#i want jukebox musicals and/or original movie musicals

[none-ofthisnonsense]

I need movie musical recs.

[thecluelessdoctor]

It's time for my annual day of thinking about that one really weird jukebox musical made by Disney and lucasfilms that I hate and adore with every fiber of my being. I hate it because it's a jukebox musical and half the characters are the worst things ever and the writing is really bad alot of the time and I love it because the relationship between the main two characters is the GREATEST ENEMIES TO LOVERS I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME and it's a straight couple and it's not cringe (or it's good cringe idk) AND I can cut the tension when they are flirting with a knife and it's funny

...this post is about Strange Magic by the way. It's amazing and terrible all at once and I need to talk about it at some point because I've been thinking about it again

[lowkeyrobin]

Hello! I would like to please request a MCYT preference (Quackity, Tommy, Ranboo, Karl, Tubbo, Badlinu) dating a SO who can do voice impressions. A fictional character, a real person, an animal, or a sound effect. Imagine the MCYT is playing a horror game and suddenly a sound of a baby crying jumpscares them but it was actually their partner

omg stop this is adorable I love it LMAOOOO ; thank you for requesting, hope u enjoy!! ; I made these mostly kinda funny cause idrk what I'm doing

MCYT ; vocal impressions

includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, badlinu, quackity

warnings ; language

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

he was playing a slenderman game with ranboo and charlie

he was super on edge cause he was just being chased around and it was all dark

you, as a joke, decided to scare him by making a noise

you were sitting on the beanbag chair behind him and he definitely forgot you were still here by now cause you went quiet for a while

you notice the game is silence because he's whispering for a moment until he's quiet again

you say it loud enough for it to scare him and so he can hear it, in a Jimmy Neutron impression you slightly yell, "One more paper to go, Tommy!"

He JUMPED.

he spends the next minute and a half bickering with you (playfully) while almost crying cause his heart is pounding in his chest

RANBOO

he was playing a horror game with some friends

cue scary music and silence, they were fucking terrified

you wanted to mess with them + you had a poll on your Twitter really quick if you should or not

you started barking like a chihuahua to scare him

literally fell out of his chair

it went backwards cause he pushed his feet away and he threw his headphones off

lots of laughter and apologies afterwards

FREDDIE BADLINU

he finds your impressions so fucking funny

you reference memes 24/7 and sound exactly like the original and he can't help but laugh

you're like a meme jukebox

"What!? What the fuck!?" when something weird happens

you recreate vines 24/7

you'll wake him up in the middle of the night quoting some demon from a movie and he'll actually be scared out of his mind

ALEX QUACKITY

he finds that shit so funny

he always asks you to quote Thanos in a Thanos voice (2020/2021 era)

he asks you to do an impression of him and you end up play fighting for an hour over it

"I don't sound like that!"

"I don't sound like that!" you mock

"Shut up!"

and you sound exactly like him.

[multifandomnonsense]

Bradley Bradshawn x Jake Seresin (Top Gun: Maverick)

7

When I originally saw this I wasn’t gonna do it because I saw it once and barely remembered it. But then I went “hmm but I remember those two being a bit, this kinda seems like fun, and the person who sent this just asked me for something from and fandom I’ve never mentioned when is funny”. So I rewatched the movie and wrote this. You really went out a limb to get a fic for your ship and deserve it for that.

Music and the sound of chatter filled the bar around him as Hangman took another sip of his drink. By now most of the others were off dancing with whatever girl they brought along. When Coyote had suggested they all meet up at The Hard Deck Fanboy suggested they bring along their girlfriends or wives. He said that since they all hung out now it would make sense to introduce each other, plus give them someone to dance with.

But Hangman didn’t have a girlfriend. The last girl he liked had gone after some other guy and now he was stuck watching his friends, pretending it didn’t make him feel a bit lonely. They all seemed to have someone with them, laughing and dancing to the song blaring from the jukebox. He was alone.

