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redshirtgal · 4 years ago

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As mentioned in our previous article, our Transportation Assistant Ensign Wilson was played by Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. He was born in 1938 in Muskogee, Oklahoma but his family moved to Portland, Oregon when he was seven. It was during high school there that he discovered his love of theater and dance. At age 20, he moved to Los Angeles. His first movie part was that of a ceremonial dancer in the Roger and Hammerstein movie, South Pacific.

His dual talents in theater and dance paid off when he landed the part of Wilson in “The Enemy Within.” According to his son, Garland Thompson, Jr., there was no stuntman coordinator to block out the moves Thompson and Shatner would have to make during the fight scene between the two of them. Luckily, William Shatner had also studied dancing and the two of them went into a corner and choreographed the movements. By the time they were finished, the filming crew was ready to roll. Shatner and Thompson hit their marks perfectly, the scene was all done in one take, and the focus puller declared the film gate was clean. Which thrilled the crew because that meant everyone could eat an early lunch.

Garland Thompson performed on other television shows of the 60s such as The Lieutenant, Perry Mason and Bewitched. But he always preferred working on the stage. Even while he was on stage or before the camera, he still attended acting classes at various conservatories and workshops. The most influential of these was Frank Silvera’s Theatre of Being Workshop. Frank Silvera was an accomplished black actor in film and on the stage (his performance as King Lear in the Shakespeare play of the same name, directed by Joseph Papp, is still considered one of the best). Silvera started his workshop as a way of improving racial equality in the arts by providing instruction and support for young black actors. He also helped them attain membership in the actors’ unions and he created a theater where they could perform. Garland Thompson gave full credit to Silvera for helping him attain success as an actor, a playwright, and a theater producer. His mentor’s sudden death in 1970 at the age of 56 affected him deeply. (photo on left is Frank Silvera and on the right is a playbill from one of his productions. Note the names Isabell Sanford and Whitman Mayo)

Garland was already learning his way around and behind the stage as well as in front of it. He had served as the stage manager for Ray Bradbury’s plays in L.A. but then moved to New York to be the original stage manager and associate director for No Place to be Somebody by Charles Gordone on its first national tour as well as twice more during its run on Broadway. He also began to dabble in writing plays. This led him to realize how hard it was for black playwrights to have their plays produced. As a result, Garland Thompson decided to join actor/director Morgan Freeman, actress/director Billie Allen Henderson, and journalist/ theater critic to form the Frank Silvera’s Writers’ Workshop as a testament to his mentor and as a place for people of color to develop their play writing skills. He also served as its Executive Director. Within weeks, Garland was leading Monday night readings (and later Saturday night readings) along with critical discussions at the Martinique Theater in New York, one of many theaters that housed the Frank Silvera’s Writers workshop over the years. These readings were almost always packed. But they allowed budding playwrights a chance to hear their material read aloud for the first time and critiqued. Some rewrote their plays after the first presentation and brought them back to be read and critiqued a second time.

Over the years, around 20,000 scripts were written and read at the workshop. Thompson also helped writers get their scripts produced on stage, including Ntozake Shange’ and her award winning play For Colored Girls Who Have Consider Suicide, When the Rainbow is Enuf. Many of the students in the workshop also learned how to work backstage in largely unseen but very important duties, such as those involving lighting and sound. This gave them a more complete education in the theater arts. Garland Thompson even brought his own work in front of his students to be read and critiqued, then later produced. A playbill and a newspaper advertisement illustrate production details of two of his plays. Many major figures in Black Theater participated in several aspects of the workshop. These included Ruby Dee, Angela Bassett, Adolph Caesar. Morgan Freeman, Debbie Allen, Aduke Aremu, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTonya Richardson-Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, and Charles Dutton.

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In early 1999, Inside New York (a local TV news magazine) interviewed Mr. Thompson about the reasons he and his cofounders believed a workshop for people of color to write and produce plays was necessary. Do yourself a favor and carve yourself out some time to watch it in its entirety. This man’s charisma was amazing as was his enthusiasm for helping young people of color enter the world of theater.

During his lifetime, Mr. Thompson worked with and often headed many other organizations devoted to Black Theater and received many honors in connection with them. He was the founding board member of the Harlem Arts Alliance and also served on the Board of Directors. In addition to being one of the founding members of the FSWW, he served as its director and was President of the Board of Directors of the FSWW Foundation, Inc. in 1981. The AUDELCO awards were created to promote "recognition, understanding, and awareness of the arts in the African-American community." Garland Thompson was given the Board of Directors Award in 1976 for superior and sustained contribution to community theater. He also earned another AUDELCO award in 1981 as the producer of Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues. The photo above shows him along with two other recipients at the 1981 Awards. He also was the winner of the Washington D.C. One-Act Play Festival (according to the book Voices of Color) and the FSWW under his direction was awarded the Obie for playwrighting in 1989.

Garland also became involved in the National Black Theater Festival, starting with its second year. He set up and directed The Readers Theatre program, which grew and expanded over the years. He is shown above with his friend Ossie Davis, who was another major figure in Black Theater and who started the Festival’s first poetry slam in 2001.

(photo credit - Lia Chang)

Unfortunately, Garland Thompson suffered a serious fall in early November 2014 which resulted in being transported to the intensive care unit at Harlem Hospital. Unfortunately, he never regained consciousness and developed pneumonia and other serious conditions. He died on the 18th at age 76. Garland Thompson’s death was mourned by the Black Theater world. The first memorial devoted to his life and contributions was the addition of his life story to the “harlem is... Theater” Exhibition at New York’s Interchurch Center in December of 2015. Garland Lee Thompson Jr. is seen in the photo above in front of the the tribute to his father.

On February 12th of 2015, Representative Charles Rangel of New York gave a speech in front of the U.S. House of Representatives to celebrate the legacy of Garland Thompson. This speech became an official part of the Congressional Record. If you wish to read it, then click here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2015-02-12/html/CREC-2015-02-12-pt1-PgE208-3.htm

Instead of a traditional funeral, there was a Three Act Performance Tribute, two of which were held on February 14th, which would have been Garland’s 77th birthday. The First Act was a Memorial held at St. James Presbyterian Church. In the photo above, Garland’s son (Garland Lee Thompson, Jr.) is holding a copy of the Congressional Record containing his father’s tribute along with a photo of his father. Act Two was a reception later that day at the Johnson Theater for the New City. Garland Lee Thompson, Jr. and Sean C. Turner hosted an afternoon of readings, poetry, and performances which ended with a celebration of Garland Sr.’s birthday. The final act was held in August of that year during Harlem’s National Black Theatre Festival. This is where Garland created the Readers Theater so Act III was a fitting final tribute to a man who had spent over 40 years teaching, encouraging, and nurturing writers and artists of color. His son Garland Thompson, Jr., is a noted playwright, actor, cinematographer, poet, director and producer, although he has worn many, many other hats in the arts over the years. Since 2008, he has been the Coordinator for the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest for high school students in Monterey County, California (this is part of a national contest funded by the National Endowment of the Arts) and hosts the Rubber Chicken Open Mic and Poetry Slam at the East Village Coffee Lounge in Monterey (which he co-founded 14 years ago). In 2014 he took over running his father’s Frank Silvera’s Writers’ Workshop in New York.

#Star Trek TOS #Redshirt #Garland Lee Thompson #Frank #Silvera's Writer Workshop #National Black Theater Festival #The Readers Theatre #Ensign Wilson

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wits-writing · 7 years ago

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Annihilation (movie review SPOILERS)

Science fiction and horror as genres usually blend together best when it’s exploring some of the anxieties scientific discovery can create in our minds. With an understanding that many times the answers we get only lead to further question that warrant more exploration, writer/director Alex Garland delivers the movie Annihilation, based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer.

When a mysterious object strikes a lighthouse on the coast of Florida, a mysterious force, referred to as the Shimmer, begins to emanate from it and alter the environment in extreme, disturbing manners. After multiple failed army excursions to document the area end with no survivors, the US government puts together a group of five women scientists, led by psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Lee) are sent in to try a new approach in these efforts. Central to the story is Lena (Natalie Portman), a college biology professor, former soldier and wife of the first man to ever make it back from the Shimmer, Kane (Oscar Isaac). After Kane’s mysterious reappearance and witnessing the effect the area seems to have had on him, Lena agrees to go along on the expedition alongside Ventress, anthropologist Cass Shepard (Tova Novotny), paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez) and physicist Jodie Radek (Tessa Thompson). They become increasingly disoriented by the experience of merely being in the Shimmer as they begin to piece together exactly what’s happening and what went wrong with the previous missions.

Annihilation is a well told story that connects its horror with the ways human nature interacts with nature in general. The gore in the movie is infrequent over its runtime but when it happens it gets intense, so if that makes you uncomfortable then feel free to skip this one. From here I’ll try to spoil as little as possible in the review, but the movie works best by going in as cold as possible. If you don’t want to know anything other than what’s been said so far, go see the movie first then come back and read the rest of this.

[SPOILERS & Full Review Under the Cut]

Most of Annihilation is spent taking in the experience of being surrounded by the Shimmer along with the characters as they try to comprehend. By all logic of biological science as they know it, nothing about the Shimmer makes sense. Animals appear to have bred across species with some even taking in aspects of plant life and vice versa for the plants themselves. Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy create the necessary sense that this swampland has become somewhat detached from a human understanding of reality through some subtle techniques, such as a use of rainbow-colored lens-flare that emphasizes the Shimmer’s presence as the characters make their way towards the center of the phenomena.

Scenes often take their time to create a sense of the surroundings’ grotesqueness and beauty. The mood keeps building as everything about the landscape and wildlife seems to make less sense as they get deeper into it. Beauty and horror within the Shimmer speak to its lack of agency. It’s a force of nature, not will, which is what makes it unpredictable enough to drive the people entering it insane as they witness the biological processed of the area happen at near incomprehensible speeds. Helping emphasize the mood of every event witnessed in the movie is the score from collaborators Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury. The soundtrack to this movie mostly deals in minimalism reminiscent of the scores John Carpenter used to produce for his own movies. The music refracts the atmosphere of the sequences in this movie the way the Shimmer refracts the biological aspects of everything inside it, an element that becomes most apparent during the movie’s tenser sequences.

What the Shimmer represents get weaved into the narrative slowly until the characters can’t help but pontificate about it out loud at certain points, as headier science fiction is wont to do. When we’re first introduced to Lena, she’s lecturing her students about the basis of cellular reproduction and how they’ll be studying the nature of cancer cells. The connection gets solidified when Lena describes aspects of the life developing in the Shimmer as “malignant.” After the group have been on their mission in the Shimmer long enough, Ventress discusses how tendencies towards self-destruction may be inherently programmed in cells and could be the source of impulsive self-destructive tendencies in people. Each member of the group has self-destructive tendencies they’re trying to move past; Sheppard’s marriage fell apart after the death of her daughter, Thorensen’s a recovering alcoholic, Radik used to self-harm and Lena is weighted down by the guilt of an affair she was having with a colleague.

The visuals and themes of Annihilation come together when the journey finally reaches the lighthouse at the center of the Shimmer in a marvelous display of visual storytelling that I won’t dare to give away. It’s through that sequence that the themes fully come together, coalescing into a statement about the role destruction plays in the process of creation. This idea runs through the movie as we see where the lines between creation and destruction blur as the Shimmer alters everything within it. Animals take on aspects of the things they kill and merely being in the area is enough to alter the people who attempt to explore it, as we see when the characters come across the former camp of a previous squad sent in to observe and report on it. Human desire for understanding and not losing our sense of self-awareness naturally conflicts with the fact that the Shimmer has no awareness. It can only do what it’s doing because that’s its nature. That’s why the effect being within has on the human body can drive people to ever more destructive behaviors as they start to realize there’s no way back to who they were.

At a lean 115-minute runtime, Annihilation never feels rushed and by letting the movie take its time for the audience to understand the characters and the bizarre land they’re exploring Garland crafts an experience that few sci-fi movies fully achieve. The horror the movie chooses to craft comes more from the questions it raises than gore or the creatures that attack the protagonists, even though those sequences have tension to spare. Existential concerns about how people relate to the world around in connection with the actions to define themselves. Natalie Portman’s performance as Lena anchors these ideas as she’s forced to confront the person she’s been and well as the one she’s becoming. By the end she’s left with more questions than answers, but the answers she did get are enough to give her a level of understanding to let her go on living with those questions in her mind.

#Annihilation #Annihilation movie #Alex Garland #Wit's Writing #movie review #Natalie Portman #Jennifer Jason Lee #Gina Rodriguez #Tessa Thompson #Tova Novotny #Oscar Isaac #Rob Hardy #Geoff Barrow #Ben Salisbury #science fiction #Horror Movies #horror #Sci Fi Films

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nodicenadablog · 7 years ago

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Aniquilación (Alex Garland, 2018)

El británico Alex Garland empezó su carrera trabajando con Dany Boyle, siendo autor del libro en el que se basó “La Playa” (2000) y guionista de “Exterminio” (2002) y “Sunshine: Alerta Solar” (2007). Años después se largó como director y guionista de la gran “Ex Máquina” (2014) uno de las mejores películas de ciencia ficción de los últimos años. Su última película (basada en la novela homónima de Jeff VanderMeer) transita la misma línea que su antecesora y posee toda la imaginación, el impacto visual y los cuestionamientos filosóficos que un buen exponente del género debe tener.

Un meteorito cae en la costa de Estados Unidos y con su impacto crea una extraña zona que el gobierno llama “The Shimmer”. La bióloga Lena (Natalie Portman) se mete voluntariamente para investigar su origen, luego de varios intentos fallidos. La acompaña un grupo de científicas interpretados por Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez y Tuva Novotny. Con el apoyo del gobierno ellas se adentran en este lugar y pronto descubren que las reglas de la naturaleza son muy distintas allí.

El tiempo en ese extraño lugar transcurre de manera distinta a como lo perciben ellas. Lo mismo ocurre con la película que no está narrada en orden cronológico. Mientras Lena cuenta lo que sucedió en su misión distintos flashbacks se intercalan, algunos mostrando lo sucedido, otros la relación con su esposo (Oscar Isaacs) quien estuvo un año desaparecido en una misión dentro de “The Shimmer” antes que ella. Puede parecer un poco confuso al principio pero logra que el espectador preste atención a lo que sucede.

La historia tiene elementos de cine de aventura, como el descubrimiento de un nuevo mundo con sus propias reglas. También tiene un poco del cine de monstruos. Allí dentro todo parece una versión genéticamente modificada de lo que había en esa zona antes del impacto. El universo creado dentro de “The Shimmer” tiene un diseño hermoso.

A medida que avanza la película se irán descubriendo las distintas ideas que el director quiere plantear y cuestionar como las relaciones humanas, las enfermedades o incluso la vida en el planeta y los cambios que sufre. Garland no propone una bajada de línea moral o una respuesta concreta. Prefiere que sea el espectador el que saque conclusiones. Es por eso que para el final de la película puede que haya más preguntas que respuestas.

De todos modos creo que eso es lo mejor que tienen las buenas películas de ciencia ficción. Crear mundos fantásticos que sirvan para hablar sobre temas universales con originalidad. No subestima al público y no necesita subrayar todo siempre. Es una lastima que la distribuidora no se quisiera estrenarla en los cines varios países del mundo. En cambio le vendió los derechos a Netflix y esa es la única manera de verla de forma legal por fuera de Estados Unidos.

