stamps. It doesn't sound very interesting and it really wasn't in actuality. But the actors were extraordinary featuring Toronto's Alison Pill, Bobby Cannavale, F. Murray Abraham, Dylan Baker and Katie Finneran, You've probably seen these actors in a thousand movies, but they are and will most likely remain the actors whose names always escape you. That's too bad because they are all immensely talented and really give this bland material some sort of life.

The Ritz: The second play I saw was this piece of garbage about a man on the run hiding out in a gay bathhouse. The script was written in a pre-AIDS era. It's not particularly funny or even remotely amusing. In fact take an episode of Will & Grace and remove all humor and charm and what you would have remaining is this play. I went mainly to say I saw Rosie Perez in the flesh but where's my theatrical Jiminy Cricket when I need him the most.

Spring Awakening: Very interesting rock musical that take place in late 1800's Germany. I had heard so much hype concerning this show that it was hard to go in with an open mind. Did I love it... no. Did I appreciate what it was doing theatrically... hell to the yes.

Young Frankenstein: This show was hilarious and really enjoyable. The score isn't great and it doesn't have the complete all around brilliance of The Producers. But between Andrea Martin's perfection, the incredible set, and the stop the show cold Puttin' on the Ritz number, there really is a ton to enjoy here.

A Chorus Line: I had been wanting to see this show for a while and finally got a chance to see it. I had never seen this quintessential American Broadway musical before. It was such a clean, crisp, and together production. It's nice to see material, performances and choreography that doesn't try to hide behind blinding production values. This is as stripped down and real and as good as it gets.


Now you will probably notice that The Color Purple being absent from that list. Yours truly had scored a second row centre $20.00 seat to Oprah's pride and joy, but I heard rumors that Lady F was having attendance problems. I showed up at the theatre around 6:30 to discover that yes she was out for the fifth consecutive performance. So I chatted up some lovely sistas about Oprah's trip to South Africa and the state of African American theatre on Broadway and got a refund. Oh well now I have an excuse to take a NYC trip before Jan. 6th when Zion's Baby Mama returns to the R & B world.

I am very glad that I hit up the rialto when I did because as of today, they are in day 11 of a brutal strike. No Broadway for American Thanksgiving. What will they think of next? Between the Broadway strike and the Writer's Strike, it really isn't such a great time to be a working actor.

Where is Helen Madden when you need her?

I am an avid lover of SNL. I always have been since I started watching the show in high school when it featured, in my opinion, the strongest female cast in its history. Of course I am speaking about the incredible trio of Molly "Mary Catherine Gallagher" Shannon, Cherie "Ariana the Spartan" Oteri, and Ana "Altadina Middle School Music Teacher Bobbi Maughan Culp" Gasteyer.

I know pundits say that the ultimate trio of women was Jane Curtin, Gilda Gadner, and Lorraine Newman. But those people are just purists who can't get past those women having ever been replaced. People also say that the current trio of Maya, Amy and Kristin are prime candidates for the best women of all time. But I still stand by that late 90's/early millenium cast. Especially Molly Shannon, who's Best of special is practically masturbation material for me.

Saturday Night Live has always been close to my heart. There is nothing I love more than gathering with a group of friends and watching hilarious sketches that throw the most current pop cultural references abound. Oh yeah and sometimes the musical guests are good too. So that's what I did for the premiere of this season. I gathered my closest friends around the tube in anticipation for a featured Penelope sketch and a hopefully absent MacGruber sketch.

The 33rd season of SNL premiere was a complete dud. Why is Loren Michaels allowing sport celebrities who are slightly "charismatic", and I use that in the loosest of terms, the chance to continually host. Charismatic sports figure do not equal or will never equal sketch comedy brilliance. They are more likely to stumble through visibly reading cue cards and constantly missing all comedic beats. I have never found it "groundbreaking" to see a sport celebrity on this show. Don't get me wrong sometime there is an exception (i.e Peyton Manning was quite enjoyable). But every time Loren Michaels feels the need to book one he should just watch the 1994 episode starring Nancy Kerrigan for all the evidence he needs to confirm it's never a good idea.