As he glanced around the room, the only one who also seemed to have arrived alone was Rooster. It seemed strange that he would be the one to arrive without a date, because no matter how much he hated to admit it, Hangman was surprised. Rooster was attractive and confident plus a mostly decent person. Even if he could be a dick sometimes. He seemed like he could get anyone he wanted. Standing alone by a table with his drink while their friends danced just didn’t seem right.

Continued on AO3

[reikai-records]

Welcome to Reikai Records! ⭐️

This blog will feature a huge collection of frames from Yu Yu Hakusho- the anime, movies, OVAs, all of it!

These arent just screenshots, but frame rips straight from the discs! All in their original quality and sizing- though tumblr may add some compression, unfortunately. Each post will contain a pack of related frames under the cut that you can save, share, and use to your hearts desire!

I'll be tagging the frames very thoroughly to keep track of various things- such as which characters are present, character forms, places, alternate outfits, scenery, the origin of the frame (episode number, movie name, etc), action frames, and then some! If there's anything additional you think I should keep track of in the tags, feel free to message me!

⭐️ Bonus: Want to check out a bunch of Yu Yu Hakusho music as well? Then head on over to my post about my youtube channel: Yu Yu Jukebox! And here's a direct link to the channel as well!

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Work Song

Written By: Hozier

Artist: Hozier

Released: 2014

Alternate version included: Live in America, 2015

This is the only song on Hozier’s self titled album to have a title that is not entirely composed of lyrics from the song. The song is about the love of a worker’s life lending him strength during a hard day’s work. The song encompasses indie with strong influences on folk, blues and negro spirituals.

[Verse 1] Boys, workin' on empty Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat? I just think about my baby I'm so full of love I could barely eat There's nothin' sweeter than my baby I'd never want once from the cherry tree 'Cause my baby's sweet as can be She give me toothaches just from kissin' me [Chorus] When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her [Verse 2] Boys, when my baby found me I was three days on a drunken sin I woke with her walls around me Nothin' in her room but an empty crib And I was burning up a fever I didn't care much how long I lived But I swear, I thought I dreamed her She never asked me once about the wrong I did [Chorus] When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her [Bridge] My babe would never fret none About what my hands and my body done If the Lord don't forgive me I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me When I was kissin' on my baby And she'd put her love down, soft and sweet In the low lamplight, I was free Heaven and hell were words to me [Chorus] When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her

Lay All Your Love On Me

Written By: Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson

Artist: ABBA

Released: 1981

Cover included: Amanda Seyfried & Dominic Cooper for Mamma Mia!, 2008

“Lay All Your Love On Me” explores the high emotions and passions that can emerge when falling in love, and documents one woman’s shift into erratic behaviors as she falls under the spell of her new lover. The song hit number one in the US dance charts in 1981, but has lasted in popularity over the years, becoming an ABBA staple. It was featured in the band’s jukebox musical (and its movie adaption), Mamma Mia, and in 2006 was named the 60th greatest dance song of all time by Slant magazine.

[Verse 1] I wasn't jealous before we met Now every woman I see is a potential threat And I'm possessive, it isn't nice You've heard me saying that smoking was my only vice [Pre-Chorus] But now it isn't true Now everything is new And all I've learned has overturned I beg of you [Chorus] Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me [Verse 2] It was like shooting a sitting duck A little small talk, a smile, and baby, I was stuck I still don't know what you've done with me A grown-up woman should never fall so easily [Pre-Chorus] I feel a kind of fear When I don't have you near Unsatisfied, I skip my pride I beg you, dear [Chorus] Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me Don't go sharing your devotion Lay all your love on me [Verse 3] I've had a few little love affairs They didn't last very long and they've been pretty scarce I used to think that was sensible It makes the truth even more incomprehensible [Pre-Chorus] 'Cause everything is new And everything is you And all I've learned has overturned What can I do? [Chorus] Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me Don't go sharing your devotion Lay all your love on me Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me Don't go sharing your devotion Lay all your love on me Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me

[agentnico]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) review

Watched the first Beetlejuice only last week and wasn’t a fan. So why did I go see the second one? Good question.