“Aniquilación” cuenta con un elenco encabezado por un grupo heterogéneo de grandes actrices (otro gran logro de la película). Si bien sus historias no son profundizadas del todo, la trama que las rodea es fascinante. La banda sonora compuesta por Ben Salisbury y Geoff Barrow crea un ambiente extraño y atrapante que se suma a los bellos planos de la película. Alex Garland se reafirma cómo un gran director que pudo estar a la altura de su ópera prima y tal vez incluso superarla. Es una obra que provocará muchas discusiones y.que vale la pena ver más de una vez. Le doy 5 de 5 ciervos floreados.

#aniquilacion #annihilation #alex garland #natalie portman #tessa thompson #jennifer jason lee #peliculas #film #streaming #netflix #critica #reseña #ex machina #movie

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writer-of-various · 2 years ago

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DBD crew as A/B/O

So I had to kinda mull over my thoughts and this is purely just my opinion and hc of the characters. Let's get into it! Also, please let me know if I missed any characters.

The Trapper - Evan MacMillian Alpha

The Wraith - Phillip Omajo Beta

The Hillbilly - Max Thompson Jr. Beta

The Nurse - Sally Smithson Omega

The Shape - Michael Myers Alpha

The Hag - Lisa Sherwood Beta

The Doctor - Herman Carter Alpha

The Huntress - Anna Alpha

The Cannibal - Bubba Sawyer Beta

The Nightmare - Freddy Krueger Beta

The Pig - Amanda Young Alpha

The Clown - Jeffrey Hawk Beta

The Spirit - Rin Yamaoka Beta

The Legion - Frank Morrison Omega, Julie Kostenko Beta, Susie Omega, Joey Alpha

The Plague - Adiris Omega

The Ghost Face - Danny 'Jed Olsen' Johnson Alpha

The Oni - Kazan Yamaoka Alpha

The Deathslinger - Caleb Quinn Alpha

The Executioner - Pyramid Head Alpha

The Blight - Talbot Grimes Beta

The Twins - Victor Beta and Charlotte Deshayes Omega

The Trickster - Ji-Woon Hak Alpha

The Nemesis - Nemesis T-Type Alpha

The Cenobite - Pinhead Beta

The Artist - Carmina Mora

The Onryō - Sadako Yamamura

Dwight Fairfield Beta

Meg Thomas Omega (disguised as Beta)

Claduette Morel Omega

Jake Park Alpha

Nea Karlsson Alpha

Laurie Strode Alpha

Ace Visconti Beta

William 'Bill' Overbeck Alpha

Feng Min Beta

David King Alpha

Quentin Smith Beta

David Tapp Beta

Kate Denson Omega

Adam Francis Beta

Jeffrey 'Jeff' Johansen Alpha

Jane Romero Beta

Ashley 'Ash' Williams Alpha

Nancy Wheeler Omega

Steve Harrington Alpha

Jonathan Byers Beta

Yui Kimura Alpha

Zarina Kassir Beta

Cheryl Mason Alpha

Alessa Gillespie Omega

Lisa Garland Omega

Cybil Bennett Alpha

Felix Richter Omega (disguised as Beta)

Élodie Rakoto Beta

Yun-Jin Lee Alpha (disguised as Beta)

Leon S. Kennedy Omega (disguised as Alpha)

Jill Valentine Alpha

Claire Redfield Beta

Chris Redfield Alpha

Mikaela Reid Beta

Jonah Vasquez Alpha

Yoichi Asakawa Beta

Haddie Kaur Alpha

#dead by daylight random stuff #dead by deadlight #dbd headcanons #asks and requests #abo universe

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the-auris · 3 years ago

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CHARACTER ROSTER

CANON

SURVIVORS:

☒ Dwight Fairfield

☐ Meg Thomas

☐ Claudette Morel

☒ Jake Park

☐ Nea Karlsson

☒ Laurie Strode

☒ Ace Visconti

☐ William "Bill" Overbeck

☐ Feng Min

☐ David King

☒ Quentin Smith

☐ David Tapp

☒ Kate Denson

☒ Adam Francis

☐ Jeffrey Johansen

☐ Jane Romero

☐ Ashley J. Williams

☐ Nancy Wheeler

☐ Steve Harrington

☐ Jonathan Byers

☐ Yui Kimura

☐ Zarina Kassir

☒ Cheryl Mason

☐ Lisa Garland

☐ Cybil Bennett

☐ James Sunderland

☒ Maria

☒ Felix Richter

☒ Élodie Rakoto

☐ Yun-Jin Lee

☒ Jill Valentine

☐ Claire Redfield

☐ Sheva Alomar

☒ Leon S. Kennedy

☐ Chris Redfield

☐ Carlos Oliveira

☒ Mikaela Reid

☐ Jonah Vasquez

☒ Yoichi Asakawa

☒ Haddie Kaur

☐ Ada Wong

☐ Rebecca Chambers

☒ Vittorio Toscano

☐ Thalita Lyra

☒ Renato Lyra

☒ Gabriel Soma

☐ Ellen Ripley

☐ Ripley 8

☐ Rain Carradine

☐ Alan Wake

☐ Saga Anderson

☒ Rose Marigold

☒ Sable Ward

☒ Aestri Yazar

☒ Baermar Uraz

☐ Lara Croft

☐ Trevor Belmont | RESERVED

☒ Alucard

☐ Soma Cruz

☒ Taurie Cain

- - -

KILLERS:

☐ Evan MacMillan, The Trapper | RESERVED

☒ Philip Ojomo, The Wraith

☐ Max Thompson Jr., The Hillbilly

☒ Sally Smithson, The Nurse

☒ Michael Myers, The Shape

☐ Lisa Sherwood, The Hag

☐ Herman Carter, The Doctor

☒ Anna, The Huntress

☐ Bubba Sawyer, The Cannibal

☒ Freddy Krueger, The Nightmare

☒ Amanda Young, The Pig

☒ Jeffrey Hawk, The Clown

☒ Rin Yamaoka, The Spirit

☒ Frank Morrison, The Legion

☒ Julie Kostenko, The Legion

☒ Susie Lavoie, The Legion

☒ Joey, The Legion

☐ Adiris, The Plague

☒ Danny Johnson, The Ghostface

☐ The Demogorgon

☐ Kazan Yamaoka, The Oni

☒ Caleb Quinn, The Deathslinger

☐ Pyramid Head, The Executioner

☐ Talbot Grimes, The Blight

☐ Charlotte & Victor Deshayes, The Twins

☒ Ji-Woon Hak, The Trickster

☐ Nemesis

☐ Elliot Spencer, The Cenobite

☒ Carmina Mora, The Artist

☒ Sadako Yamamura, The Onryō

☒ Druanee, The Dredge

☒ Albert Wesker, The Mastermind

☒ Tarhos Kovács, The Knight

☐ Alejandro Santiago, The Jailer

☐ Durkos Malecek, The Assassin

☐ Sander Rault, The Carnifex

☐ Adriana Imai, The Skull Merchant

☒ HUX-A7-13, The Singularity

☐ The Xenomorphs (multiple allowed)

☐ Charles "Chucky" Lee Ray, The Good Guy

☐ Tiffany Valentine, The Good Guy

☒ The Unknown

☐ Vecna, The Lich | RESERVED

☒ Dracula, The Dark Lord

☐ Portia Maye, The Houndmaster

- - - - - -

FRANCHISE-CHANGING SKINS

SURVIVORS:

☐ Isaac Nunes Oliveira/Tubarão (Renato Lyra)

- - -

KILLERS:

☐ Birch Witch (Hag)

☐ Look-See (Doctor)

☐ Mordeo (Huntress)

☐ Hunk (Legion)

☒ William Birkin (Blight)

☐ Tomie Kawakami (Spirit)

☐ Fuchi (Artist)

- - - - - -

CROSSOVERS

SURVIVORS:

☒ Sherry Birkin (Resident Evil)

☒ Norah Jakobs (The Nice House On The Lake)

☒ Casey Becker (Scream)

☒ Daisuke (Mouthwashing)

☒ Anya (Mouthwashing)

☒ Sypha Belnades (Castlevania)

☒ Anita "Needy" Lesnicki (Jennifer's Body)

☒ Graverobber (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

- - -

KILLERS:

☒ Jeannette / Therese Voerman (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines)

- - - - - -

NPCS

These characters exist within the RP and can thus be mentioned by characters who have encountered them, but cannot be submitted or written.

Vigo

ZZL Tryks

The Observer

Nicolas Cage

- - - - - -

last updated: 6. December 2024

#character roster

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years ago

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ZIEGFELD FOLLIES

April 8, 1946

Directors: Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth. Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney, Norman Taurog, Charles Walters. Robert Lewis Producer: Arthur Freed for Metro Goldwyn Mayer

The shooting schedule ran between April 10 and August 18, 1944, with retakes plus additional segments filmed on December 22, 1944 and then between January 25 and February 6, 1945. The film was first proposed in 1939.

Synopsis ~ We meet a grayed, immaculately garbed Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. in Paradise (his diary entry reads "Another heavenly day"), where he looks down upon the world and muses over the sort of show he'd be putting on were he still alive.

PRINCIPAL CAST

Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies') is appearing in her 64th film since coming to Hollywood in 1933.

Fred Astaire ('Here's to the Ladies' / Raffles in 'This Heart of Mine' / Tai Long in 'Limehouse Blues’ / Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), and Follow the Fleet (1936). His name was mentioned twice on “I Love Lucy.”

Lucille Bremer (Princess in 'This Heart of Mine' / Moy Ling in 'Limehouse Blues')

Fanny Brice (Norma Edelman in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') appeared in the original stage version of many editions of The Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway.

Judy Garland (The Star in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Kathryn Grayson (Kathryn Grayson in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Lena Horne (Lena Horne in 'Love') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Gene Kelly (Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). He made an appearance on the Lucille Ball special “Lucy Moves to NBC” (1980).

James Melton (Alfredo in 'La Traviata')

Victor Moore (Lawyer's Client in 'Pay the Two Dollars')

Red Skelton (J. Newton Numbskull in 'When Television Comes') also starred with Lucille Ball in Having Wonderful Time (1938), Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950). On TV he appeared on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in “Lucy Goes To Alaska” (1958). Ball and Skelton appeared in numerous TV specials together.

Esther Williams (Esther Williams in 'A Water Ballet') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946).

William Powell (Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.) also played the same character in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

Edward Arnold (Lawyer in 'Pay the Two Dollars') appeared with Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933) and Ellis in Freedomland (1952).

Marion Bell (Violetta in 'La Traviata')

Cyd Charisse (Ballerina in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Hume Cronyn (Monty in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') was honored by The Kennedy Center in 1986, at the same ceremony as Lucille Ball.

William Frawley (Martin in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') played the role of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”. He also appeared on “The Lucy Show,” his final screen appearance.

Robert Lewis (Chinese Gentleman in 'Limehouse Blues' / Telephone Voice in 'Number Please')

Virginia O'Brien (Virginia O'Brien in 'Here's to the Ladies') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and Meet The People (1944).

Keenan Wynn (Caller in 'Number Please') appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946), Without Love (1945), and The Long, Long Trailer (1954).

SUPPORTING CAST

Ziegfeld Girls

Karin Booth

Lucille Casey

Aina Constant

Elizabeth Dailey

Frances Donelan

Natalie Draper

Karen X. Gaylord

Aileen Haley

Carol Haney

Shirlee Howard

Margaret Laurence

Helen O'Hara

Noreen Roth

Elaine Shepard

Kay Thompson

Dorothy Tuttle

Dorothy Van Nuys

Eve Whitney - appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15).

Dancers

Gloria Joy Arden

Jean Ashton

Irene Austin

Judi Blacque

Bonnie Barlowe

Norman Borine

Hazel Brooks

Ed Brown

Kathleen Cartmill

Jack Cavan

Marilyn Christine

Laura Corbay

Rita Dunn

Meredyth Durrell

Shawn Ferguson

Jeanne Francis

Jean French

Mary Jane French

David Gray

Bill Hawley

Doreen Hayward

Charlotte Hunter

Virginia Hunter

Patricia Jackson

Margaret Kays

Laura Knight

Laura Lane

Dale Lefler

Melvin Martin

Diane Meredith

Lorraine Miller

Joyce Murray

Janet Nevis

Ray Nyles

Billy O'Shay

Jane Ray

Dorothy Raye

Beth Renner

Melba Snowden

Walter Stane

Ivon Starr

Robert Trout

Chorus Boys

Rod Alexander

Milton Chisholm

Dick D'Arcy

Dante DiPaolo

Don Hulbert

Herb Lurie

Matt Mattox

Bert May - appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford”

Jack Purcell

Tommy Rall

Ricky Ricardi (!)

Alex Romero

“LIMEHOUSE BLUES” starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, and Robert Lewis

Robert Ames (Masked Man)

James Barron (Couple with Banners)

Eleanor Bayley (Couple with Branches)

Mary Jo Ellis (Couple with Banners)

Sean Francis (Ensemble)

James King (Rooster)

Harriet Lee (Bar Singer)

Eugene Loring (Costermonger)

Charles Lunard (Masked Man)

Patricia Lynn (Ensemble)

Ruth Merman (Ensemble)

Garry Owen (1st Subway Policeman)

Ellen Ray (Couple with Parasols)

Jack Regas (Masked Man)

Billy Shead (Couple with Parasols)

Ronald Stanton (Couple with Branches)

Wanda Stevenson (Ensemble)

Ray Teal (2nd Subway Policeman)

“LOVE” starring Lena Horne

Juliette Ball (Club Patron)

Lennie Bluett (Dancer)

Suzette Harbin (Flirt)

Avanelle Harris (Club Patron)

Maggie Hathaway (Dancer)

Charles Hawkins (Club Patron)

Marie Bryant (Woman Getting Her Man Taken)

Cleo Herndon (Dancer)

“THIS HEART OF MINE” starring Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer

Helen Boyce (Countess)

Feodor Chaliapin Jr. (Lieutenant)

Naomi Childers (Duchess)

Charles Coleman (Majordomo)

Sam Flint (Majordomo's Assistant)

Sidney Gordon (Masked Man)

Count Stefenelli (Count)

Robert Wayne (Dyseptic)

“PAY THE TWO DOLLARS” starring Edward Arnold and Victor Moore

William Bailey (Subway Passenger)

Joseph Crehan (1st Judge) - played a Detective on “I Love Lucy” “The Great Train Robbery”

William B. Davidson (2nd Judge)

Eddie Dunn (3rd Subway Policeman)

Harry Hayden (Warden)

George Hill (2nd Subway Policeman)

Wilbur Mack (Subway Passenger)

Larry Steers (Magistrate)

“NUMBER PLEASE” starring Keenan Wynn

Peter Lawford (Voice of Porky)

Grady Sutton (Texan)

Audrey Totter (Phone Operator Voice)

Kay Williams (Girl)

OTHERS

Bunin's Puppets

Elise Cavanna (Tall Woman)

Jack Deery (Man)

Rex Evans (Butler in "A Great Lady Has An Interview”)

Sam Garrett (Roping / Twirling Act)

Silver (Horse in "Here's to the Ladies')

Arthur Walsh (Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket") - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11).

‘FOLLIES’ TRIVIA

Sidney Guilaroff, Lucille Ball’s hair dresser, who takes responsibility for her famous ‘golden red’ for this movie, becoming her trademark color.