The premiere did feature a brilliant sketch spoofing 1980's dance sensation Solid Gold Dancers. It was the one time this season where the show has truly elicited a belly laugh from me. And for the record I also enjoy the color tan and bus rides.

The remaining shows of this season have been sub par at best. Seth Rogen was fine. Jon Bon Jovi was lame. Brian Williams was funny, but it's because he's a serious newscaster five days a week and not because he's a brilliant comedic force.

The problem with SNL right is that they have a limited number of recurring characters and sketches. Remember the days when you could tune into SNL and be guaranteed a Coffee Talk, Wayne's World, Mary Catherine Gallagher, Spartan Cheerleader, Mango, Debbie the Downer, Opera Man or Gap Girls. Now if we are really lucky we'll get a Penelope a handful of times this season.

I will give SNL their props for Dick in a Box. That was truly a brilliant digital short and it put SNL in the pop cultural radar more than it had been in years. But come on, if SNL can only land in water cooler talk once a season then there is a real problem.

SNL used to have me scream I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! But it hasn't in years and the season so far, coupled with the current WGA Strike, doesn't see me channeling my inner Helen Madden anytime soon.

And the Oscar goes to...

In yesterday's blog I forgot to actual predict the winner of this year's potential races:

So here they are:

Best Picture: The Kite Runner

Best Director: The Coen Brothers

Best Actor: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Time will tell.

Next up are my thoughts on SNL's 33rd season thus far!

Oscar WILD!

And the race begins.

For the past decade I have been actively predicting each year's Oscar race. In high school I would spend the majority of classroom time on very extensive Oscar prediction charts. Save pie charts and graphs, all other detailed info was included. Not much has changed since those days. For me procrastinating = Oscar Predicting.

2007's race looks like a great one. The Oscar race is always fascinating to me. A movie can come out of no where and grab a ton of attention (Boys Don't Cry 1999). A movie can be the front runner and then be left out in the cold (Dreamgirls 2006). A movie can have a ton of buzz and then fizzle (Cold Mountain 2003). A movie can even be the front runner in the race, fall off the radar and re-emerge as contender (The Green Mile 1999).

The year features a bevy of potential front runners including:

Sweeney Todd: Tim Burton's adaptation of the bloody Sondheim musical. Yup and Johnny Depp sings.

Charlie Wilson's War: Nichols, Sorkin, Hanks, Roberts, Hoffman. Need I say more

The Kite Runner: One of the most beloved non-Oprah sponsored pieces of fiction of the past decade.

There Will Be Blood: Paul Thomas Anderson meets Daniel Day Lewis meets the story of a turn of the century oil tycoon.

Atonement: New IT boy James McAvoy and Keira Knightley star. Think English Patient with lush English estates.

No Country for Old Men: Seems to me like The Coen Brother's best outing since Fargo.

Juno: The buzz for this movie and its lead performance are deafening. Plus it's written by a stripper and I am not kidding.

Here are my current predictions (the * are my current projected victors in the categories):

Best Picture

Sweeney Todd
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
Atonement
There Will Be Blood

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton Sweeney Todd
Marc Forster The Kite Runner
Jason Reitman Juno
Joel & Ethan Coen No Country for Old Men

Best Actor

Daniel Day Lewis There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp Sweeney Todd
George Clooney Michael Clayton
James McAvoy Atonement
Denzel Washington American Gangster

Best Actress

Ellen Page Juno
Marion Cotillard La Vie En Rose
Julie Christie Away from Her
Helena Bonham Carter Sweeney Todd
Amy Adams Enchanted

Best Supporting Actor

Phillip Bosco The Savages
Tom Wilkinson Michael Clayton
Casey Affleck The Assassination of Jesse James...
Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook Into the Wild

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett I'm Not There
Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone
Jennifer Jason Leigh Margot at the Wedding
Tilda Swinton Michael Clayton
Meryl Streep Lions for Lambs

So those are my first official predictions. Let's see how they shape up as more films emerge and more fall off the little gold guy band wagon.