Plot: Three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life soon gets turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. When someone says Beetlejuice's name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

It’s been a while since Tim Burton has been himself. Granted he did get some points for his Netflix Wednesday show, but on the movie front he hasn’t really truly exhibited his unique style since maybe Dark Shadows, and even then that wasn’t his high point. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton is able to step back into his wacky weird self, and again even though I am not a major fan of the original, there was something truly special about sitting in the cinema watching an actual Tim Burton movie. A mix of nostalgia and sentimentality for sure, but the movie genuinely FEELS like a Burton production. From the practical effects to the unearthly and grotesque make-up and visuals, and add to that Danny Elfman returning for the music score, it felt like I was back in the early 2000s. Visually this movie was great to look at, with the costumes and the monsters and the ghosts, and also the soundtrack is truly killer, playing out like an 80s jukebox.

As for the narrative, the first film suffered from a lack of a cohesive plot. Things just sort of happened randomly. This sequel does the opposite - there are too many storylines. So much so that there are multiple characters that, if you simply pluck them out of the movie, would make no major impact or difference to the overall picture. Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe, though both class actors, did not need to be in this movie. They served zero purpose. There is also a romantic side-plot between Jenna Ortega and Arthur Conti, and 90% of that story was one of the dullest aspects of the whole movie. It felt like such a cliched teen romance knock off which I did not care for. Then the main plot line involving the three generations of the Deetz family reconnecting was the most interesting one, and in reality should have been the sole focus of the movie.

Michael Keaton is back as Beetlejuice and it’s actually incredible how even though it’s been 36 years since the original, his performance hasn’t changed at all. It’s as if he played the character yesterday - he drops right back into it and is enjoyably over-the-top and hilarious. Catherine O’Hara is also an MVP, as since the original she has evidently built up her confidence by being on Schitt’s Creek, and so here is such a loud and bombastic comedic presence. She was fantastic. Winona Ryder was fun to see back, though I do think her character lost the sassy spark she had when she was the gothic teen in the first film. As for Jenna Ortega, she was fine. She feels a bit overexposed to me in recent years, with the sense that her presence is unavoidable wherever you look. I would love to see her take on a more challenging role that presents a drastically different performance from what she usually does, to justify the hype.

I don’t see myself ever wanting to rewatch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice again, but as a one-time watch in the cinema it won me over with its nostalgia and style. There’s good laughs, plenty of detachable limbs, good performances, and an ace soundtrack. A great way to spend time at the movies! Also watch out for that Dune reference!

Overall score: 6/10

[kittykat940]

Better men probably have already pointed this out years ago, but using Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon for a milkvan make out scene in s3 was too funny considering 1) the lyrics in general and 2) the fact that that song is featured in the 1987-set jukebox musical Rock of Ages (as well as the movie adaptation, but I like to pretend it doesn't exist) as a duet between two male characters, Lonny and Dennis, who were first business partners, then friends, and now are confessing their feelings for each other. One of them, Lonny, sings the first verse alone (the most vulnerable one), thus beginning the confession and giving Dennis assurance to begin the second verse and open up as well. Lonny even sings parts of the last few lines of the second verse, then Dennis and so forth during the the hook and the chorus.

I can't fight this feeling any longer And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow What started out as friendship has grown stronger I only wish I had the strength to let it show I tell myself that I can't hold out forever I said there is no reason for my fear 'Cause I feel so secure when we're together You give my life direction, you make everything so clear.

And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

Song from the musical here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfnZNPf6jsg

Again, these lyrics and their meaning have been analyzed more than a few times (light references, “cold dark” mentioned, fear...), but the interesting part is that in the original REO Speedwagon song, immediately after the chorus, there's another verse that could, maaaybe, be read as m¡lkvan:

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you I've been running 'round in circles in my mind And it always seems that I'm following you, girl 'Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find.