Although they appear in different segments, this is the only feature film collaboration between “I Love Lucy co-stars" Lucille Ball and William Frawley. Coincidently, Frawley's character in this film shares a striking similarity with his iconic character of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” In this film he plays a money-hungry curmudgeon of a landlord, much like the show. In the above photo, he appears with director Minnelli and co-star Brice.

The horse ridden by Lucille Ball is the Lone Ranger's Silver!

Lucille Ball was actually fired by Ziegfeld from his road company production of Rio Rita in the 1930s.

In February 1956, Lucy and Desi appeared on “MGM Parade” to promote their MGM film Forever Darling. The show also included footage of Lena Horne singing from Ziegfeld Follies.

Lucy also played a showgirl in pink in “Lucy Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;E19) aired on February 21, 1955. The scene was inspired by Ziegfeld’s legendary stage shows featuring beautiful women wearing elaborate costumes navigating long staircases. To solidify the comparison, Ricky says he is going to a meeting with Mr. Minnelli. Vincente Minnelli was one of the directors of Ziegfeld Follies.

Lucy Ricardo had previously cavorted around in a lampshade in the manner of a Ziegfeld girl in both the unaired pilot and “The Audition” (S1;E6).

Ziegfeld Follies includes a sketch for Red Skelton called “When Television Comes” aka “Guzzler’s Gin” in which a (future) television spokesman gets increasingly sloshed on his product. This sketch was an obvious influence on Lucy’s Vitameatavegamin routine in “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (ILL S1;E30) aired on May 5, 1952.

Ziegfeld Girl Eve Whitney appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15). She used her own name for the character.

The Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket" Arthur Walsh - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11) as Arthur ‘King Cat’ Walsh. He teaches Lucy how to jitterbug.

The first Judge in the “Pay the Two Dollars” James Crehan also played the Police Detective on “I Love Lucy in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5) first aired on October 31, 1955.

Porky, a voice on the telephone in “Number Please” Peter Lawford, played “Password” against Lucille Ball on September 24, 1964. At the time, Lawford was married to President Kennedy’s sister, Patricia. On November 26, 1968, Ball was a guest on “The Tonight Show” when Peter Lawford was sitting in for Johnny Carson.

Chorus Boy Bert May appeared as a solo dancer on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford” (TLS S5;E21) in February 1967.

In the dressing room, Lucy jokes with Fanny Brice, one of the funniest women in showbusiness. This was the only time Ball and Brice collaborated and was Brice’s last film.

Ziegfeld’s follies began on Broadway, so it was appropriate that the show featured past and future Broadway musical stars:

Lucille Ball ~ Wildcat (1960)

Carol Haney ~ The Pajama Game (1954)

Tommy Rall ~ Call Me Madame (1950)

Fanny Brice ~ The Ziegfeld Follies

Marion Bell ~ Brigadoon (1947)

Victor Moore ~ Anything Goes (1934)

There was a lot of material that was not filmed, but written and cast. Some of the original skits would have added “Lucy” performers Mickey Rooney, Ann Sothern, and Van Johnson to the cast.

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ratingtheframe · 4 years ago

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I Care A Lot, Malcolm & Marie, Capone, The Life Ahead and the News of the World: Everything I watched in February.

Newsflash ! The cinemas still aren’t open and I’m starting to lose hope in them ever opening. Despite the UK government drawing a step by step guide into lifting the UK out of lockdown (like its flat pack furniture and not a critical pandemic) with cinemas due to open in April, I wouldn’t hold my breath seeing as our own human biology and its resistance is the actual measure of when it is safe to go out and about, not what our government says. So until everyone is vaccinated and has sustained the first few months of vaccination symptom free, I’m having to sift through Netflix and Amazon for something to watch, like I’m looking through a charity shop sale; without much luck. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for these streaming services, I (my dad) pay for them for Christ’s sakes and I know that one day I’ll be eating my words when I’m offered a Netflix deal that I (in a Vito Corleone voice) “cannot refuse”. However, unlike some of the creators on Netflix, I’ll make the most of this opportunity and be incredibly anal about what I want to make, even if it kills me.

I feel like so many people are given the license to make whatever they want for Netflix and then I look at the trophy wall of Emmys that HBO has garnered over the years and consider their quality writers and casts. I would say most recently, shows like The Crown, Sex Education, Top Boy and Bridgerton are Netflix’s exceptions currently, being both of quality and giving us something we actually want to watch. And guess what all these shows have in common?! Not only are all the casts largely British but all productions of these shows are British too. The British quality of TV programmes for streaming services in the US is a win win for all; Americans get to watch our good quality TV and we get Golden Globes. Most notably, The Crown did exceptionally (as it always does) at this year’s Golden Globes, further proving the show's excellence despite controversy. I thoroughly praise Netflix's resistance to label the show “fiction” and the lengths it took in making the show as authentically as possible, despite the criticism. The awards speak for themselves and the Crown has scooped up several this year so far.

To conclude, I want the cinemas to open just as much as anyone, but I’m happy to comply with the stay-at-home-and-watch-Netflix-rule for now. For now...Here’s everything I watched this February.

Annihilation (2018) as seen on Netflix

Netflix’s Annihilation starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Issac was a multitude of things that were difficult to comprehend. This is not me saying this is a bad film, in fact its me saying the complete opposite as the complexity drew a tangible beauty to the film from beginning to end. I reeeaaalllyyy liked the beginning and how the first scene sucked you into the crazy and fanatical story that later unfolded. Natalie Portman as always was wonderful in this role, playing a biologist who enters another world in search of her husband, who’s gone missing on a similar expedition to hers. Like with most sci fi films, it was difficult to gather the meaning of such a film, however this lack of meaning didn’t draw away from the story or how it was portrayed, in slow and enigmatic shots that told the story with a natural pace. If you’ve seen / liked Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation has the same director and I would thoroughly recommend you watch this too as the way Alex Garland merges sci fi with horror is incredibly seamless.

Score: 10/10

Eastern Promises (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

This film starring Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel was incredibly dark and gritty. Even though I’m not Russian, I found Mortensen and Cassel’s Russian personas to be rather good for a Dane and a Frenchman. Their on screen chemistry was also really good and its make me wonder why I haven’t seen a film with these two in it before. The story follows Anna (Naomi Watts) a nurse and her hunt for the true identity and life of a baby that was born to a 14 year old girl. Nikolai and Kirill (Mortensen and Cassel) are Russian gangsters living in London and set about covering up this obscene scandal and getting rid of the product of it, a baby girl belonging to the condemned and now deceased child. It's a difficult plot to wrap your head around and like I said, it's incredibly dark. Actor and director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence 2005) directed this film and helped Viggo Mortensen with a nomination for Best Actor at the 2008 Academy Awards.

Score: 8/10

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) as seen on Netflix

So remember how I said I was DESPERATE for films this month...I watched Fifty Shades of Grey with zero expectations and I can say definitively that it was worse than I thought. It's a true miracle that both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan still have careers 6 years after such a film was released and I personally wouldn’t rush to cast either acting in my film after seeing this. Harsh, I know but reputation is everything and when you sign onto something that instead of highlighting your acting abilities, highlights your body parts, what am I supposed to think... I’m all for body confidence and what not, but I feel like most of this film sort of abuses sexuality and sexual expressions. The fact is, the BDSM part of this film wasn’t even that bad, it was the characters that pissed me off the most and their LACK of character in fact. They were orchestrated in such a flat way and the only time where either one of them found any character was through the sex itself and the discussion of it, especially Anastasia’s character. The most profound and irritating thing about this film is that Anastasia’s life seemed to only have meaning when she met the so called handsome, charming, wonderful, drop dead gorgeous Christian Grey. What does that teach us about women people? I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, sexualising women in film and media shouldn’t be the only reason for them to be there. And the entirety of Fifty Shades of Grey is built upon that fact. Even though the novel was written by a woman, it definitely missed the point in giving us a strong female character who could both be into sex and taken seriously at the same time. Seems like a really hard thing to do in cinema as filmmakers either go for the over-hyped sexualised prostitute, the caring mother or the nun. Like female professionals have never had sex in their lives… think again. I like to wonder what it would’ve been like had it been Ms Grey and Christian as her submissive. Not only would that mix up the character dynamic and go against gender confirmation, it’d actually be interesting. But maybe I should just write that story altogether...To conclude, the characters in this film were flat and the entirety of the film hyped up sex and the act of it way too much. It's like making a film about walking or breathing.

Score: 1/10

Malcolm & Marie (2021) as seen on Netflix

Malcolm & Marie received a lot of attention in the media and sadly not for the right reasons. In fact, what’s so childish about the backlash is that hardly any of it had to do with the filmmaking techniques Sam Levinson (Euphoria’s creator) used or the story he wrote. More of it had to do with Levinson’s controversial ideas about how the media likes to view and prod film like a goldfish in a bowl, acting ostentatiously towards the art and appearing woke as opposed to just seeing film for how it is. I gather many film critic’s egos were bruised when Levinson used the lead character, Malcolm (John David Washington) as a butcher to film critics. He says things like “I’m choosing to make a film that’s fundamentally political, but not everything I do is political because I’m Black” in reference to the ignorance of some film critics who stamp politics onto any black directed film, attempting to brand the films with their own understanding of the film as opposed to its real message and story. Malcolm spends the majority of the night loathing a fictional “white LA reporter” and betting on her exact words for his own film, about an African American woman trying to get off drugs. What he says is funny, so funny it's true. White reporters DO do this and instead of embracing Levinson’s satricalism, the real LA white reporters of our media got overly offended and used the “lack of story” card as a backdrop to fuel their distaste at being called out. Had they known Levinson’s intentions with this film, they wouldn’t have reviewed it all together as I’m sure Levinson knew what he was getting himself into when mentioning the annoying “white LA reporter” and making the stereotype central to the lead's frustrations towards the industry. Levinson also graciously mentions that even though Malcolm has such hatred towards the critics, he is their fuel and by making his so-called “art” he only joins them in the argument . Levinson made his bed when he made the film and I think he’s sleeping rather comfortably. No one even bothered to praise both Zendaya’s and Washington’s performances, which were phenomenal considering the circumstances and the added pressure of having to carry a whole story in one room using only each other to fulfil that story. The cinematography was ambitious and overall, it was a simple yet well executed story. What are y’all complaining about?

Let's put egos aside and focus on the actual film for once, rather than how its perceived the articulation of your opinions towards it.

Score: 10/10

Coming to America (1988) as seen on Amazon Prime

At this moment I truly was becoming a slave to streaming services. I wasn’t particularly leaping at the opportunity to watch this film, however I chose to watch it as I heard that Eddie Murphy was releasing a sequel this year. As someone who doesn’t like comedy, I found this rather funny in places but it's hard to laugh at the black stereotypes portrayed in such a film even when those stereotypes were perpetuated by a black person. There was also a lot of misogyny, something else that I don’t call comedy but just misogyny. I found it hard overlook these moments and kinda saw this element as the downfall to the film which detracted from any of the other comedic moments.

Score: 5/10

Do the Right Thing (1989) as seen on Amazon Prime

One of Spike Lee’s earlier films, Do The Right Thing is a film I’ve been dying to watch for quite some time. The film is like a fascinating book, with chapters on each of the plights of living in Brooklyn in the 1980s. Though it takes one character’s perspective, there are a multitude of other stories that can be found in this film, with them interlinking seamlessly and coming together at the end. This isn’t a film about race but rather one about anger and its potential to divide people, especially when things become heated and fingers are pointed. It covered a variety of perspectives which I like, almost like an episodic series where each episode is different and takes on a different character. This structure added variety to the film and allowed it to cover a multitude of topics in a small space of time. The structure of this film was only successful because its characters, who were funny, three dimensional and above all, had something to say. Director and writer Spike Lee played Mookie, the lead, a pizza delivery man and quite the f**k up on the streets of Brooklyn, using his mouth more than his actions to get by in life. I really liked the balance of moments of comedy and severity which had me laughing in places and immediately stopping afterwards. Well written and I commend Spike Lee for having written, directed and starred in the same film.

Score: 10/10

The Life Ahead (2020) as seen on Netflix

As an actress, Sophia Loren is one of my all time favourites. On seeing films such as A Special Day (1977) Two Women (1960) Marriage, Italian Style (1964), I began to appreciate the work of Sophia Loren and notice how much of an icon she still is today. Having picked up several awards over an expansive 71 YEAR career, she has been honoured many a time by the Golden Globes and Oscars as one of the finest actresses of all time. Her presence on screen is inspiring and she’s been often referred to as the Italian Marilyn Monroe for her beauty inside and out. Here at the age of 86, she plays a Holocaust survivor and foster mother who cares for a troubled boy in The Life Ahead. Loren’s character, Madame Rosa, eventually saving him from a miserable life thieving and selling drugs on the streets of Italian. Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti directed this film for Netflix and was generous enough to give us Sophia Loren’s presence on screen once more by casting her in the film as the lead.

Score: 9/10

Gold (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

I found Gold to be one of those talky, talky films that starts at the end and ends at the end (if that makes sense) which in my opinion isn’t the most courageous structure one could use, but is common in biopics. It either starts on the protagonist’s death bed or at the point where the police have just caught them and for Gold it was the latter. The appearance of women in this film was second to none and that’s not me saying the director should’ve added female characters for good measure or token but why make a film that only appeals to one demographic, despite the intensity of the story...film is universal after all and if a film appeals to one certain group then what’s the point of releasing it? This doesn’t detract from Matthew McConaughey’s performance though as a “prospector” looking for gold in Indonesia. Even saying this, the character was very typical of him and it didn’t truly stretch his ability as an actor, not like Dallas Buyer’s Club (2013), Killer Joe (2011) or Interstellar (2014) did. To sum up Gold into one word it’d be “meh”.

Score: 7/10

Creed (2015) as seen on Amazon Prime

This was one of the most surprising films of the month. I’m not crazy about the Rocky films nor see myself watching all of them anytime soon, but Creed appealed as a more modern take on the hit franchise. Michael B Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, a champion boxer who died during a fight before Adonis was born. After being adopted by Apollo’s wife, Adonis Creed sets out to follow his father’s footsteps by becoming a champion heavyweight boxer himself, much to his maternal mother’s displeasure and his coach’s the one and only Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The story is similar to that of Rocky and if anything, is a complete revival, using the son of one of Rocky’s former fighter as a backdrop to tell the story. Director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther 2018, Fruitvale Station 2013 ) brought this story to life and a courageous performance out of Michael B. Jordan. Not only was I fascinated by boxing by the end of the film, but just the whole idea of Adonis Creed, a fighter and not a quitter who thoroughly believes in pursuing your goals until they are obtained. Not only is this film for boxing fans but for those who share that same universal message and refuse to give into their own inhibitions to achieve great things. We should look to athletes more often in this respect and consider the pursuit of our own desires as boxing matches and marathon races more often as it helps put our fight into perspective and teaches us never to give in.

