Renewed

glad to announce that 'parenthood', 'law and order svu', 'beauty and the beast', and 'chicago fire' have been given full season pick ups for the fall.

What I'm Watching: 'Da Vinci's Demons'

the starz original is starting off just fine. what does history have to do with it? who cares. all history is eventually fabricated to make us believe what time chooses for us to believe. in this case just go with the wonder and the fun of it all. it's overall production values are worthy of any theatrical film. this is no cheap production. as da vinci tom riley is impressive. the supporting cast support admirably. give it a shot. happily it's already been renewed for a second season.

Pet Is Back

petula clark has released a new cd. at 80 years young there is just no stopping this legend. thank the gods.

here is  'cut copy me' from 'lost in you'. the voice is still there.

and it's already been remixed

To (Dis)Honor the GW Library Opening Today

perfect song from 'the best little whorehouse in texas'

and with great honor the late great charles durning performing it, 'sidestep' on the 'the dolly show'.

 rest in peace

Red Coats Everywhere

the season 4 poster for 'pretty little liars' was just released. soooo....we have all four of the girls in the infamous red coat. the 'real' reason behind this gives pause for thought. like could one of them be A. june 16th can't come soon enough.

Team Ivy vs Team Karen

now there is actually something to compare. ivy get's to sing the really good 'don't forget me' when the pretty awful 'bombshell' has it's opening night on broadway on the show within a show 'smash'. karen got to do it when it premiered in boston. i think they both did it great justice. two different interpretations: two different takes.  argue amongst yourselves.

this 'bombshell' would bomb on broadway. with the exception of this song and 'let me be your star' the music and lyrics were amateurish and pedantic. it is not making it on tv so who the hell thinks it will make it for almost $200.00 a pop. duh.

that said this song is wonderful and gets a nod from the soundtrack of my mind yet again.

katherine mcphee (karen)

megan hilty (ivy)

From the Soundtrack of My Life: 'What Kind of Fool' and 'Guilty'

 i love these duets between barbra and barry gibb. their harmonies are amazing. their voices just worked so well together. true musical perfection.
both compositions rank at the top of mr gibb's amazing list of hits.

happy birthday barbra

Is Helen Mirren Kidding?

i just wasted @4 hours of my life watching helen mirren dupe us yet again. with the exception of 2009's 'the last station' this oscar winner has done nothing but pick up a paycheck for mediocrity. not that i ever thought she should have won that oscar. best impression of the year? yes! best actress? not!

but as things went downhill since then, the lowest of the low just recently happened. has anyone seen 'hitchcock? don't bother. it's a frackin' bore beginning to end. and mirren is the worst part of it. she called this one in on someone else's many many dimes. she made a totally miscast scarlett johansson look oscar eligible. slacker. but we are not yet finished with this dame....

then comes hbo's abysmal 'phil spector'. good god. forget al pacino who goes over the top as often as he can. it's beyond expectation at this point. the film and pacino are a mess. but it is ms mirren as attorney to spector that kicks the dead horse of a movie once it is already down. not to be outdone by pacino she too gets a fright wig. she gets the same frightening make up as pacino. what she doesn't quite get is this film is about pacino's character. the look may be 'right' in her mind but her acting is mindless. she, pacino and this film are disasters. 

pacino has done some good work recently. especially on stage. mirren not too much. o yes yes yes she is playing elizabeth 2 for the 3rd time in london this season. and that sums up helen mirren: stick with the queen as it seems to work for you. perhaps you can take the role on the road and then on a carnival cruise...a very very long carnival cruise. all the rest we can divide between christie, dench and smith. stay away from the screen or start learning to read a script, interpret it and forget the paycheck. do your job. as an actor act as if you care at the very least.

Warren Cole: Performer of the Month on 'The Following'

a few episodes into 'the following' the character roderick showed up on the scene into the cult. a cold calculating sadist arrived. perhaps more sadistic than cult leader joe caroll. for a few weeks i watched driving myself crazy knowing i had seen this actor before. then it dawned on me he was wes mitchell from the short lived, dammit, 'common law' from 2012. damn! what a transformation. wes was a sweet guy in 'common law'. a bit too fastidious for his own good but a damn good guy. then the 180 to roderick on 'the following'. i need no more proof of what a damn good actor he is. his transformation was not physical. it was internal. and then it showed externally. damn. i've used the word damn a lot here. why? because it damn well fits.