…in a expositional way, I guess? This verse feels just like a factual summary of their time together.

Now, here's the catch: this is the only verse not used in the Rock of Ages version. This is only me speculating, but I even doubt it wasn't included in the musical just because of the “girl” line. So... what was the excuse in ST? Again, this is a song about repressing romantic love for a friend -if the writers only wanted the chorus of this song playing in the background to create an atmosphere that screams 'hormonal teenagers can't fight their urges' (ick), a) they should've picked another song -there are many about “first summer love” b) they should've played the verse mentioned above to directly allude to the ship they supposedly wanted the audience to root for.

What do you think?

omg anon i never noticed this thank you for telling me! i think the duffers just want us to not root for milkvan lol they have been building byler up and building millkvan down i need s5 now i want my byler endgame lol

[thewickedbohemian]

Dream Animated Movie Musical Tournament Seed Round Group E

For information on this tournament as well as the seed poll for group A go here

Why these musicals should be animated movies (in my opinion)

Jekyll & Hyde: it's a classic story, its gothic nature would make for a very cool "dark animated movie musical" a la The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and it'd be a lot easier on the actor playing both leads if they didn't have to play them both physically in the movie too

She Loves Me: another one where the musical might be wholesome and old-fashioned enough that I feel like it'd work better as a cartoon especially given there's been at least one live-action movie with its sort of premise that's more famous than the musical

Assassins: given the structure of the show animation (and the stylistic opportunities it presents for things that'd break the budget or be impossible in live-action) might be the only way to give a movie something that wouldn't just be solved by a pro shot, plus there's recent events for both sides (aka not just the one you're thinking of) that might make an Assassins movie any time in the semi-near future feel "too soon" without the distance it being adult-animation-but-not-in-the-juvenile-way could add

The Book Of Mormon: it makes so many freaking Disney allusions it seems only natural it should get a movie in a similar style (imagine how insane that could make "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" look) and that could also add room to add some somehow-visually-represented-narrative-bias on behalf of the elders (that gets removed as they have stuff in common with the villagers) or something to account for some of the inaccuracies in the depictions of Uganda that can't just be accounted for by "it's a musical, shut up"

The School Of Rock: not only is this one of the many distance-the-movie-musical-from-the-movie things (don't blame me, blame whoever decides to keep making musicals from movies) but the movie's old enough it could use a fresh coat of paint and with the added young-people-friendliness of it being animated this could be a bona fide phenomenon among a certain crowd of young people (it's just who the hell do you get to voice Dewey that could fill the shoes of both Jack Black and Alex Brightman)

We Will Rock You: (what do you know, back to back "power of rock and roll" musicals) it'd have enough popularity to deserve a movie despite the obscurity of its story due to being a YA dystopian jukebox musical built around Queen songs but why it should be animated is the world it builds might be a little too technically intensive for live-action

Grease: classic musical (even if it might not be as family-friendly as you remember) but A. many people have kinda thought in hindsight some of the cast of the original movie were not as great a singer as the movie wants you to think they are and B. the movie leaves a lot about the musical on the proverbial cutting room floor and a new take could be a little more faithful

[kittyball23]

Okay guys, listen up!

Got some insight to the Annecy Film Festival and some of the news it revealed! The info I found was from a posting on the YouTube channel "jstar" (if you're on Tumblr, I'd love to know 😀) from a screenshot presumably found from somewhere on social media ( A friend I speak to on Wattpad brought this channel and its postings to my attention). Here's what exactly was said:

"To be factual: after the furious madness of the second Trolls, whose psychedelic energy had something orgasmic about it, exit hard rock and welcome to the glorious era of boy bands. A retrospective choice (still) logical given the astounding popularity of Kpop today. He's Justin Timberlake's character, Branche, who was actually in a boy band with his brothers when he was little (watch out for the puns in the movie on Nsync, One Direction and the like) before being cowardly abandoned, becoming th grumpy, melancholy troll he is today. The goal of the film will be to reassemble the band to save one of them, captured by idols without talents who sniff him to become good singers. By breaking a crystal that imprisons him with the power of perfect harmony."