Score: 11/10

Arrival (2016) as seen on DVD

Before anyone comes for me for not having seen Arrival, before I was a movie buff I had briefly come across the film several times but had never taken the time to sit it out and watch it from beginning to end. I’m glad I did as Denis Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors evah and along with Christopher Nolan, I consider him as the King of Sci Fi. Every single one of his films is incroyable (as the french say) and it's a mystery why he hasn’t been handed an Oscar yet. Arrival is this slow and beautiful story of a linguistics teacher (Amy Adams) who agrees to help on a mission to communicate with extraterrestrial life forms that have landed on planet earth in the form of twelve huge spaceships. Structure isn’t something we typically consider when watching a film, but it plays such an important part in Arrival for time and the manipulation of it is the main theme of this film. Essentially, the language in which Dr. Banks translates from the intelligent life form gives its readers the ability to see into the future, which is when we come to realize that she’ll have a child, who will die of an unnamed disease. Despite this fact, she decides to live the life fate intended for her. The reason why Arrival is a highly credible film is because of the coverage it has as a film in terms of what it's trying to say as a film. From someone who finds it hard to bring out the emotion of a screenplay, Arrival is a great example to me as a film that combines both a cinematic feeling and a strong emotional presence throughout the film. It doesn’t abandon emotions or relationships just because the film is about aliens, but instead embraces them into the story and intertwines them with the aliens who’ve come to planet earth. At the end of the day, we can have explosions, spaceships and aliens galore, but if we’re unable to connect with characters on an emotional level then the film becomes boring. Arrival is far from boring and may bring a tear or two to your eye by the end.

Score: 11/10

The News of the World (2020) as seen on Netflix

I feel like it's impossible to hate a film with Tom Hanks in it and The News of the World definitely fits into that. Five years after the US Civil War, Cpt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) spends his days travelling around the US ‘reading the news’ to anyone who’s willing to listen. The majority of the US was illiterate in the 19th Century, meaning it was up to people like Jefferson to inform others of the ongoings in the world by reading them the paper. It’s a wondrous thing to think about, how information was once spread throughout the world in such an archaic format. Jefferson did this off his own back, not asking for much and finding fulfilment in the reactions to the news that he “broadcasted” to them. Whilst on his travels, Jefferson comes across a young girl (Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengal) who’s negro family had been killed by lynchers. The girl was originally from a Native American tribe but had been separated by them, leaving her to fend for herself. When Jefferson comes across her, he’s reluctant to take her in at first but decides to take her to some relatives across the country. It’s definitely the role you expect of Tom Hanks and his heart warming nature is captured for us in this film for Netflix.

Score: 9/10

The Mask (1994) as seen on Netflix

It's hard for me to label The Mask as a good film as that would mean shaking off the horrendous amount of misogyny it has and the lack of diversity within its characters. Films mean different things for people, but ultimately most of them reflect an element of humanity and explore it on screen with originality and authenticity. Cameron Diaz’s character was only there to fulfil the sexual appetites of the men around her, which is something I loathe in female characters. Originality The Mask has, authenticity, not so much. That's probably the reason why I hate comedies so much, most of them are written by men and are about men so it can get quite boring to watch at times. I liked the idea of The Mask but it definitely could’ve been executed in a less misogynistic way.

Score: 5/10

Jackie (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

One word; perfection. This film was hands down one of the most beautiful, genuine and honest films I’ve seen in my entire life. It had me reminiscing Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015) in a number of ways, from the similar filmmaking techniques to the slow and melancholy atmosphere that was being created on screen. The AMAZING Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy who was brutally assassinated on a visit to Dallas, Texas in 1963. The fact that I didn’t even KNOW that his poor wife was in the car with him at the point of the assassination is shocking. On watching the film, I learnt Jackie was a remarkable, brave and intelligent woman who after her husband's death put so much into preserving her husband’s legacy despite his lack of popularity. The way the film is shot and the music by the brilliant Mica Levi (Under the Skin 2013 , Monos 2019) just ties everything together into a enigmatic and wonderful film. Natalie Portman was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards and rightly so. This film has further proven my thoughts on her as one of the greatest actresses of our time. I seriously cannot EXPRESS how much I love this film, directed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, who’s also made another film that I can’t get enough of Ema, which was released 2 years ago.

Score: 12/10

Foxcatcher (2014) as seen on BBC iPlayer

When we first think of Steve Carell, our minds probably drift to his most notable performance as Michael Scott from The Office or even Gru in Despicable Me. It's rare for a so called “comedy” actor to find his way into films with a more dramatic substance and over the last few years, this is what Carell has been showing us on screen, with this role in Foxcatcher and more recently, in Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy (2018). Foxcatcher is the true story of a wrestler offered the opportunity to train with a private wrestling team owned by a huge chemical corporation. Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, a quiet and reserved wrestler who trains alongside his brother David (Mark Ruffalo), also a champion wrestler. What's sad to see in this twisted story is how validated Mark feels once the powerful and wealthy John Du Pont (Steve Carrell) begins to take an interest in him and takes him under his wing. This relationship drives a wedge between Mark and his brother David, but much to John’s displeasure, it doesn’t last long. This is definitely a story of power and how people can react in bad ways when they are owed too much of it. Every performance in this was astounding and the slow and subtle telling of the story was truly beautiful to watch. Foxcatcher is a film I’ve been dying to watch for some time and it DID NOT disappoint. Period. The film was also nominated for five Oscars back in 2015, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Score: 11/10

In Fabric (2018) as seen on BBC iPlayer

Based on the current reviews of In Fabric, I deem the film a poncy experimental spectacle. Not only did it not say much, but what it was trying to say was rather disturbing and quite frankly bizarre. However, it's not a film I can necessarily hate on as it is experimental, meaning from the get go, I shouldn’t be expecting any sort of clear cut narrative, with relationships, protagonists, conflict or hierarchies. Experimental films are more about exploring a central idea and having all its “characters'' not essentially prove the idea, but just talk about it, like a debate but everyone agrees in the end. A debate where everyone agrees would be boring, which is why I find experimental films to be boring as most of the time they don’t have a meaning and sadly as humans, we’re obsessed with finding the meaning of things or else we’ll go crazy. And I would say this film definitely left me crazy at the end, proving the idea of man’s constant need to find meanings in things. In Fabric wasn’t really relatable, funny, clever or bold. It kinda just...was.

Score: 5/10

Delicatessen (1991) as seen on DVD

I love how the world likes to think that the American film market is the only film market when in actuality the French created the actual concept of cinema and the idea to project “movies” onto a large screen. With this has come a plethora of incredible movies from France that have gone onto to change the film industry forever. There’s a reason why the most prestigious and exclusive film festival in the entire world is held in the South of France and not LA. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is the auteur behind Amélie (2001) one of the most well known independent films ever to be made and before Amélie came Delicatessen. This film is Tim Burton meets Wes Anderson but in French and tells the story of a man working for a butcher and the crazy characters he meets in the same apartment as him. By the end it's clear that The Butcher is selling more than pork and beef down in his store and that the new tenant is due to be the next item on sale. I loved how weird and larger than life the characters were and the otherworldly set design used for this film. There were so many moments that are quite hard to explain the beauty of them and if you’ve seen Wes Anderson or Tim Burton’s work, you’ll notice the similarities between this film and their work, perhaps showing a french influence on the current American market.

Score: 10/10

Amélie (2001) as seen on DVD

Continuing on with the French theme, I was reminded this month of the beauty of Amélie. Every, single, shot in this film is pure perfection and I bet all my money that Wes Anderson was a mega fan of this film when it came out. It's truly a film like none other and it’s only this time around did I realise how much I RELATE to Amélie. The way she sacrifices herself for others and gets nothing in return, the lengths she goes to tell someone something instead of JUST SAYING IT, her lack of friends, I can definitively say that there isn’t a character on screen that I’ve related to more than Amélie (besides Elio from cmbyn). If you haven’t seen Amélie have a word with yourself.

Score: 11/10

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) as seen on Amazon Prime

Pan’s Labyrinth was a surprisingly amazing film and I wonder why I hadn’t seen it sooner. I was astounded to see it was in Spanish which I thought made the story somehow better. It's rare that we see such high budget and well known film that’s in a foreign language but I’m glad this film got the noise it did when it was released. Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water 2017) tells us the story of 10 year old Ofelia and her discovery of magical creatures in the woods that inhabit the outskirts of her new home. Not only that but it’s 1944. The Spanish Civil War has been over for five years but small groups of guerrilla rebels continue to fight against the new fascist dictatorship led by Francisco Franco. This is a well structured film that shows two strong worlds and combines them in a satisfying way, which isn’t an easy thing as sometimes films can get lost in the facts of history instead of the emotions and dynamic relationships. The set design in this was UNREAL as always and I really felt for the characters and their given circumstances. And that’s what we call a film.

Score: 11/10

I Care A Lot (2021) as seen on Amazon Prime

For a full review of I Care A Lot, follow the link: https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/643763403606867968/a-strong-performance-from-rosamund-pike-that-we

Score: 8/10

Interview with a Vampire (1994) as seen on BBC iPlayer

We were doing SO WELL until I made the costly decision to watch this waffle of a film, directed by Neil Jordan. Not only was the story all over the place, but the dialogue itself was incredibly on the nose and self explanatory throughout. It feels like there was more talking about the film instead of showing the film, which just made me switch off from early on in the film. I hated the casting of Tom Cruise in this and there were moments when I believed his character, but none of them outweighed the overarched and over bearing performance he was attempting to give. Brad Pitt was marginally better but the performance of Kirsten Dunst who was 12 years old at the time this film was released, outdid both actors. She was the only character that I truly felt for / cared about and her on screen presence was both enviable and wise beyond her years. Personally, I can’t explain what this film was even about because I truly didn’t get what was going on, however if you’re a fan of Kirsten Dunst’s work, this would be a suitable film to watch in that respect.

Score: 4/10

Fargo (1996) as seen on Amazon Prime

Fargo is probably most known as a Netflix series, but before that, it was originally a film directed by the Coen Brothers and starred the likes of Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H Macy and John Carroll Lynch. I’ve been meaning to watch Fargo for quite some time and I was not disappointed with the outcome of it. It's one of those good old fashioned crime films, with lots of twists and blood split throughout the film. The film won two Oscars in 1997; one for Best Actress which was handed to Frances McDormand playing a police officer investigating a string of murders in Minnesota and another for Best Original Screenplay. A really well constructed story with a fantastic cast and great cinematography work from Roger Deakins (1917 (2020), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Score: 10/10

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

The Darjeeling Limited further proves to us Wes Anderson’s ability to create entire new worlds and show us stories that take place all across the world. Three brothers, Peter (Adrien Brody), Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Francis (Owen Wilson) have travelled to India in an attempt to bond with one another “spiritually” after the death of their father. Peter and Jack aren’t too keen on this little expedition, irritated at their brothers' intrusiveness over the trip. The majority of the film is set on this fanatical train travelling across India and yet again, we are blessed with some phenomenal production design to tell us a fun and uplifting story. What’s more is that the boys’ mother (Anjelica Huston) lives in India as a nun at the foot of the Himalayas. This becomes the real reason for their venture and such a thing changes the character dynamics between the three men. India is shown in all its beauty in this film using the backdrop of three men’s relationship with one another as a story.

Score: 9/10

The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou (2004) as seen on DVD

Another one of Wes Anderson’s lesser known films but equally as good as the rest, this film follows a group of marine explorers travelling across the pacific to try and kill a shark that supposedly ate a member of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) ’s crew. With an all star cast composed of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and Anjelica Huston this film was entertaining, enlightening and cinematographically ambitious. Steve Zissou is a fictional character who makes a living off of extreme and dangerous marine explorations. He makes films of his travels using his crew and after screening his latest film, he meets a young man (Owen Wilson) claiming to be his son. Evidently, Zissou is reluctant to accept that this man is his son and uses his presence as financial gain to the project. I appreciated all performances in this film and the set design (as always with Anderson’s films) was exceptional.

Score: 9/10

Life of Pi (2012) as seen on Amazon Prime

A highly visual and emotional film that carries beauty throughout in both performance and story, Life of Pi was directed by Brokeback Mountain (2005)’s Ang Lee and tells the story of Pi (Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan) a young boy alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a fully grown Bengal Tiger. Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Director at the 2013 Academy Awards, this film does a phenomenal job of reminding us why cinema is such a superior and infinite art form. Pi’s family are on their way from India to America, exporting a large number of their zoo animals in hope of selling them once they reach the other side of the world. After a horrendous storm ravages their cargo ship, Pi is left all alone in the ocean with what only appears to be a small dingy, but to his horror, he comes to find that the zoo’s tiger Richard Parker is keeping him company in the middle of the ocean. Now if that ain’t a viable story, then I don’t know what is. To make a film look like it was set in the middle of a Pacific and with a Bengal Tiger is no small feat. Suraj Sharma’s performance was both truthful and powerful, despite the film being mostly shot in a studio with nothing but animation for Richard Parker. This is one of very few films that does the original novel justice.

Score: 11/10

Capone (2021) as seen on Netflix

Yikes. Capone has not been getting a lot of love in the media since its release on Netflix on 24th February. Personally, it's not the most god awful, offensive film I’ve seen and yet I wouldn’t have been the one to have made such a film either. The film is supposed to depict the last year of the infamous and notorious Al Capone, who suffered from numerous illnesses at only the age of 48. Tom Hardy plays the blood thirsty gangster and I have to say, this was a thoughtless casting choice. Hardy doesn’t have an ounce of Italian in his face and he put on this larger than life caricature of an accent that had me feeling rather sorry for him at moments when I shouldn’t have been. The acting was exceptional, but believable and interesting? That’s another argument altogether. Cinematography and sound wise, I thought the film was excellent in those respects but again, those should be additions to the integral story of a film. I get why Hardy signed up though, what actor wouldn’t want to play a mob boss? Maybe the point of Al’s life in which this film was built upon was perhaps wrong for the screen and I’m sure most would have preferred Hardy to play Capone at his peak. This film is a clear example of people getting ahead of themselves when they first explore an idea for a film. This film could have easily been saved in the development stage had someone said let’s not do this.

Score: 5/10

Creed II (2018) as seen on Amazon Prime

Obviously a prequel will always outdo a sequel, however I found Creed II to be just as meaningful as the first film. Maybe even more so as Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) is becoming a father his responsibilities have shifted dramatically. He’s also desperate to fight Viktor Drago, a Ukrainian ruthless boxer whose father accidentally killed Creed’s father in a match decades before. Drago is tough, beyond what he and his coach Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) could ever imagine and because of this, it drives a wedge between Adonis’ relationship with his coach. Creed thinks Rocky doesn’t believe he can beat Drago but Rocky insists not fighting the bull of a boxer would benefit him greatly, after all, look what happened to his father. The character dynamics have shifted in this sequel, but the structure has remained largely the same. We kind of knew what we were being served at the end and the change in character was there for everyone.

Score: 10/10

...and that’s it! Everything I watched this February, you do not want to KNOW how long this list took to compile. Thanks for reading and see you next month!

ig: @ratingtheframe

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gilmoregirlsrevival2016 · 4 years ago

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Season 1 Gilmore Girls References (Breakdown)

Yay! All the season 1 references have been posted. Before I start posting season 2, I wanted to post this little breakdown for your enjoyment :) It starts with some statistics and then below the cut is a list of all the specific references.

Overall amount of references in season 1: 605

Top 10 Most Common References: NSYNC (5), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (5), Taylor Hanson (6), Leo Tolstoy (7), Lucky Spencer (7), Marcel Proust (7), PJ Harvey (7), The Bangles (8), The Donna Reed Show (8), William Shakespeare (10)

Which episodes had the most references: #1 is That Damn Donna Reed with 55 references. #2 is Christopher Returns with 44 references

What characters made the most references (Only including characters/actors who were in the opening credits): Lorelai had the most with 237 references, Rory had second most with 118, and Lane had third most with 48.

