I love that Jake knows who his core fanbase is, and I love that he gets the joke and can poke fun at it. The gay cowboys in the audience are my favorite, next to the beefcake arms. Love the Gyllenaahl for this (and for that), and that he did it full-out without camping it all up like most straight guys would (“Look, I’m a guy in a dress! That’s funny, see? Cuz I’m a GUY in a DRESS!”). Hilarious, I was peeing myself at my computer.
All this and Jennifer Hudsonwon the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, first award of the night. I sat on my futon crying in front of the TV, overidentifying as usual. Between all the crying and peeing this weekend I’m just drained.
I saw the Broadway play earlier this year and loved it. I think I loved this movie even more, it just makes more sense on film and the subtleties resonate more clearly. I love how so many of the conversations that people are having are layered and not really about what they’re actually discussing, like where the old rambunctious teacher sits with the young shy student and talks about the sadness in poetry… but it’s obvious they’re both talking about being gay and lonely. Great film, reminds me of a movie I did back in the day called The Emporer’s Club. It was basically a lesser version of Dead Poets Society but instead of a coked up Robin Williams we had a really sincere Kevin Kline. Tip: if you slow-mo some of the classroom and hallway scenes you can actually spot me in little uniformed jacket & tie outfits carrying books and doing my damndest to look parochial and 14. That was fun. Haven’t thought about that in forever. One of the actors in History Boys reminded me so much of Randy, too. The resemblance was striking, made me a little nervous.
Go see The History Boys, if for no other reason than it features the complete original London cast from 2yrs ago and you get to hear Frances De La Tour’s brash (Tony -winning) monologue about how the entire scope of history is significantly made up of women cleaning up after the messes made by insignificant men. Love it.
The essense of the entire My So-Called Life series — shit, the entire high school experience — can be captured in this clip. The best moment in TV high school history.
I didn’t think it was possible for Mary J. Blige to get any more passoinate and upset singing than she was 4yrs ago when she sang “No More Drama” at the Grammy’s — do you remember that shit? It was like watching an exorcism. But here she goes again, letting all those inner demons loose in this beautiful song with *ugh* U2. This video is really simple, in all black and white, and she looks great in that tank top with the boots and the wind blowing her hair all wild; she always manages to somehow look hotter than she did before.
During that last part of the song, where she just starts wailing “One” over and over, out of nowhere my eyes well up with tears. God bless Mary J.Blige and all those demons she’s fighting.
I was never a huge fan of Dixie Chicks, and I barely recall having an opinion about during the backlash they got for their anti-Bush remarks a few years ago, but this single “Not Ready To Make Nice” from their new album is fucking great. The song itself is defiant and honest, I love that they used it as the first single. The video is just gorgeous to look at and, like the lyrics, is full of between-the-lines messages. I love the whole look of the girls in those old pilgrim-like dresses, like a spin on The Crucible or Salem “witches” in those days when women who spoke out of turn were looked at as hysterical and evil, with them fighting against restraints and smearing them with ink. The violins and the vocals both soar when they talk about the death threats they recieved and it’s just really cool. I love the song.
Why am I blogging about a Dixie Chicks song/video? Cuz they got snubbed at the height of their fame — right on the heels of that awesome “Landslide” cover — for speaking their own minds. Radios stopped playing their music and the media went nuts over it. It was bullshit and this song probably won’t get much attention or accolades b/c of it. Natalie, the lead singer who really bore the brunt of the backlash even though they ALL felt the same way, stares straight into the camera at the end of the video and her expression is just perfect. It’s like she’s looking directly at every hatemail-writing lunatic who threatened her life, every DJ who banned their music from radio, every politician who pinned them as anti-American, even directly at Bush himself and saying, “What’s gone down is not cool and I’m not gonna shut up or pretend to be past all of it.”
Of course all of this could just be me projecting my own ex-boyfriend issues into the situation. But whatever.
Meet the Backdorm Boys, the internet’s newest spin on the Backstreet Boys (ala the Frat Divas). Only funnier and Chinese. These boys got really bored one day and started goofing off with a webcam and BAM, now they’re BLOWING UP in interviews and magazines and talk shows — I just saw their lipsynching asses on Ellen the other day. All you need to be famous these days is bandwith and some free time, I swear.