'Don't Stop Believing' Rachel and Lea

so last week on 'glee' rachel barry auditioned for a revival of 'funny girl'. a part rachel, and her alter ego lea michelle, was born to play. instead of 'doing' barbra rachel choose to go back and find the song that brought her and her friends together as 'glee'. impressive move/writing. 'doing' barbra would have been appropriate but not daring. lea's rachel went bold. it was impressive. and it was all about her believing...in herself and her talent.

so once again from the soundtrack of my life
'don't stop believing' rachel's audition

behind the scenes

and finally then let's revisit rachel/lea doing a barbra 'funny girl' song. and yes with a good director lea should play fanny brice. she needs that good director to help her make fanny her own and not an impersonation. the girl has the talent and it should be utilized. i long to see her do it. i believe in her talent although i was weary at the start of the series. she has grown and  matured into a performer to be reckoned with. brava!

Legend

cheers to ms lupone on her birthday. cheers to patti everyday actually.
from the soundtrack of my life
two from 'sunset boulevard'

'Carousel' Next Weekend 'Live from Lincoln Center'

i've always had a problem with the film 'carousel'. one of the better broadway musicals was transformed into a bit of a  'messy' film. it went from location to studio shots within given scenes that looks totally disjointed with lousy continuity. by today's standards it seems 'cheesy'. although the totally filmed location scenes were beautiful and shirley jones was quite the lovely julie jordan the film just does not hold up. and hollywood then 'cleaned up' the death of billy bigelow taking away the horror of it all. it was hard enough to accept the death of a leading man in a broadway musical at that time but for hollywood the manner of death was too much to handle. it's okay ruin a film for the sake of practice and standards. duh! thank the gods those days are over.

however, in 1994 lincoln center revived the classic musical stunningly. it also introduced us to audra mcdonald who won her first tony award for playing carrie pipperidge. i felt like i had finally seen 'carousel' as it was intended. and yes billy bigelow died as written. it just made more sense.

next weekend we have a newly revived production on 'live from lincoln center'. i have not seen it but i believe the talented kelli o'hara and nathan gunn will more than justify your viewing. and it will be nice to have the original material finally filmed as written. at least i am hoping it is.

sadly ms mcdonald will only introduce the show and not be in it. she damn well could still have pulled it off carrie pepperidge 19 years later. 

so save the date 4/26 and enjoy one of rodgers and hammerstein's best.

'Glee' Renewed for Seasons 5 and 6 and It Makes Me Want to 'SHOUT'

from the soundtrack of my mind

'shout'

a 'glee' moment

heather morris and darren criss

Why? Because I Like Them!

Damn These 46

46 senators defeated the background check yesterday. they are a disgrace. it's shameful. the nra gun lobby's support and threats are more important than 'we the people'. 90% of americans have been ignored. these senators need to be replaced. and more shamefully 4 of these were democrats. you see i expect this of the republicans which is why they never get my vote!

'Johnny Angel'

in light of annette funicello's recent passing it's fitting to post her best friend's #1 single. shelley as i expected was with annette when she passed. that's what lifelong friends do.

from the soundtrack of my life
shelley fabares

'Man of Steel' Extended Trailer

 june 14

What I'm Not Watching on TV

i tried but 'rogue' and 'top of the lake' both original series on directtv and the sundance channel respectively are as boring as watching a haircut and just as exciting. i wasted a few hours with them. spare yourself. you will never get these hours back.

'top of the lake:' F

'rogue': D

'She Must Be Beautiful'

from the soundtrack of my life

i think this one of the most beautiful songs written. and listen to that piano.

janis ian

'Hemlock Grove' on Netflix

'hemlock grove'

4/19 on netflix

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Teaser

A 'Smash' Moment: 'Rewrite the Story' and 'Heart Shaped Wreckage'

from the soundtrack of my life

katharine mcphee and jeremy jordan

Happy Birthday Jules

i'm still mad about julie

i made this in 2010 and well here it is again...

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

A New Romeo and His Fair Juliet Coming Soon

i love love love zefferelli's vision. i believe olivia hussey was the fairest, and best, juliet of all time. this, however, intrigues me.

'The Borgia's' Season 3 Tonight

this series on showtime is underrated. it does not get the attention that most hbo series seem to get. and it's a shame. this series is well written and acted. the first two seasons are available on disc. if you haven't been watching it you are missing something above the rest.
and i really have it bad for francois arnaud.

season 3 trailer

Back to the Camera

A 'Glee' Moment: 'Creep'

 from the soundtrack of my life
lea michele and dean geyer

What I'm Watching

the scorecard continues

'scandal'

the fastest freshest show on network tv. in it's sophmore season it holds up to it's much too abbreviated freshman run. the cast is terrific. the writing is crisp. and it's lead kerri washington is just great. and she wears clothes better than anyone on tv currently. sorry julianna. if you are not watching thhis show you are missing a high velocity drama.

obviously renewed.

season 2: A+

'the following'

kevin bacon heads the cast of this serial killer drama. he, natalie zea and the rest of the cast keeps us spellbound week after week as it tosses and turns through our minds. gruesome? who cares. it's that damn good.

it's been renewed.

season 1: A

'bates motel'

norma and norma. god help us all and anyone who visits this hotel. i won't check in but i am damn sure going to keep watching.

vera farmiga, i love this actress, and freddie highmore shine as the creepiest mother and son on tv. i'm loving it.

thankfully it's been renewed

season 1: b+

From the Soundtrack of My Life: 'Hideaway'

i love this song. to date it is the last thing barbra has done music and/or otherwise that i've enjoyed. this being recorded in 2005.
and i like a gazzillion other gay men was her greatest fan.
not so much anymore.

 but i truly love this barry gibb piece and her voice was oh so wonderful on it. soft, velvety, perfection.
 and her phrasing, flawless, putting all others to shame.