First reference of the season: Jack Kerouac referenced by Lorelai

Final reference of the season: Adolf Eichmann referenced by Michel

Movies/TV Shows/Episodes/Characters, Commercials, Cartoons/Cartoon Characters, Plays, Documentaries:

9 1/2 Weeks, Alex Stone, Alfalfa, An Affair To Remember, A Streetcar Named Desire, Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman, Avon Commercials, Bambi, Beethoven, Boogie Nights, Cabaret, Casablanca, Charlie's Angels, Charlie Brown cartoons, Christine, Cinderella, Citizen Kane, Daisy Duke, Damien Thorn, Dawson Leery, Donna Stone, Double Indemnity, Double Mint Commercials, Ethel Mertz, Everest, Felix Unger, Fiddler On The Roof, Footloose, Freaky Friday, Fred Mertz, Gaslight, General Hospital, G.I. Jane, Gone With The Wind, Grease, Hamlet, Heathers, Hee Haw, House On Haunted Hill, Ice Castles, I Love Lucy, Iron Chef, Ishtar, Jeff Stone, Joanie Loves Chachi, John Shaft, Lady And The Tramp, Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows, Love Story, Lucky Spencer, Lucy Raises Chickens, Lucy Ricardo, Lucy Van Pelt, Macbeth, Magnolia, Mary Stone, Mask, Midnight Express, Misery, Norman Bates, Officer Krupke, Oompa Loompas, Old Yeller, Oscar Madison, Out Of Africa, Patton, Pepe Le Pew, Peyton Place, Pink Ladies, Pinky Tuscadero, Ponyboy, Psycho, Queen Of Outer Space, Rapunzel, Richard III, Ricky Ricardo, Rocky Dennis, Romeo And Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, Sandy Olsson, Saved By The Bell, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Schroeder, Sesame Street, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Sex And The City, Sixteen Candles, Sleeping Beauty, Star Trek, Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski, Stretch Cunningham, The Champ, The Comedy Of Errors, The Crucible, The Donna Reed Show, The Duke's Of Hazzard, The Fly, The Great Santini, The Little Match Girl, The Matrix, The Miracle Worker, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Outsiders, The Shining, The Sixth Sense, The View, The Waltons, The Way We Were, The Scarecrow, This Old House, V.I.P., Valley Of The Dolls, Vulcans, Wild Kingdom, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Wheel Of Fortune, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Working Girl, Yogi Bear, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown

Bands, Songs, CDs:

98 Degrees, Air Supply, Apple Venus Volume 2, Backstreet Boys, Bee Gees, Black Sabbath, Blue Man Group, Blur, Bon Jovi, Boston, Bush, Duran Duran, Everlong, Foo Fighters, Fugazi, Grandaddy, Hanson, I'm Too Sexy, Joy Division, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Kraftwerk, Like A Virgin, Livin La Vida Loca, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Man I Feel Like A Woman, Metallica, Money Money, My Ding-A-Ling, NSYNC, On The Good Ship Lollipop, Pink Moon, Queen, Rancid, Sergeant Pepper, Shake Your Bon Bon, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Sister Sledge, Smoke On The Water, Steely Dan, Suppertime, Tambourine Man, The B-52s, The Bangles, The Beatles, The Best Of Blondie, The Cranberries, The Cure, The Offspring, The Sugarplastic, The Wallflowers, The Velvet Underground, Walk Like An Egyptian, XTC, Ya Got Trouble, Young Marble Giants

Books/Book Characters, Comic Books/Comic Book Characters, Comic Strips:

A Mencken Chrestomathy, A Tale Of Two Cities, Anna Karenina, Belle Watling, Boo Radley, Carrie, David Copperfield, Dick Tracy, Dopey (One of the seven dwarfs) Goofus And Gallant, Great Expectations, Grinch, Hannibal Lecter, Hansel And Gretel, Harry Potter (book as well as character referenced), Huckleberry Finn, Little Dorrit, Madame Bovary, Moby Dick, Mommie Dearest, Moose Mason, Nancy Drew, Out Of Africa, Pinocchio, Swann's Way, The Amityville Horror, The Art Of Fiction, The Bell Jar, The Grapes Of Wrath, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Lost Weekend, The Metamorphosis, The Portable Dorothy Parker, The Unabridged Journals Of Sylvia Plath, The Witch Tree Symbol, There's A Certain Slant Of Light, Tuesdays With Morrie, War And Peace, Wonder Woman

Public Figures:

Adolf Eichmann, Alfred Hitchcock, Angelina Jolie, Anna Nicole Smith, Annie Oakley, Antonio Banderas, Arthur Miller, Artie Shaw, Barbara Hutton, Barbara Stanwyck, Barbra Streisand, Beck, Ben Jonson, Benito Mussolini, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Crudup, Bob Barker, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Catherine The Great, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charles I, Charles Dickens, Charles Manson, Charlie Parker, Charlotte Bronte, Charlton Heston, Charo, Cher, Cheryl Ladd, Chris Penn, Christiane Amanpour, Christopher Marlowe, Chuck Berry, Claudine Longet, Cleopatra, Cokie Roberts, Courtney Love, Dalai Lama, Damon Albarn, Dante Alighieri, David Mamet, Donna Reed, Edith Wharton, Edna O'Brien, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Webber, Elle Macpherson, Elsa Klensch, Elvis, Emeril Lagasse, Emily Dickinson, Emily Post, Eminem, Emma Goldman, Errol Flynn, Fabio, Farrah Fawcett, Fawn Hall, Flo Jo, Francis Bacon, Frank Sinatra, Franz Kafka, Fred MacMurray, Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder, George Clooney, George Sand, George W. Bush, Harry Houdini, Harvey Fierstein, Henny Youngman, Henry David Thoreau, Henry James, Henry VIII, Herman Melville, Homer, Honore De Balzac, Howard Cosell, Hugh Grant, Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Jaclyn Smith, James Dean, Jane Austen, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Tandy, Jim Carey, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hoffa, Joan Of Arc, Joan Rivers, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Joel Grey, John Cage, John Gardner, John Muir, John Paul II, John Webster, Johnny Cash, Johnny Depp, Joseph Merrick AKA Elephant Man, Judy Blume, Judy Garland, Julian Lennon, Justin Timberlake, Karen Blixen AKA Isak Dinesen, Kate Jackson, Kathy Bates, Kevin Bacon, Kreskin, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leo Tolstoy, Leopold and Loeb, Lewis Carroll, Linda McCartney, Liz Phair, Liza Minnelli, Lou Reed, M Night Shyamalan, Macy Gray, Madonna, Marcel Marceau, Marcel Proust, Margot Kidder, Marie Antoinette, Marie Curie, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Twain, Mark Wahlberg, Marlin Perkins, Martha Stewart, Martha Washington, Martin Luther, Mary Kay Letourneau, Maurice Chevalier, Melissa Rivers, Meryl Streep, Michael Crichton, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Miguel De Cervantes, Miss Manners, Mozart, Nancy Kerrigan, Nancy Walker, Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Nico, Oliver North, Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Levant, Pat Benatar, Paul McCartney, Peter III Of Russia, Peter Frampton, Philip Glass, PJ Harvey, Prince, Queen Elizabeth I, Regis, Richard Simmons, Rick James, Ricky Martin, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Robert Smith, Robin Leach, Rosie O'Donnell, Ru Paul, Ruth Gordon, Samuel Barber, Sarah Duchess Of York, Sean Lennon, Sean Penn, Shania Twain, Shelley Hack, Sigmund Freud, Squeaky Fromme, Stephen King, Steven Tyler, Susan Faludi, Susanna Hoffs, Tanya Roberts, Taylor Hanson, Theodore Kaczynski AKA The Unabomber, The Kennedy Family, Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo Marx AKA The Marx Brothers, Venus and Serena Williams (The reference was "The Williams Sisters"),Thelonious Monk, Tiger Woods, Tito Puente, Tom Waits, Tony Randall, Tonya Harding, Vaclav Havel, Vanna White, Vivien Leigh, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare, William Shatner, Yoko Ono, Zsa Zsa Gabor

Misc:

Camelot, Chernobyl Disaster, Cone Of Silence, Hindenburg Disaster, Iran-Contra Affair, Paul Bunyan, The Menendez Murders, Tribbles, Vulcan Death Grip, Whoville, Winchester Mystery House

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fantomcomics · 5 years ago

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What’s Out This Week? 11/20

Local Comic Shop Day AND our monthly D&D Nite are THIS WEEKEND! We’ll see you there, right?

Deadpool #1 - Kelly Thompson and Chris Bachalo

Deadpool's newest mercenary job has him going after the King of Monsters, who has claimed a new kingdom for his monstrous subjects...on Staten Island! But you know what they say, when you come at the king, you better not miss! The Merc with a Mouth finds himself neck deep in political intrigue, monster law, and a monster hunter out for blood! It's like The Crown but with even more swords and monsters! Can Deadpool's smooth charisma and deft diplomacy allow him to keep his head, or will he be royally screwed?

GLOW Vs The Babyface #1 (of 4) - Aimee Garcia, AJ Mendez and Hannah Templer

The women of GLOW are preparing for an all-new sort of a foe... a news anchor! As they learn the art of the promo to convince the media that GLOW isn't a bad influence on children thank you very much, they discover a much bigger problem-a runaway who's been living under the ring!

Tales From The Umbrella Academy: Hazel and Cha-Cha Save Christmas - Gerard Way, Scott Allie and Tommy Lee Edwards

Hazel and Cha Cha - the bizarre assassins who first appear in Umbrella Academy: Dallas and blew audiences away in the Netflix series - track down a rogue time agent and cross paths with a plot to discredit Christmas!

Heart Attack #1 - Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki, and Michael Garland

Gene therapy has saved Americans from disease-only to give birth to Variants: people with powers so unique, the government denies their human rights. But a rebellion has begun...

Charlie North is on the run from the police when he crosses paths with Jill Kearney. Instant attraction becomes mass destruction when they unlock powers neither knew they had. Now, the question isn't how to use them-but how far they're willing to go.

Olympia #1 (of 5) - Curt Pires,Tony Pires, Alex Diotto, and Dee Cunniffe

Elon is a latchkey kid who spends his days alone reading comic books-until his favorite superhero, Olympian, comes crashing off the page and into reality! But as he nurses his wounded and delirious hero back to health, he discovers Olympian isn't the only thing that came through... something evil followed him.

Shapes #1 - Jason Brubaker and Rick Rekedal

Tripp's 13th birthday is a bust: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in his favorite video game, targeted by the school bully, reprimanded by the principal, and unable to celebrate with friends or family. But everything changes when he receives a strange gift from his long-missing father and is then visited by the three Shapes who guard all creation. They reveal that Tripp's incredible video game skills may be the key to saving the whole universe.

2099 Alpha #1 - Nick Spencer and Viktor Bogdanovic

80 years ago, the Marvel Universe was born. 80 years from now, will it die?! THE FUTURE IS IN PERIL! Events of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN have been leading to this for months. Something is happening in 2099 that spans Nueva York and beyond and will shake up the official Marvel Future forever. This is not a drill!

Heartbeat #1 (of 5) - Maria Llovet

Eva, a high school outcast, finds herself witness to a horrible secret: the most popular boy in school enjoys the taste of blood and will kill to get his hands on it. Horrified and intrigued, Eva lets herself be pulled into Donatien's macabre world. He offers the escape she has been looking for, but how much is Eva willing to betray her moral code in order to find something that gives her life meaning? And will she or Donatien ever find redemption?

Whatcha gobbling up this week, Fantomites?

#WOTW #What's Out This Week?#Heartbeat #Heart Attack #2099 Alpha #Shapes #Olympia #Hazel And Cha-Cha Save Christmas #Umbrella Academy #GLOW #Deadpool #comic #comics #comic books #comic book

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norikateatro · 5 years ago

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Norikateatro’s Bootleg List! 💙

As of: July 31st, 2019 😄!

Please message me if you want a bootleg! Do not comment *If you want to trade with me that’ll be really cool!

Miss Saigon Manila: December 24th, 2000 Full Show Cast: Lea Salonga (Kim) , Will Chase (Chris) , Leo Tavarro Valdez (Engineer), Ron K. Smith, Lisa Capps (Ellen), Robert Seña (They), Isay Alvarez (Gigi)

Miss Saigon London 5/19/14 Highlights (Tanya Manalang as Kim) Cast: Tanya Manalang, Alistair Brammer, Jon Jon Briones Highlights include: Kim’s Nightmare - The Fall Of Saigon - Sun and Moon (Partial), Sun And Moon (Reprise), Movie In My Mind, The American Dream, Maybe, I Still Believe, The Last Night Of The World - Morning Of The Dragon (Partial), Why God Why. Musicalmania123’s master.

Miss Saigon 5/13/17 Lianah Sta. Ana (alt. Kim), Jon Jon Briones (The Engineer), Alistair Brammer (Chris), Katie Rose Clarke (Ellen), Nicholas Christopher (John), Devin Ilaw (Thuy), Rachelle Ann Go (Gigi)

Matilda: Broadway March 6th, 2013 Cast: Oona Laurence, Bertie Carvel, Gabriel Ebert, Lesli Margherita, Lauren Ward, Karen Aldridge, Jack Broderick, Frenie Acoba

Matilda: Broadway December 31st, 2015 Cast: Mimi Ryder (Matilda), Christopher Sieber (Miss Trunchbull), Rick Holmes (Mr. Wormwood), Lauralyn McClelland (u/s Mrs. Wormwood), Clay Thomson (Michael Wormwood), Allison Case (Miss Honey), Natalie Venetia Belcon (Mrs. Phelps), Philip Spaeth (Rudolpho), Colin Israel (u/s Party Entertainer), Geoff Packard (Doctor/ t/r Sergei),Michael Minarik (The Escape Artist), Jennifer Bowles (The Acrobat), Benjamin Harding (Bruce), Brooklyn Nelson (u/s Lavender), Jack Mullen (Nigel), Gia Nina Paolantonio (Amanda), Ian Saraceni (Eric), Akira Golz (Alice), Talia Ryder (Hortensia), Cole Alex Edelstein (u/s Tommy) Ensemble: Michaeljon Slinger, Marisa Kennedy, Amanda LaMotte, Travis Waldschmidt Notes: Quite a long black-out at the beginning of each act.

Aladdin (OBC)

A Chorus Line - Broadway - July 25, 1975 CAST: Scott Allen (Roy), Patricia Garland (Judy), Nancy Lane (Bebe), Crissy Wilzak (Vicki), Cameron Mason (Mark), Priscilla Lopez (Diana), Kelly Bishop (Sheila), Renee Baughman (Kristine), Thomas J Walsh (Bobby Strong), Robert LuPone (Zach), Wayne Cilento (Mike), Ron Kuhlman (Don), Brandt Edwards (Tom), Clive Clerk (Larry), Chuck Cissel (Butch), Sammy Williams (Paul), Michael Serrecchia (Frank), Donna Drake (Tricia), Carolyn Kirsch (Lois), Donna McKechnie (Cassie), Ronald Dennis (Richie), Michael Stuart (Greg), Don Percassi (Al), Pamela Blair (Val), Kay Cole (Maggie), Baayork Lee (Connie)

A Chorus Line: Broadway- September 30th, 2006 Cast: Ken Alan, Brad Anderson, Michelle Aravena, David Baum, Michael Berresse, E. Clayton Cornelious, Natalie Cortez, Mike Cannon, Charlotte D'Amboise, Mara Davi, Joey Dudding, Lyndy Franklin, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Deidre Goodwin, Tyler Hanes, Nadine Isenegger, Pamela Jordan, James T. Lane, Lorin Latarro, Paul McGill, Heather Parcells, Michael Paternostro, Alisan Porter, Jeffrey Schecter, Yuka Takara, Jason Tam, Grant Turner, Chryssie Whitehead, Tony Yazbeck Notes: Previews

Aladdin: National Tour-Chicago April 16th, 2017 Cast: Adam Jacobs, Anthony Murphy, Isabelle McCalla, Jonathan Weir, Reggie De Leon, JC Montgomery, Mike Longo, Zach Bencal, Philippe Arroyo. Notes: Beautiful HD capture of the newly launched tour. A terrific cast and a few new small variations to accommodate the tour on the road.