These boys CRACK me up. My day has been made. I actually really love that little “Radio In My Head” song they’re playing with, it’s almost catchy enough to top my love for “Yatta!” by Happatai (remember that whole craze?). Look at those bug-eyed grinning mugs. The spiky hair. The perpetually trendy gear. The full-on talent for riffing on popculture AND GETTING A FANBASE FOR IT. All further proof that I, dear winners, was born to be a Japanese Pop Star.
In my opinion there are 2 kinds of people in this world: the ones, like me, who love Claire Danes, and the ones who can go fuck themselves. As I’ve professed on this here site many times, Claire Danes stole my heart 11yrs ago on a Thursday night, August 25, 1994 as Angela Chase on My So-Called Life; after watching the trailer to Shopgirl, I may be falling in love with her all over again.
The movie, based on Steve Martin’s actual book (I saw him do a reading of it once) is basically Lost In Translation but set in L.A., which fits cuz it’s probablier lonlier than Japan. It’s this lonely older guy infatuated with this wallflowery young girl who works the glove counter @ a fancy boutique, but there’s also this awkward indie sensitive boy who gets her, and she has to choose. My favorite part of the trailer (and it’s a gorgeous trailer) between the clips of the laundromat and the department store and the city at night, is when you see each of them in their homes @ night— Steve Martin staring at his big empty pool, Jason Schwartzman hanging upside down aimlessly on his sofa, and Claire Danes laying in bed staring at the ceiling while “The Sound of Settling” by Deathcab for Cutie plays — and she voice-overs, in total Angel Chase mode, “So, I can either hurt now or hurt later…” I have so many moments and nights like that. I’ll bet a ton of people do.
Then there’s that shot. That last shot in the trailer where, right before the title flashes up and the song fades out, she turns and looks @ the camera over her shoulder, her hair sweeps into her eyes, and she smiles that smile that I fell in love with when I was 15. My eyes welled up with tears right away. Happy ones. I didn’t even think about it. It’s been so long since I’ve watched Claire Danes in all her plain-prettiness emoting my inner thoughts so honestly onscreen, I just couldn’t handle it. Funny, cuz she hasn’t been famous or successful for awhile now, and the last thing I semi liked her in was Igby Goes Down, but that was so long ago. I’ve actually seen her around town a lot since I’ve lived here, but I never get that excited about it. Now I totally am. Maybe it’s the red hair on her again that’s got me looking so crazy right now. I just love her. Not even Jason Schwartzman and his stupid hair will keep me from this movie.
The four main leads on FX’s new show Starved all battle eating disorders and attend a shame-based, not-so-supportive group called Belttighteners, where anorexics, bulimics, and obsessive-overaters all gather together and the mission statement is IT’S NOT OKAY. The meetings are run by a stone-faced, cold-hearted group leader who, out of genuine concern for helping attendees get better, humiliates them with threats, insults, and jolts of electroshock aversion therapy.
What’s not to love? If you don’t get on board the love train, it’s not okay, and the biggest favor you could do for me would be to die so that space you take up in this world could be replaced by someone who really wants to enjoy the show.
He’s young. He’s straight. He’s single. And he’s probably not gonna call.
Finally, a man - and a musical - with no cheesy lines or lame excuses. SLUT tells the story of Adam, a single dude on a lifelong quest for one-night stands, his best friend, the brilliant Doctor Dan, and the sexy rocker Delia who comes between them. Set in the East Village and around the world, this highly improbable, irreverent adventure comes with singing, dancing, screwing and raspberry margaritas.
Ahhh, I love it. I fucking love it. This is another one of the shows that got lots of attention at the Fringe Festival awhile back, I remember hearing about it. It stars both Andy Karl and David Josefberg (Luke and Abraham from Altar Boyz) and previews start next week. I’m all over it.
UPDATE: I saw the show. Front row. His very first scene was him getting out of bed, in his underwear (black SHEER boxer briefs). Later, going into another bedroom scene, he walked right up to the edge of the stage, ripped open his shirt, peeled off his jeans and stood there bulging at the front row with a little smirk on his face. I spent the rest of the show frozen and speechless. I’m still recovering. Go see this.