So I guess the brothers have to sing the 'Family Harmony' (which sounds like a special song of some sort) to save Floyd who is trapped in a crystal that Velvet and Veneer placed him in after they smell him to obtain his talent?

Um... what? XD

So I guess it kinda makes sense in a way - Bergens ate Trolls to obtain their happiness, so perhaps sniffling them means that they can get their singing abilities?? Perhaps that's why they have to keep him - maybe inhaling his talent is only temporary? Maybe each time they do it continues to turn his hair the white that we saw in the first poster? And what's the deal with the Family Harmony? How will that play out? Are their voices going to combine like a magical force and break the crystal Floyd’s trapped in? If this is all true, I've certainly got a lot of questions lol

Other postings that were made on social media stated that the first 20 MINUTES of the movie were shown.

Here is a posting regarding Broppy:

"Branch definitely has a bigger emotional hurdle to jump through in this movie and Poppy really helps him with that, kind of like in the first movie, but it's a much different issue, even though Poppy feels like it's the same kind of situation to solve."

I had a feeling that this movie would remind me of the first :) This next one is about my boyz:

"We explore the world of boy bands in the world of 90s music! We celebrate them, but with a certain irony, having a little fun with them. They are more expressive and maybe they also have problems on their side. It was fun exploring these different personalities, feeling a likeness and family connection to them. But also for each of the four brothers to find their own personality, their own voice and their own part of the family."

This last quoting is about the music:

"The composer remains Ted Shapiro and we are working with a great musical team at the moment. Justin is still the executive producer of the original music and was involved in its development early on. There are five original songs that he spearheads, as well as more jukebox songs, classic and familiar happy tunes and he calls on other producers he wants to work with to create the best song for this moment in the film."

Still don't have word on the original songs, but we do know from previous info that some of the involved songs are We Are Family, Staying Alive, Everybody (Backstreet's Back), The Hustle, You Got the Right Stuff, Sailing, Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This, and I Want You Back. I also have my own ideas for what songs I think could work for the movie, but I'll save it for another post :)

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Musical Ramble Part 3: Jukebox Musical

yes I'm back on this MWAHAHAHAHAHA

I’m also wondering if RWRB would work as a Jukebox musical (a musical using pop songs instead of original songs, our darling Nicholas has already starred in a, with all due respect, not that good one: Cinderella 2021)

That way we can keep some of the amazing song choices in the movie: If I Loved You, Get Low, Can’t Help Falling in Love With You. Plus with RWRB being a modern fairy tale and stuff maybe straight-up using pop songs would work better with the entire tone of the show/movie

But like, certain scenes/moments/songs from & Juliet and Moulin Rouge (ok these are the only two jukebox musicals I’ve listen to so far) could work for RWRB (yes I’m realizing this is more me finding musical songs that work for RWRB than anything but sue me)

“I Kissed a Girl/Boy” from & Juliet/ Katy Perry would work well for the entire Red Room -> Hook Up -> Polo Scene, granted RWRB would be more intense than what’s in & Juliet since our boys are doing… a little more than kissing :)

“Whataya want from me” also from & Juliet/ Adam Lambert, even from the same ship, can work for the Kensington Confrontation

This is less direct, but parts of “Elephant Love Medley” from Mouline Rouge, more distinctly in the Broadway show version, Santine sings about how love is not something she believes in while Christian sings about how he wants love with her. The idea of a love medley can work with Firstprince too, maybe during the Paris date or the lake scene: Henry not believing he can have love while Alex wanting to tell Henry that he’s in love with him. Plus Your Song (and Can't Help Falling in Love, briefly, in the broadway show version) makes an appearance :D (Even though personally I think Can't Help Falling in Love fits Firstprince more)