Anastasia: Broadway June 28, 2017 Cast: Christy Altomare, Derek Klena, John Bolton, Ramin Karimloo, Caroline O'Connor, Mary Beth Peil.

Beauty and the Beast: Broadway - July 27, 2007 Anneliese Van Der Pol (Belle), Steve Blanchard (Beast), Chris Hoch (Gaston), David deVries, Jeanne Lehman, Glenn Rainey, Jamie Ross, Trevor Braun, Aldrin Gonzalez, Ann Mandrella

Beauty and The Beast: Broadway- April 28th, 2002 (Need Link) Cast: Sarah Litzsinger as Belle, Steve Blanchard as Beast, Bryan Batt as Lumiere, and Beth Fowler as Mrs. Potts, and Nicholas Jonas as Chip

Beauty and The Beast: US Tour- January 19th, 2014 Cast: Hilary Maiberger, Darick Pead, Tim Rogan, Jardan Aragon, Hassan Nazari-Robati, James May, Stephanie Moskal, Paul Crane, Roxy York, Jack Mullen, Kieron Cindric, Tony D'Alelio, Bonnie Kelly, Sarah Gawron.

Chicago: 1st National Tour: 1978 Cast: Melody Adams, Kristen Childs.

Chicago US tour: November 23th, 2005 Chicago, IL Cast: Paige Davis, Brenda Braxton, Tom Wopat, Carol Woods

Chicago: Broadway September 18th, 2002 Cast: Michael C Hall (Billy), Amy Spanger (Roxie), Stephanie Pope (Velma), Rob Bartlett (Amos), Roz Ryan (Mama), R Bean (Mary Sunshine). Chicago: Broadway May 22, 2007 Cast: Amy Spanger, Amra-Faye Wright, Billy Ray Cyrus, Cory English, Carol Woods, R. Lowe

Chicago: Broadway 1996- Press Reels Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton, Joel Grey. The pro shot video that was used to make the reviewers reel; excellent quality with the time code bar at the bottom; not the complete show, songs only but great video A+

Cats- UK tour, Wolverhampton 30 March 2013 full show Cast: Joanna Ampil (Grizabella) Katie Warsop (Rumpleteazer) Clare Rickard (Jellylorum) Melissa James (Bombalurina) Lily Fraser (Demeter) Alice Redmond (Jennyanydots) Alicia Beck (Victoria/White Cat) Dawn Williams (Jemima) Nicholas Pound (Old Deutoronomy) Ben Palmer (Munkustrap) Oliver Savile (Rum Tum Tugger) Joseph Poulton (Quazo/Mistoffelees) Paul F Monaghan (Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Growl Tiger:) Barnaby Thompson (Mungojerrie) Ross Finnie (Skimbleshanks) Jessica Buckby (Cassandra) Lizzi Franklin (Tantomile) Joal Morris (Carbucketty) Richard Astbury (Coricopat) Cameron Ball (Admetus/Macavity) James Darch (Alonzo) and Will Lucas (Bill Bailey).

Cats Broadway: July 2016 VOB (no small) Cast: Leona Lewis (Grizabella), Tyler Hanes (Rum Tum Tugger), Ricky Ubeda (Mistoffelees), Quentin Earl Darrington (Old Deuteronomy), Eloise Kropp (Jennyanydots), Giuseppe Bausilio (Carbucketty), Jeremy Davis (Skimbleshanks), Kim Faure (Demeter), Sara Jean Ford (Jellylorum), Lili Froehlich (Electra), Daniel Gaymon (Macavity), Shonica Gooden (Rumpleteazer), Christopher Gurr (Gus/Bustopher Jones), Andy Huntington Jones (Munkustrap), Kolton Krouse (Tumblebrutus), Jess Le Protto (Mungojerrie), Georgina Pazcougin (Victoria), Emily Pynenburg (Cassandra), Arianna Rosario (SIllabub), Ahmad Smmons (Alonzo), Christine Cornish Smith (Bombalurina), Corey Snide (Coricopat), Emily Tate (Tantomile), Sharrod Wiliams (Pouncival)

Cats Broadway: November 30th, 2017 Cast: Mamie Parris, Andy Huntington Jones, Quentin Earl Darrington, Jeremy Davis, Tyler Hanes, Francesca Granell as (u/s) Jennyanydots, Corey John Snide as (u/s) Mistoffelees. Great HD capture of the final Broadway Revival cast. Mamie has such a strong voice and is a wonderful Grizabella. Come Far Away (OBC)

Cinderella: Broadway March 2nd, 2013 Cast: Laura Osnes (Ella), Santino Fontana (Prince Topher), Victoria Clark (Fairy Godmother), Harriet Harris (Evil Stepmother), Ann Harada (Charlotte)

Cinderella: Broadway August 21, 2014 Cast: Paige Faure (Cinderella), Joe Caroll (Prince Topher), Victoria Clark (Crazy Marie/Fairy Godmother), Nancy Opel (Madame), Stephanie Gibson (Gabrielle), Ann Harada (Charlotte), Todd Buonopane (Jean-Michel), Branch Woodman (u/s Lord Pinkleton), Peter Bartlett (Sebastian), Andy Mills (Footman), Michael Callahan (Driver), Jill Abramovitz (Lady of Ridicule)

Dear Evan Hansen (Broadway) Cast: Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Will Roland, Kristolyn Lloyd, Mike Faist, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Park, Jennifer Laura Thompson (OBC)

Falsettos Broadway: October 28th, 2016 Cast: Christian Borle (Marvin), Andrew Rannells (Whizzer), Stephanie J. Block (Trina), Brandon Uranowitz (Mendel), Anthony Rosenthal (Jason), Tracie Thoms (Charlotte), Betsy Wolfe (Cordelia) Link:

Follies: Broadway September 18, 2011 Cast: Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein, Rod Raines, Elaine Paige, Jayne Houdyshell, Rosalind Elias, Susan Watson, Terri White, Florence Lacey, Mary Beth Peil, Don Correia, Brian Shepard as (u/s) Young Ben, Christian Delcroix, Kirsten Scott, Lora Lee Gayer.

Finding Neverland (OBC)

Wicked Broadway: Preview October 12th, 2003 Original Broadway Cast Cast: Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), Norbert Leo Butz (Fiyero), Carole Shelley (Madame Morrible), Joel Grey (The Wizard) Michelle Federer (Nessarose), Christopher Fitzgerald (Boq), William Youmans (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked Chicago: July 1, 2005- Cast: Ana Gasteyer (Elphaba), Kate Reinders (Glinda), Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero), Gene Weygandt (The Wizard), Steven Skybell (Doctor Dillamond), Rondi Reed (Madame Morrible), Heidi Kettenring Nessarose), Telly Leung (Boq)

Wicked (Broadway): January 8, 2006 Cast: Shoshana Bean (Elphaba), Megan Hilty (Glinda), David Ayers (Fiyero), Rue McClanahan (Madame Morrible), Ben Vereen (The Wizard), Michelle Federer (Nessarose), Rob Sapp (Boq), Sean McCourt (Dr. Dillamond). notes: Shoshana’s, David’s, Rue’s and Michelle’s last performances. Camera wanders at points due to the master’s blind filming.

Wicked (Broadway): May 28, 2006) (Megan’s Last) cast: Eden Espinosa (Elphaba), Megan Hilty (Glinda), David Garrison (The Wizard), Derrick Williams (Fiyero), Carol Kane (Madame Morrible), Jenna Leigh Green (Nessarose), Rob Sapp (Boq), David McCourt (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked First National Tour PROSHOT May 2006 - Victoria Matlock (s/b Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum, Nicolas Dromard (u/s Fiyero), Jennifer Waldman (Nessarose), Alma Cuervo (Morrible), PJ Benjamin (The Wizard) *Proshot from one camera at the back of the house. Sound is patched in from the soundboard and is incredibly clear. Some washout, but amazing to see the set and choreo like this.

Wicked: México Mayo 2006 Proshot Elenco: Daniela Ranz (Elphaba), Liesl Lar (Galinda), Omar Muñoz (Fiyero), Laura Korl (Madame Morrible), Fernando Diaz (Boq), Ileana Muñoz (Nessarose), Hector Kori (Dr. Dillamond) Notes: Pro-Shot Multicameras excellent production of the Thomas Jefferson Musical School. Includes future Wicked Mexico City understudy for Glinda, Liesl Lar

Wicked: México, Veracruz | Multicam Proshot | A | 2 DVDs- Elenco/Cast: Odette Villarreal (Glinda), Andrés Elvira (Padre de la Bruja), Natalia Valdillo (Madre de la Bruja), Angelina Viesca (Partera), Luz María Santana (Elphaba), Patricia de la Garza Noble (Nessarose), Roberto Rodriguez (Boq), Amanda García (Madame Morrible), Paulina Cañedo (Pfanee), Melissa Cruz (Shen-shen), Andrés Dordón (Fiyero). Notes: Includes rehearsal footage. Directed by future Mexican Dr. Dillamond Beto Torres!

Wicked London: October 18, 2007 Cast: Kerry Ellis (Elphaba), Dianne Pilkington (Glinda), Oliver Tompsett (Fiyero), Susie Blake (Madame Morrible), Nigel Planer (The Wizard), James Gillan (Boq), Katy Rowley Jones (Nessarose)

Wicked Broadway: July 17th, 2008 Cast: Kerry Ellis (Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), David Burnham (Fiyero), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Ben Liebert (Boq), Lenny Wolpe (The Wizard), Jayne Houdyshell (Madame Morrible), Steven Skybell (Dr. Dillamond) Notes: Kerry’s first on Broadway

Wicked Chicago: December 13th 2006 Cast: Dee Roscioli (Elphaba), Megan Sikora (u/s Glinda), Brad Bass (Fiyero), Rondi Reed (Madame Morrible), Gene Weygandt (The Wizard), Adam Fleming (Boq), Heidi Kettenring (Nessarose), William Youmans (Dr. Dillamond) Notes: Blooper during Popular. Featuring a young Jennifer DiNoia as Elphaba’s mother! (Need Link)

Wicked 1st National Tour: March 4, 2007 Baltimore, Maryland Cast: Victoria Matlock (Elphaba), Christina DeCicco (Glinda), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Deedee Magno Hall (Nessarose), Barbara Tirrell (Morrible), P.J. Benjamin (Wizard), Josh Lamon (Boq), Tom Flynn (Dillamond),Paul Slade Smith as Witch’s Father/Frex, Lori Homles as Witch’s Mother/Melena, Leslie Becker as Midwife/ Nanny

Wicked Broadway: October 9, 2007 (mp4) Stephanie J. Block (Elphaba), Annaleigh Ashford (Glinda), Sebastian Arcelus (Fiyero), Kathy Santen (Morrible), Lenny Wolpe (Wizard), Logan Lipton (Boq), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Steven Skybell (Dillamond)

Wicked: Tokyo 28th January 2008 Cast: Megumi Hamada (Elphaba), Asako Tomada (Glinda, u/s), Li Tao (Fiyero), Kurihara Hideo (The Wizard u/s), Mori Izumi (Madame Morrible), Yamamoto Takae (Nessarose), Takayuki Ito (Boq), Takemi Ryoma (Doctor Dillamond) Kazunari Shirakura (Frex u/s), Akane Mao (Melena), and Tamaki Endo (Midwife)

Wicked: Stuttgart February 20 2009 Cast: Willemijn Verkaik (Elphaba), Lucy Scherer (Glinda), Mathias Edenborn (Fiyero), Barbara Raunegger (Madame Akaber), Stefan Poslovski (u/s Der Zauberer), Nicole Radeschnig (Nessarose), Robert Knorr (u/s Moq), Michael Günther (Doktor Dillamonth).

Wicked 1st National Tour-February 28, 2009 Cast-Stephanie Torns (Elphaba U/S), Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Lenny Wolpe (Wizard), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Morrible), Amanda Rose (Nessarose), Ben Liebert (Boq). Notes: Spotlight washout on wides. Blackouts for applause. Nice quality and pretty well filmed (though there are some odd closeups in DTL). Wandering cam at times.

Wicked Broadway: March 8, 2009 -Nicole Parker (Elphaba), Alli Mauzey (Glinda), Aaron Tveit (Fiyero), Jayne Houdyshell (Morrible), PJ Benjamin (Wizard), Alex Brightman (Boq), Cristy Candler (Nessa), Timothy Britten Parker (Dr. Dillamond) Notes: Final performance for Aaron Tveit. Wicked: Broadway September 27, 2009 Cast: Dee Roscioli (Elphaba), Erin Mackey (Glinda), Kevin Kern (Fiyero), Rondi Reed (Morrible), PJ Benjamin (Wizard), Michelle Federer (Nessarose), Alex Brightman (Boq), Timothy Britten Parker (Dillamond) Master: SunsetBlvd79

Wicked: National Tour 5/22/10 ~ Charlotte, NC Cast: Vicki Noon, Michelle London (u/s Glinda), Chris Peluso, Don Amendolia, Merilyn Caskey, Laura Pugliese (u/s Nessarose), Zach Hanna, David DeVries, Don Richard, Lindsay Wood (u/s Witch's Mother) About a minute of the beginning of WITF is blacked out, full show otherwise. Filmed with a mix of wides, mediums, and close-ups; slight washout in some of the wides, but nothing too terrible. No significant obstruction, good clear sound and picture; good video.

Wicked Broadway: February 1, 2015 Cast: Lilli Cooper (s/b Elphaba), Kara Lindsay (Glinda), Jerad Bortz (u/s Fiyero), Brian Munn (u/s The Wizard), Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible), Catherine Charlebois (Nessarose), Robin De Jesus (Boq).

Wicked: Singapore April 22nd, 2012 Cast- Zoe Jarrett (understudy Elphaba), Suzie Mathers (Glinda), David Harris (Fiyero), Anne Wood (Madame Morrible), Elisa Colla (Nessarose), James D Smith (Boq), Glen Hogstrom (u/s The Wizard) At just over 2 hours long, this is missing a few sequences, but all the big numbers and memorable dialogue scenes are intact. It’s shot from the very front row of the stalls at the side so, although this causes a lot of problems for the brave person who filmed it, we DO get many nice close-ups and a chance to see the show from quite an unusual angle at times! Very clear sound throughout.