Josh's Jukebox: 'I'm Not in Love'

from the soundtrack of my life

10cc

TV: What I'm Watching

'chicago fire'

i resisted this freshman show and why i'm not sure. so i binged on the first 8 episodes and am hooked. it one of the best ensemble casts on tv currently. the combination of the work and personnel lives of the characters intertwine quite well. it has been renewed for a sophomore season. it deserves it.

grade: B+

'arrow'

'arrow' is fun. it's not generally my cup of tea but the strong performance by stephen amell keeps me coming back. not to mention his body which is the best on tv currently. the guy is hot. although the flashbacks to his island 'captivity' tend to get boring the present day story lines are tight and gripping. i hope they lessen those flashbacks next season as yes it has been renewed. katie cassidy is delightful as his 'love' interest.

grade:B

'beauty and the beast'

there is something utterly charming about the leads kristen kreuk and jay ryan that this show keeps drawing me back. they actually make you believe in them and root for them. it's good. try it and see their chemistry for yourself.

it has not yet been renewed but i'm going to keep hoping.

grade: B+

R.I.P Annette

i knew this day was coming. yet it's still sad news. annette was the most famous of the original mousekeeters on 'the mickey mouse club'. she went on to star with frankie avalon in a series of beach movies. paul anka wrote an album full of songs for her 'annette sings anka'. for a lot of men of a certain age their first crush has now passed on.

annette actually had a #1 billboard song 'taul paul' in 1959. her minor success in this led to a string of young teenage stars recording stars some one hit wonders and others more successfully.

annette on 'american bandstand' 1959.

in 1960 she recorded 'o dio mio' when walt disney gave her a three episode arc on the tv series 'zorro.

Broadway Baby: Still Crushing on Aaron Tveit

i've had a crush on aaron since 'next to normal' dirty old man that i am.
'les miserables' sealed the deal.

watching this interview i am still crushing. he's a charmer.

up next is the tv series 'graceland' due in may. more on that to come.

'i'm alive' from 'next to normal'  

 ''goodbye' from 'catch me if you can'

Phil Ramone Passes

the soundtrack of my life

music producer phil ramone passed this week.

his first big hit was lesley gore's 'it's my party' that starts this lesley gore medley.

Happy Birthday Agnetha

from the soundtrack of my life

i missed agnetha's birthday yesderday, the 5th. so here goes. i have always loved this woman. her voice is damn near perfect. she was the best part of abba.

so to celebrate her birthday and the her soon to be released cd.

'when you loved someone' from the cd 'a' releasing may 14th

'the day before you came'

the official video of 'the day before you came' 

funny how the last song abba recorded stands as my favorite for years

Jeremy Irons Gone Mad...Stephen Colbert Explains

The Colbert Report
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Josh'e Jukebox: 'Torn'

from the soundtrack of my life

lea michelle

TV: What I've Been Watching

'the americans'

i really like this show. it's adult, intelligent and complicated. it's already been deservedly  renewed for a second season. it's a 'cold war' drama and it captures the time and it's fears realistically. give it a shot. the show often has subtitles as some of the principals speak russian which lends to it's authenticity. keri russel and matthew rhys topline and are damn good. and may i add that any show that signs on susan misner gets my vote. she is one of the best underutilized actresses around. it has been renewed for a sophomore season.

 grade: A+

susan misner

'house of cards'

the best show that is not on tv. as of now it is only available on nteflix streaming. it would be worth to subscribe to the service just to see this original series. it hooked me in episode 1 and watched the entire season in two marathon viewings. kevin spacey and robin wright head a terrific cast. you can't go wrong with this series about political high jinks in washington .
it has been renewed for a second season.

grade: A

season 1 also featured the amazing corey stoll who gave us the brilliant portrayal of ernest hemingway in 'midnight in paris. he's amazing.

(it appears it will now be available on dvd in june)

Happy Anniversary 'Andrea Mitchel Reports'

and report she does and damn better than most. i seldom miss her msnbc show, my favorite source for political news, and will dvr it when necessary. she is an example of excellence to all reporters everywhere. Congratulations and i look forward to many more years.