A lot of us talk about how Taylor Swift-coded Firstprince is, and it’s true (and I personally love it), but in a jukebox musical, the TS songs can be directly used: personally think Labyrinth would be fitting for where If I Love you is in the film, but having Henry sing it, especially since the first verse fits the imagery of Henry holding his aching heart under the water so well (sorry I can't find the freaking gif) :

It only hurts this much right now

Was what I was thinking the whole time

Breathe in, breathe through

Breathe deep, breathe out

I'll be getting over you my whole life

You know how scared I am of elevators

Never trust it if it rises fast

It can't last

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

And my other otp Malec kind of owns this song, but Ruelle’s War of Hearts at the very least lyrically suits Firstprince as well:

I can't help but love you

Even though I try not to

I can't help but want you

I know that I'd die without you

And Nick’s song Comfort (which I have been listening to on loop, its amazing please go check it out) actually suits Henry’s mentality really well:

Wanna stay, wanna run, wanna disappear

I keep biting my tongue just to keep you here

Made you wait for someone I could never be

And it's killing me

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t actually listen to that much pop music, so please please please feel free to add more, but so far this is what I got in terms of jukebox musical and narrative pop songs

Part 1 / Part 2

[rolandrockover]

The Hide Your Heart Dilemma Pt. 2 of 3

Molly Hatchett (1989) Their music, I have to admit, is largely unfamiliar to me, but that doesn't matter, because at least here they sound a bit like the Dire Straits, who are all the more close, only in more American. And that turns out to be a doubly good thing and pretty much the most original version, if you can say that. I.e. small variations in the arrangement with emphasis on lead guitar, quite identical dramaturgy, but at least with small moments of surprise (for someone who only knew the Kiss or Ace versions), and the somewhat too round and galloping bass almost turns it into a rousing feel good track. But hey, this is as close as I get to a Dire Straits version of Hide Your Heart, and I don't want to complain. Jukebox music where people take their whole family out for a BBQ or burger comes to mind.

The solo: An unexpected real burner, and doesn't sound like the Knopflers at all, but more like a turbocharged, red-hot, flaming and smoking battery drill burning itself into the ear canals or just about anything else. But that should mean something good.

Molly Hatchett (1989)

Ace Frehley (1989) comes closest to the Kiss version, but only in terms of the straight chords. Ace's voice is his weakness, so you get much less drama, but somehow likeable rocking buddy music. As if the three musketeers were going out for a few beers together because one of them was having problems with his girlfriend, the other two were trying to infect him halfway through the evening with a good buddy mood out of loyalty alone, but all three ended up warbling this beautiful song on the way back to their musketeer lives until dawn. Apparently even Peter Criss is singing along somewhere in the background. Why didn't he cover it too? I will never find out.

The solo: What solo? Rather a short extra intermezzo to compensate for the lack of drama. It would fit quite well as a musical illustration in a sequence for a youth sports movie, in which the young protagonist does a few extra training laps to demonstrate how seriously he takes his training, and of course wins the competition the following day, with a few extra dramatic complications. I had always assumed that an Ace Frehley solo would sound a little different.

Ace Frehley (1989)

To be continued…

[voxasks]

Oh dear, I didn't even have to sign a contract or suck you off or anything and you're being all... well, cute. What I want to watch... um. I don't know. How do you feel about horror movies? If that's not up to your tastes ummm...some kind of musical. Some illegal recording of one, but with good sound quality. Or one of those movies that were originally musicals. That limits our options. This is why I don't pick things to watch with others there's too many options. So um. I don't know are you a pussy, which I'm using... loving let's say that, and can't handle horror movies or do you just wanna chill and watch some sort of musical? OR some celebrity biopic that is more or less a jukebox musical but it's with the artist's own songs...Or you pick since I'm obviously very bad at picking something. <3

"if  you  like  musicals,  i  do  enjoy  anything  christian  borle  is  in.  he  has  a  range  i  think  not  a  lot  of  actors  can’t  imitate.  but  with  horror  movies  ...  there's  potential  for  something  to  happen,  let's  just  leave  it  at  that.  i'd  hate  to  decide  for  you."