Wicked Korea (Date: November 2013 ) Cast: Oak Joo Hyun (Elphaba), Jeong Sun Ah (Glinda), Lee Ji Hoon (Fiyero), Nam Kyoung Joo (The Wizard), Cho Jung Keun (Doctor Dillamond), Kim Young Joo (Madame Morrible), Lee Yea Eun (Nessarose), Kim Dong Hyun (Boq)

Wicked First National Tour: February 24th, 2013 Cast: Dee Roscioli (Elphaba), Cassie Okenka (u/s Glinda), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Kim Zimmer (Madame Morrible), Demeree Hill (Nessarose), Justin Brill (Boq), Clifton Davis (Dillamond)

Wicked; 1NT January 27 2011 Cast: Jackie Burns (Elphaba), Chandra Lee Schwartz (Glinda), Richard H. Blake (Fiyero)

Wicked 2nd National Tour (Madison, WI): May 28, 2013 Cast: Jennifer DiNoia (Elphaba), Hayley Podschun (Glinda), David Nathan Perlow (Fiyero), Walker Jones (The Wizard), Gina Ferrall (Madame Morrible), Zarah Mahler (Nessarose), Michael Wartella (Boq), Jay Russell (Doctor Dillamond). quality: An absolutely beautiful HD capture with no obstructions. Jennifer is wonderful as Elphaba.

Wicked: Korea 2014 Aug 2nd // AVI 박혜나 Park Hye Na (Elphaba), 김보경 Kim Bo Kyung (Glinda), 조상웅 Jo Sang Woong (Fiyero), 이상준 Lee Sang Jun (The Wizard), 김영주 Kim Young Joo (Madame Morrible), 이에은 Lee Ye Eun (Nessarose), 긴동현 Kim Dong Hyun (Boq), 초정근 Cho Jung Keun (Doctor Dillamond) Notes: Lots of washout shot, from the stalls on the left facing the stage, Kim Bo Kyung is literally just a ball of light in this, her Glinda is so full of energy

Wicked West End: 25th October 2014 Evening | Cast Change Kerry Ellis (Elphaba), Savannah Stevenson (Glinda) *Final performance of Kerry Ellis, Sue Kelvin, Paul Clarkson and many ensemble members.

Wicked West End: October 27th, 2014 Cast: Jennifer DiNoia (Elphaba), Savannah Stevenson (G(a)linda) Jeremy Taylor (Fiyero), Liza Sadovy (Madame Morrible), Martyn Ellis (The Wizard), Katie Rowley-Jones (Nessarose), Sam Lupton (Boq), Philip Childs (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked Mexico: November 18th 2014 Cast: Ana Cecilia Anzaldúa, Crisanta Gómez (s/b), Jorge Lau, Anahí Allué, Paco Morales, Adam Sadwing, Beto Torres. Notes: Highlights include “No One Mourns the Wicked”, “Dear Old Shiz”, the Room Assignment scene from Let Her GO! to “What Is This Feeling?”, “Popular”, “Defying Gravity”, “Thank Goodness”, “No Good Deed” and “For Good”.

Wicked Mexico: January 18, 2015 (Evening) Danna Paola (Elphaba), Cecilia de la Cueva (Glinda), Jorge Lau (Fiyero), Paco Morales (The Wizard), Anahi Allué (Madame Morrible), Marisol Meneses (Nessarose), Adam Sadwing (Boq), Beto Torres (Doctor Dillamond) Notes: Closing night. Highlights including Room Assignments, The Wizard and I, 2 x Popular, 2 x Defying Gravity, As Long As You’re Mine, No Good Deed and For Good. Varying video quality.

Wicked Broadway: January 2, 2015 Cast: Caroline Bowman (Elphaba), Kara Lindsay (Glinda), Matt Shingledecker (Fiyero), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible), Robin de Jesus (Boq), Arielle Jacobs (Nessarose), Timothy Britten Parker (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked 2nd National Tour: 10/29/15 Cast: Mary Kate Morrissey (s/b Elphaba), Carrie St. Louis (Glinda), Jake Boyd (Fiyero), Liana Hunt (Nessarose), Wendy Worthington (Madame Morrible), Stuart Zagnit (The Wizard). Lee Slobotikin (Boq), Chad Jennings (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked 2nd National Tour: November 6th, 2017 Cast: Jessica Vosk (Elphaba), Allison Bailey (u/s Glinda), Jeremy Woodard (Fiyero), Kristen Martin (Nessarose), Sam Sefarian (Boq), Chad Jennings (Doctor Dillamond), Stuart Zagnit (The Wizard), Wendy Worthington (Madame Morrible).

Wicked 2nd National Tour September 24th, 2017 Cincinnati, Ohio Jessica Vosk (Elphaba), Ginna Claire Mason (Glinda), Jon Robert Hall (Fiyero), Isabel Keating (Madame Morrible), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Sam Seferian (Boq), Catherine Charlebois (Nessarose), Harry Bouvy (Dr. Dillamond) Notes: Jessica Vosk’s final show.

Wicked 2nd National Tour Date: 4/8/2018 Toronto, CA MP4 (original format) Cast: Mary Kate Morrissey, Ginna Claire Mason, Jon Robert Hall, Wayne Shroeder (u/s The Wizard), Chad Jennings, Jody Gelb, Catherine Charlebois (t/r Nessarose), Cole Doman (Boq) Notes: Captured with high quality camera. Some obstructions due to heads and washout but majority very clear high quality.

Wicked Broadway: June 21, 2016 Cast: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Ginna Claire Mason (s/b Glinda), Jonah Platt (Fiyero), Peter Scolari (The Wizard), Judy Kaye (Madame Morrible), Dawn Cantwell (Nessarose), Zachary Noah Piser (Boq), Michael Genet (Doctor Dillamond).

Wicked San Francisco: September 5, 2010 (Last Show) Marcie Dodd (Elphaba) Alli Mauzey (Glinda) Clifton C. Hall (Fiyero) Jody Gelb (Madame Morrible) Tom McGowan (The Wizard) DeeDee Magno Hall (Nessarose) Etai Benshlomo (Boq)

Wicked 1st National Tour: December 12, 2007; St. Louis, MO. Carmen Cusack (Elphaba), Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Alma Cuervo (Madame Morrible), Lee Wilkof (The Wizard), Deedee Magno Hall (Nessarose), Brad Weinstock (Boq), Tom Flynn (Dr. Dillamond)

Wicked UK/International Tour April 15th, 2017 Jodie Steele (alt. Elphaba), Carly Anderson (Glinda), Bradley Jaden (Fiyero), Kim Ismay (Mme. Morrible), Steven Pinder (Dr. Dillamond/Wizard), Emily Shaw (Nessarose), Iddon Jones (Boq)

Wicked: Broadway August 11th, 2017 Cast: Jackie Burns (Elphaba), Amanda Jane Cooper (Glinda), Rondi Reed (Madame Morrible), PJ Benjamin (The Wizard), Ashley Parker Angel (Fiyero), Kristen Martin (Nessarose), Jye Frasca (Boq) Notes: Excellent HD capture of Jackie’s return to the role, captured from the Orchestra.

Wicked: Broadway July, 2018 (NYCG8R's master) CAST: Jessica Vosk (Elphaba), Amanda Jane Cooper (Glinda), Curt Hansen (t/r Fiyero), Kevin Chamberlin (The Wizard), Martin Moran (Dr. Dillamond), Isabel Keating (Madame Morrible), Jye Frasca (Boq), Kristen Martin (Nessarose)

Waitress (Broadway) − June 14, 2016: Jessie Mueller (Jenna), Keala Settle (Becky), Kimiko Glenn (Dawn), Drew Gehling (Dr Pomatter), Nick Cordero (Earl), Dakin Matthews (Joe), Eric Anderson (Cal), Christopher Fitzgerald (Ogie) (OBC)

Waitress ( Broadway) April, 2017 Cast: Sara Bareilles, Charity Angel Dawson, Molly Jobe as (u/s) Dawn, Chris Diamantopoulos, Will Swenson, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, Christopher Fitzgerald

The Producers 4/25/01 ~ Broadway Cast: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Brad Oscar, Cady Huffman. Slight spotlight washout, bar in the way version. Cam Video Video includes the 2001 Gypsy of the Year skit after the show

The Drowsy Chaperone 10/8/08 ~ Sacramento, CA Cast: Jonathan Crombie, Georgia Engel, Alicia Irving, Jen Taylor Farrell as (u/s) Janet Van De Graaff, Noble Shropshire, Mark Ledbetter, Richard Vida, Cliff Bemis, Linda Griffin, Paul Riopelle, Peter Riopelle, Dale Hensley, Natasha Yvette Williams. Filmed in widescreen with no obstructions and almost no blackouts, great picture that follows the action very well.

The Book Of Mormon: London - 03/01/18 Blackout at certain parts, filmed from the circle. Overall watchable. Known Cast: KJ Hippensteel - Elder Price Cody Jamison Strand - Elder Cunningham Stevie Webb - Elder McKinley

The Play That Goes Wrong: Broadway May 2018 Cast: Akron Watson, Mark Evans, Quinn Van Antwerp, Preston Truman Boyd, Harrison Unger, Amelia McClain, Alex Mandell, Ashley Bryant

Frozen: Denver (Try Outs) October 1st, 2017 Cast: Caissie Levy, Patti Murin, Jelani Alladin, Greg Hildreth, John Riddle, Timothy Hughes, Andrew Pirozzi, Robert Creighton, Alya Schwartz, Audrey Bennet. Notes: Final performance. There are scene changes, an added song just before For the First Time in Forever (Reprise) sung by Elsa (in the tune of the pop version of Let It Go), and “When Everything Falls Apart” was completely removed Frozen: Broadway May 3rd, 2018 Cast: Caissie Levy, Patti Murin, Jelani Alladin, Zoe Glick, Mimi Ryder, Robert Creighton, Kevin Del Aguila, Greg Hildreth, Timothy Hughes, Andrew Pirozzi, John Riddle, Tracee Beazer, Wendi Bergamini, Ashley Blanchet, James Brown III, Claire Camp, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Jeremy Davis, Kali Grinder, Zach Hess, Donald Jones Jr., Nina Lafarga, Ross Lekites, Austin Lesch, Synthia Link, Adam Perry, Olivia Philip, Noah J. Ricketts, Ann Sanders, Jacob Smith, Nicholas Ward Notes: NYCG8R’s Master Les Miserables: West End- September 17, 2010 Cast: Christopher Jacobsen, Earl Carpenter, Madalena Alberto, Gareth Gates, Katie Hall, Rosalind James, Ashley Artus, Lynne Wilmot, Jon Robyns

El Hombre de La Mancha: Santiago, Chile Teatro Munipal:: 1974 Cast: Frankie Bravo, Jose del Campo, Omar Galarcé, Fernando Gallardo, Mary Hernandez, José Maria Langlais, Valentina Martinez, Alicia Quiroga, Carlos Trujillo

El Hombre de La Mancha: Madrid, Teatro Lope de Vega de Madrid Cast: David V Muro (Cervantes / Quixote) The rest of the cast is unknown

Evita: Broadway 1980 (OBC)- Cast: Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin. Notes: Decent for its age and one of the best copies I’ve found and in Color! B+

Evita: US Tour 1999- Cast: Natalie Toro, Raul Esparza, Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, Tom Flynn, Angela Covington

Evita: Costa Mesa December 14, 2013- Cast: Cast: Caroline Bowman (Eva), John Riddle (u/s Che), Sean MacLaughlin (Peron), Krystina Alabado (Mistress), Christopher Johnstone (Magaldi).

Evita: Broadway Revival July 28, 2012 Cast: Christina DeCicco (u/s Eva Peron), Ricky Martin, Michael Cerveris, Max von Essen, Rachel Potter Notes: Excellent HD capture of the Alternate Eva. Great clear video with nice picture and sound; great video 2 DVDs. https://www.4shared.com/folder/FTw9s2y8/Evita__7-28-12_.html Evita: Broadway Revival July 28, 2012 Cast: Christina DeCicco (u/s Eva Peron), Ricky Martin, Michael Cerveris, Max von Essen, Rachel Potter Notes: Excellent HD capture of the Alternate Eva. Great clear video with nice picture and sound; great video 2 DVDs.

Legally Blonde: Broadway (MTV Filmed) September 9th, 2007 Cast-Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle, Orfeh, Michael Rupert, Kate Shindle, Nikki Snelson, Richard H. Blake

Mary Poppins- US tour February 15 2013 Full Show Cast: Con O'Shea-Creal (Bert), Madeline Trumble (Mary Poppins), Madison Ann Mullahey (Jane Banks), Eli Tokash (Michael Banks), Chris K. Hoch (George Banks), Kerry Conte (Winifred Banks)

Man of La Mancha - Cast: Joan Diener as Aldonza (Dulcinea); Richard Kiley as Don Quixote (Cervantes); Dianne Barton as Antonia; Lee Bergere as Dr. Carrasco; Renato Cibelli as Captain of the Inquisition; Jack Dabdoub as The Innkeeper; Edmond Verrato as Sancho Panza (U/S); Eleanore Knapp as The Housekeeper; Robert Rounseville as The Padre; Ted Forlow as The Barber/The Horse (U/S); John Aristides as Juan; Robert Cromwell as Guard/Man of The Inquisition; Fernando Grahal as Tenorio/Dancing Horse; Laura Kenyon as Fermina; Jeff Killion as Man of The Inquisition/Guard; Hector Mercado as Dancing Horse/Jose; Rita Metzger as Maria; Shev Rodgers as The Horse/Pedro; Bill Stanton as Paco; David Wasson as Man of The Inquisition/Guard.

Man of La Mancha: Broadway November 24th, 2002 (Previews)- Cast: Brian Stokes Mitchell (Don Quixote), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Aldonza), Ernie Sabella (Sancho), Stephen Bogardus (Dr Carrasco), Bradley Dean (Anselmo), Natascia Diaz (Antonia), Mark Jakoby (Padre), Olga Merediz (Housekeeper), Jamie Torcellini (Barber), Don Mayo (Innkeeper).

Mamma Mia! Broadway - November 21, 2012 (VOBs + smalls) Christy Altomare (Sophie), Natalie Bradshaw/Monica Kapoor* (u/s Ali), Thomasina Gross (Lisa), Felicia Findley (Tanya), Laureen Cohn (Rosie), Judy McLane (Donna), Zak Resnick (Sky), Graham Rowat (Harry), Daniel Cooney (Bill), Aaron Lazar (Sam)

Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway) − October 29, 2016: Josh Groban, Denee Benton, Brittain Ashford, Nicholas Belton, Lucas Steele, Gelsey Bell, Nick Choksi, Amber Gray

Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway)- December 29, 2016 Cast: Josh Groban, Denee Benton, Brittain Ashford, Lucas Steele, Nicholas Belton, Grace McLean, Nick Choksi, Amber Gray, Gelsey Bell, Paul Pinto, Reed Luplau, Ani Taj (OBC)

Once On This Island-Rendondo Beach, CA 2017, March 4 I VOB + smalls & MP4 Cast: Leah Stewart, Cooper Howell, Erika Bowman, Keith Jefferson, Jay Donnell, Dominique Kent, Daebreon Poiema, Edred Utomi, Kayla Joy Smith, Jenna Gillespie, David T. Morris, Nic Hodges, Christopher C. Fishburn, Gabrielle Jackson, Mia L. Jones, Jade Payton, Eran Scoggins, Kennedy Nibbe, Mackenzie Nibbe, Inaya Reddick Hamilton: Broadway December 29, 2015 Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton), Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr), Jonathan Groff (King George III), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler Church), Phillipa Soo(Eliza Schuyler Hamilton), Christopher Jackson (George Washington), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Maria Reynolds/Peggy Schuyler), Daveed Diggs (Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette), Okieriete Onaodowan (James Madison/Hercules Mulligan), Anthony Ramos(John Laurens/Philip Hamilton) (OBC)

Hamilton Broadway August 13th, 2016 - Javier Munoz (Alexander Hamilton), Lexi Lawson (Eliza Hamilton), Sydney James Harcourt (u/s Aaron Burr), Renee Elise Goldsberry ( Angelica Schuyler), Christopher Jackson (George Washington), Andrew Chappelle (u/s Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Ephraim Sykes (u/s Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Rory O’Malley (King George), Roddy Kennedy (u/s Philip Schuyler/James Reynolds/Doctor), Thayne Jasperson (Samuel Seabury), Neil Haskell (Charles Lee), David Guzman (u/s George Eacker), Ensemble: Carleigh Bettiol, Hope Easterbrook, Karla Puno Garcia, Gregory Haney, Sasha Hollinger, Seth Stewart, Kamille Upshaw

Hamilton: Chicago 2016-10-02 Joseph Morales (alt. Alexander Hamilton), Ari Asfar (Eliza Hamilton), Joshua Henry (Aaron Burr), Jonathan Kirkland (George Washington), Chris De'Sean Lee (Marquis de Lafayett/Thomas Jefferson), Karen Olivo (Angelica Schuyler), Alexander Gemignani (King George), Jose Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Wallace Smith (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Samantha Marie Ware (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds)

Hamilton: National Tour- Los Angeles Michael Luwoye - Alexander Hamilton Joshua Henry - Aaron Burr Rory O'Malley - King George III, RUBÉN J. CARBAJAL - John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton Jordan Donica - Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Amber Iman - Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Isaiah Johnson - George Washington; Solea Pfeiffer - Eliza, Emmy Raver-Lampman - Angelica Schuyler Mathenee Treco - Hercules Mulligan/James Madison. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: April 1st, 2017

Heathers- Concert reading at Joe’s Pub - September 14 2010 Cast: Annaleigh Ashford (Veronica), Jeremy Jordan (Jason Dean), Jenna Leigh Green (Heather Chandler), Corri English (Heather McNamara), Christine Lakin (Heather Duke), James Snyder (Kurt), PJ Griffith (Ram), Julie Garnye (Martha)

Heather Off Broadway- Cast: Dan Domenech as JD, Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica, and Charissa Hogeland as Heather Chandler

Into the Woods -July 27, 2015 Cast-Heather Headley (The Witch), Rob McClure (The Baker), Erin Dilly (The Baker's Wife), Ken Page (The Narrator), Elena Shaddow (Cinderella) , Ryan Silverman (Rapunzel's Prince), Andrew Samonsky (Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf), Jason Gotay (Jack), Sara Kapner (Little Red Riding Hood), Ellen Harvey (Cinderella's Stepmother), Samantha Massell (Rapunzel)

Phantom of the Opera: Broadway (June 21, 2016): James Barbour (Phantom), Ali Ewoldt (Christine), Jordan Donica (Raoul), Michele McConnell (Carlotta), Richard Poole (u/s Monsieur Andre), Craig Bennett (Monsieur Firmin), Rebecca Eichenberger (Madame Giry), Kara Klein (Meg), John Easterlin (Ubaldo Piangi)

Spongebob the Musical: Chicago (Try-Out)

Wants: Anything from Wicked's UK/ Ireland National Tour also Australian Cast and any production of A Chorus Line/ Cats Broadway with Mamie Parris and from the current run in Mexico!

#norikateatro #bootleg trading #theatre bootlegs #wicked bootleg #heathers bootleg

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redshirtgal · 4 years ago

Photo

First of a two part article - second part to be posted Sunday. Technicians on Star Trek are rarely seen in the episode for very long. Usually one or more of them appear in the hallway, ascending or descending from Jefferies Tubes or under consoles, working on some unknown components. You are barely aware of them. But the handsome gentleman in this photo is one of the rare ones. We see him in more than one scene for an extended amount of time and he even gets in a fight with his Captain (well, one side of his Captain anyway) in “The Enemy Within.” Later he assists when a test is run on the transporter in an attempt to see if they can reunite the two sides of the original horned dog.

We first see Ensign Wilson in the Transporter Room working with Scotty as they attempt to bring in the injured Geological Technician. Fisher begins to materialize and then fades out. Scotty makes some adjustments with Wilson's assistance as they attempt to bring him in the second time. This time, Fisher fully materializes but both men notice he is covered in a yellow powder. After examination, Scotty theorizes the powder is from a magnetic ore which most likely caused the transporter problem. He sends Fisher to Sickbay and then tells Wilson to go find an instrument so they can double-check the transporter. Once Wilson leaves, Scotty attempts to beam up Captain Kirk, but has the same problem he did with Fisher. This time, when the captain steps off the platform, he begins to feel dizzy and Scotty leads him out of the room to head to Sickbay. Ensign Wilson has evidently impressed Mr. Scott enough in the past that he can reassure the captain that his Transporter Assistant will be back momentarily.

What Scotty did not realize was that in that short period of time after everyone left, another Kirk has appeared. When Wilson re-enters the room, he is concerned to see the man he thinks is his captain acting a bit disoriented and offers to help. But this Kirk looks at him strangely and abruptly heads out the door, leaving Wilson quite puzzled.

Fast forward several scenes and Ensign Wilson appears again. Evil Kirk has just applied makeup to his face to cover the scratches which will identify him to the crew per Good Kirk's announcement. He has just set foot in the outside corridor when he sees Wilson and orders him to turn over his phaser. The ensign, still not suspecting this is the imposter, complies. Evil Kirk then attacks Wilson and leaves him unconscious on the floor while he escapes to find another place to hide. FYI - There's more involved in setting up this scene than meets the eye. Be sure to look for the follow-up article on Sunday.

Luckily, our transporter assistant is not seriously injured and is able to help Spock bring the two horned dogs, one evil and one good just like Kirk, to the transporter pad. Unfortunately, when Scotty sends both dogs down and then tries to bring them back, there is only one dog but it is dead. Spock convinces Jim to attempt bringing his two halves back together anyway and fortunately Kirk's intelligence allows the transporter to bring the two halves back as one Captain Kirk, fully recovered. The rest of the landing party on Alpha 177 is rescued before they have fully succumbed to the freezing temperatures.

Interestingly, we had seen a character who looked exactly like Wilson in an earlier episode, "Charlie X." That's because an actor named Garland Lee Thompson played both Transporter Assistant Ensign Wilson and the technician here (referred to in the credits as Crewman II). Garland Thompson never appeared on many TV shows or films. But he did leave a huge mark on the world of Black Theater. Look for the second part of this article on Sunday when we find out just how amazingly talented and influential this man was (and still is).

#Star Trek TOS #Engineering technician #Ensign Wilson #The Enemy Within #Charlie X

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tabloidtoc · 6 years ago

Text

Closer, June 3

Cover: Farewell to Doris Day

Page 1: Contents

Page 2: The Big Picture -- Clint Eastwood in 1956

Page 4: Halle Berry opens up about age and motherhood

Page 5: Audrey Hepburn’s act of kindness to a 13-year old remembered and up for auction, Laura Dern loves Lucille Ball and Jean Stapleton

Page 6: Hellos & Goodbyes

Page 8: Picture Perfect -- Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland, Geena Davis

Page 9: Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and Hoda’s daughters, Howie Mandel and Terry Crews

Page 10: Eva Longoria and son

Page 11: Katie Couric and Rosanna Scotto, Prince Harry

Page 13: Stephen Colbert and Bryan Cranston, Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert, Julianne Moore

Page 15: Emma Thompson and Jimmy Fallon, Ryan Seacrest, Nicole Kidman

Page 16: Marlo Thomas -- Lessons from my family

Page 18: Celine Dion -- Inside her new life

Page 21: Doris Day -- Farewell to a legend

Page 27: Spot the Difference -- Matt Damon

Page 29: Horoscopes -- Gemini Wynonna Judd

Page 30: Terry Crews on America’s Got Talent, In the Spotlight -- Julianna Margulies

Page 32: Movies -- Will Smith on Aladdin

Page 33: Music -- Brian Setzer on Stray Cats’ album 40

Page 34: Television

Page 40: 5 ways to end neck pain

Page 42: Whatever happened to the cast of Home Improvement -- Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Taran Noah Smith

Page 43: It Happened This Week

Page 45: Robby Benson -- From teen heartthrob to doting grandpa

Page 48: Memories of Moonlighting -- Cybill Shepherd, Allyce Beasley

Page 50: Paula Abdul -- a straight-up comeback

Page 52: Tim Conway -- Love and laughter

Page 56: Beauty -- Spring Trend: Tomato Red Lips -- Amanda Peet

Page 58: My Life in 10 Pictures -- Pat Boone

Page 60: Flashback -- Tweed jackets on George Burns in 1986 and now on Will Smith, colorful headpieces on Carmen Miranda in 1940 and now on Cara Delevingne, Catch-22 with Jon Voight and Anthony Perkins in 1970 and George Clooney and Chris Abbott and Pico Alexander now, Tony Soprano played by James Gandolfini in 1999 and Michael Gandolfini now

#tabloid #doris day

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mamusiq · 6 years ago

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Liza Minnelli Ruined Sally Bowles For Literally Every Other Actress By Tyler Coates Mar 12, 2015

Liza Minnelli was miscast as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and it’s the only time bad casting ever worked out so perfectly. Minnelli was absolutely wrong for the part, but she made it her signature role and ultimately ruined it for every actress that followed her.

Even though the role is most associated with Minnelli, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sally Bowles, she wasn’t the first person to play the nightclub performer. Based on the real-life British singer named Jean Ross that author Christopher Isherwood met during his time in Berlin just before World War II (which he would fictionalize in his 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, the basis for Cabaret), Sally Bowles first turned up in John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera (later turned into a movie in 1955) in which she was played by Julie Harris. Fifteen years after I Am a Camera premiered on Broadway, Sally stepped back onto the Great White Way (this time portrayed by Jill Haworth) in John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical. (Oscar winner Judi Dench even played her in the first West End production in 1968.)

Minnelli, who was just 26 when Cabaret was released in 1972, had already made a name for herself as a recording artist and a musical theater actor. It made sense, of course, as her mother was Judy Garland. She became a nightclub performer at the age of 16, won her first Tony at 19, released three albums through Capitol Records by 20, and received her first Oscar nomination by 24 for Alan J. Pakula’s The Sterile Cuckoo. By the time Cabaret was in development, she was a shoo-in for the role; her proposed co-star, Joel Grey, had been the original musical’s star on Broadway (he won a Tony for his role as the creepy Emcee, and would later also win an Oscar), and director Bob Fosse was offered the production with the instruction that Grey’s casting was non-negotiable.

It makes sense for Grey, whose identity was already attached to that of the Emcee’s, but not so much for Minnelli. Yes, she was a phenomenal singer, actress, and dancer — an honest-to-goodness triple threat. But as Sally Bowles? In Isherwood’s book, Van Druten’s play, and Kander and Ebb’s musical, Sally is a show-stopping character. She’s pretty much an actress’s dream role: she experiences moments of utter lightness and deep darkness, is irresistibly quirky, and is completely untalented. She’s a failed cabaret singer — in the first act of the show, she’s fired after a single musical number. She’s flighty and manic, which is part of her appeal to the rich men she seduces and convinces to take care of her living expenses. For an actress, it’s a golden opportunity: the best lines, the chance to show off, and the complete comfort that comes with not really needing to be a good singer.

With Minnelli in the role, though? Well, no one in their right mind could be convinced that her Sally is an untalented loser who desperately uses what little power she has — her looks, her smarts, her convincing charm — to get men to give her the funds to do what she wants to do. The film, naturally, strays from the source material (well, at least the musical source material — it’s more faithful to Isherwood’s original text). Minnelli’s Sally is, obviously, an American, and she’s a phenomenal performer. After her performance of “Mein Herr” in the first twenty minutes, even you’d be willing to raise hell if the owner of the Kit Kat Klub had the nerve to sack her.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX-24Zm0bjk]

I mean, this is the definition of slaying. Liza Minnelli could chew every single one of those Kit Kat girls up and spit them out before they had the chance to finish a verse — in a halter top and heels, no less. She knows exactly how to handle her haters.

In the play, Sally is a bit of a tragic figure. She gets pregnant, as she does in the film, and briefly makes a plan with the character based on Isherwood (in the play, he’s an American named Cliff; in the film, he’s a British man named Brian). Despite offering her an idyllic, secure life away from the brewing political darkness in Berlin, Sally rejects it — she gets an abortion behind his back, putting her foot down in refusal of a hum-drum ordinary life. And that’s when she returns to the Kit Kat Klub (in the musical, she gets her job back; in the film, she never really left) and sings the titular song that has since become one of Minnelli’s standards.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moOamKxW844]

Minnelli’s “Cabaret” is a brassy and enthusiastic celebration of life, a stunning lightness compared to the growing darkness that exists outside the cabaret’s walls (and that is slowly seeping inside, as we see by the film’s end when the camera pans from the whimsical Emcee’s painted face to the mirrored walls, which reflect the audience full of Nazi officers). We don’t see what becomes of her after the film (although we can assume that things aren’t all wine, roses, and green fingernail polish once the Nazis assume power), and are left with her standing firm and proud, basking in the cabaret lights.

While Minnelli’s Sally Bowles isn’t tragic — the film ends with her standing by her principles, demanding her independence, and both acknowledging her flaws and celebrating them — the stage version makes Sally much more complicated, and modern theater audiences’ likely don’t see her as an empowering figure. In 1993, Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes mounted a drastically new production of Cabaret at London’s Donmar Warehouse, which eventually transferred to Broadway where it ran for just under six years. That production, so beloved that it returned once again to Broadway last April where it will run until the end of this month, made a star out of Alan Cumming, whose Emcee is highly sexualized and slightly demonic compared to Joel Grey’s clown. And it also introduced another generation to a slew of Sally Bowleses — Natasha Richardson won a Tony for her performance in 1998, and later Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Gershon, Molly Ringwald, and Lea Thompson would all step into Sally’s shoes. This newer version of the revival opened last year with Michelle Williams in the role, who was later succeeded by recent Oscar nominee Emma Stone and Sienna Miller, bless her heart.

While all of these women brought something special to the role of Sally — the stage version of Sally, notably untalented and doomed, and a frail, waifish blonde compared to Minnelli’s tall, athletic brunette with a cherubic face — none of them delivered the unrelenting talent of Liza Minnelli. Part of this is because Sally Bowles was never intended to be the star that Minnelli made her; she’s intriguing and compelling, of course, but not the star. I mean, compare her rendition of “Cabaret” with Jane Horrocks — an actress who proved her immense vocal talent in the British musical drama Little Voice, but whose Sally Bowles is full of rage and resentment, and whose voice sounds like it’s being ripped out of her throat.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-CdMSJNPM]

No one could ever match what Liza Minnelli brought to the role, and we shouldn’t expect them to. But that Minnelli also set the bar so damn high — and that the role of Sally is written the way it is — are two reasons why no Sally Bowles will ever live up to Minnelli’s.

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https://decider.com/2015/03/12/liza-minnelli-sally-bowles-cabaret/

#Cabaret (1972)#Liza Minnelli

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