[imperatorium]

Well, congregation, ya Sister did (of course) not finish The Jukebox Musical™ between last September and now, so here is a not very eloquent collection of my final, important to reiterate called shots (that I've been incorporating into my headcanon/writing since late 2018) before the movie tomorrow:

Sister & Nihil are the kids in the "Cirice" video. He wanted to bring her back to the Ministry with him, but in the aftermath of the chaos, they got separated and the Clergy representatives chose to take her back with them because a witch is more valuable than an antipapal heir. Nihil got filtered into foster care, then adopted by a normal family, who helped convince him his childhood memories of the Ministry were trauma responses and not real. Sister spent her whole life trying to find him again and when she finally did, that's how you get the "Dance Macabre" video.

I almost wrote a quick piece when we got back from the LA shows about Sister & Nihil watching the end of the show together and her discussing her deep (otherwise extremely repressed) emotions about "Respite" with him and them leaving together before the encore. Copia comes backstage, post-encore, to find her dead.

Copia is not going to die, he's the Antichrist. If he does die, it will only be to be resurrected again in his full power and glory.

Most importantly: Copia is Sister & Nihil's baby. Basically already confirmed, since she has referred to herself as his mother and Copia has referred to Nihil as his dad explicitly so many times already, but still worth quadroupling down on. When my partner originally filled me in on the storyline back when the video for "Dance Macabre" dropped, this is something he led with, suggesting there's something Arthurian happening with Nihil as Arthur, Sister as Morgan Le Fay, and Copia as Mordred.

If I think of more that are worth clarifying (that I haven't otherwise done so in my RP journal or fic or here somewhere), I'll add them, but I think these are the ones I want to most quadrouple down on.

[melliotwrites]

can you elaborate on how montana was influenced by old montana country songs?

Sure! Partially we just listened to a ton of country stations on the drive over, which gave me a sense of the lyrical rhythms and rhymes I could use. Some we saved from the radio (from various eras - 1960s to, like, 2000s) were Buckaroo Man, T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Boondocks, Mama's Broken Heart, The Race Is On, Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox If I Die, and We'll Sing in the Sunshine.

Beyond that, we also listened to oldie Mountain West country we found online like There Stands The Glass, Don't Think Twice, It's Alright, and Walkin' After Midnight.

But mostly I was referring to another odd occasion of country and musical theater being unlikely bedfellows -- Don't Fence Me In. At our first rest stop in Montana there was a placard about it and I was just fascinated. Bob Fletcher, from Helena, Montana, was inspired by Montana's natural landscape (much like Joey!) to write this poem:

In 1934, Cole Porter (yeah, that Cole Porter!) bought the poem from him for $250 to write a song for a cowboy movie. He received sole authorship credit for many years, until Fletcher sued. The resulting song became a standard part of the Great American Songbook, covered by folks like Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Ella Fitzgerald but originally performed by Roy Rogers:

Anyway, I just think it's kind of a fascinating bit of Broadway-to-Montana crossover history a long time before we got here (especially interesting because of the "I wouldn't trade a western trail/for Broadway anytime" lyrics!) I wanted to write a song about Montana, and draw on other writers who were inspired by the landscape (and this sense of? anonymity? lost-ness? the lines in the middle about the cities seemed a lot like what Joey might write), so I was studying up on what kinds of lyrical styles (simple, repeated choruses, long ABAB verses, that little hanging A-section at the end of the song) had been used in the past to frame those ideas!

~ Mel Don't have much to add because it wasn't inspired by Montana-specific country in terms of music. Musically I was thinking about Eddy Arnold, I guess, but he's nowhere near Montana lol. It was originally written for guitar, though, so what you hear on the YouTube is a?? piano cover of it technically I guess??? -- so more of that vibe will probably be coming through in future iterations of it. - Elliot

[saucy-mesothelioma]

The Blues Brothers: A Jukebox Musical Done Right

I have a vehement hatred for jukebox musicals. In my opinion, they're lazy and are just a way to put popular songs in your movie that you know will succeed instead of taking the risk to compose your own. If I know a movie is a jukebox musical I tend to immediately dismiss it.

Which brings me to The Blues Brothers.

I adore The Blues Brothers. It's one of my all-time favorite films and one I think is highly underrated. And yet it's a jukebox musical. So why do I love it so much?

I think why The Blues Brothers works when so many other jukebox musicals fail for me is the fact that you can tell that there's a genuine love for the music that they're playing. And the reason behind that is that The Blues Brothers was an actual band created by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1978, two years before the movie even came out. Not only do they perform the songs featured with sincerity, but they also feature some of the fundamental names in blues and soul. Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, and Cab Calloway perform their own songs ("Think", "Boom Boom", and "Minnie the Moocher" respectively), and Ray Charles and James Brown sing absolutely incredible covers of "Shake a Tail Feather" and "The Old Landmark". They didn't just take popular blues and souls songs and put them in their movie, they got some of the pillars of the genre to perform those songs.

The appearance of the songs also makes plenty of sense story wise. The entire plot of the movie is that Jake and Elwood are trying to get their blues band back together, so naturally the film is full of classics from the genre, both performed by the band as well as in the background. Even songs that could seem out of place such as where Aretha's character Mrs. Murphy starts singing "Think" in the diner, it doesn't feel that way because of how the movie has decided to present itself. The Blues Brothers takes absurdity and delivers it in a direct way: it knows it doesn't make sense, and it doesn't apologize for it. They play their absurdity like a Monty Python skit (especially towards the end), and that actually helps to make the breaking into song and dance all that more believable. The songs aren't in there just for the sake of having them, they fit the scenes they were placed in. "The Old Landmark" is a classic gospel that plays when Jake realizes that getting the band back together is their mission from God; "Think" is played because Mrs. Murphy is trying to tell her husband to reconsider leaving her to play with The Blues Brothers; we already know that Curtis used to sing to the brothers while they were at the children's home, so it makes sense that he's the one who sings to stall for the brothers at the show; the band does a cover of the Rawhide theme because it was the first western song they could think of to play at Bob's Country Bunker. Every major song has a reason for being there, and isn't there just for the sake of having a popular song in the movie.

As I said, I tend to steer clear of any jukebox musicals, but my brother as a big ABBA fan has watched Mama Mia!, and I feel he gives a great example of why the movie doesn't work:

The plot was as if they picked the songs they wanted first, and then moved the storyline around it, instead of vice versa. This included parts of the movie that had absolutely no relevance to the story and were forced in to get another hit ABBA Gold song in there. My best example: they absolutely killed the meaning behind Does Your Mother Know. Originally a song about a guy denying sexual advances of an underage woman, is now turned into a song about a MILF talking about how much (completely legal) people want to have sex with her. What once was a song about a guy doing the right thing and not taking advantage of a minor, is now stripped of its meaning. You might say, "Well, it was probably to advance the plot, right? This was important to the story? They had to have this song in the movie or else we'd have unresolved plotholes, right?" No.

The Blues Brothers comes nowhere close to having a problem such as this. As I already stated, the songs either exist to help further the plot or directly reflect what is happening.

In my opinion, The Blues Brothers is probably one of the best jukebox musicals of all time due to the obvious love for blues and soul as well as the impeccable incorporation of the songs into the story