Barack to Gay Youth: 'It Gets Better'

'Hereafter' ***1/2

clint eastwood continues to amaze me. he never looks back. he takes on new material with every directorial effort. and he always seems to succeed. 'hereafter' is the newest success. i'm never ashamed to say i cried...ever! and this film had tears rolling down my face intermittently a number of times. why? not too sure. maybe it was just the cumulative effect of the number of deaths i've lived through my whole life packed into 2hours and 9 minutes. but i am not saying this is a sad film....it isn't. nor is it a joyous film in that we now know what the hereafter is as we don't know this any more after seeing the film than the moment before it began. but it touched something deep within me. that says a lot to me. i liked these moments and the feelings. i liked the film in it's entirety also.

matt damon just keeps on growing as an actor with each role. he and eastwood ('invictus") make a good team. the rest of the cast, mostly unknown to me, all delievered the goods. there was no weak link in the cast.

'hereafter' heads into my top 5 of 2010. is it brilliant? no. is it eastwood's best? no. but it is damn good and better than most releases. is it a masterpiece? no. but it is a minor masterpiece.

'hereafter' touched my spirit.

Song of the Day: 'Time Warp'

sneak peak

'time warp' from the 'glee' 'rocky horror show' halloween episode 10/26

Fall Film Releases With Oscar Hopes

October 22

Hereafter
Cast: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan
Distrib: WB

The Company Men
Cast: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Craig T. Nelson, Rosemarie DeWitt
Director/Writer: John Wells
Distrib: The Weinstein Co.

November 5

127 Hours
Cast: James Franco
Director: Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (adaptation)
Distrib:Fox Searchlight

Fair Game
Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn
Director: Doug Liman
Screenwriter: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth (adaptation)
Distrib: Summit

For Colored Girls
Cast: Thandie Newton, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Jurnee Smollett, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Macy Gray, Isaiah Mustafa
Director/Writer: Tyler Perry
Distrib: LionsGate

MegaMind
Feat. Voices of: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller
Director: Cameron Hood, Kyle Jefferson
Screenwriter: Alan Schoolcraft, Brent Simons
Distrib: Dreamworks

Welcome to the Rileys
Cast: James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo, Kristen Stewart
Director: Jake Scott
Screenwriter: Ken Hixon
Distrib: Samuel Goldwyn

November 12

Morning Glory
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton
Director: Roger Michell
Screenwriter: Aline Brosh McKenna
Distrib: Paramount

November 19

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Script: Novel Adaptation
Distrib: WB

Made in Dagenham
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike, Geraldine James, Bob Hoskins
Director: Nigel Cole
Screenwriter: Billy Ivory
Distrib: Sony Classics
Next Three Days
Cast: Russell Crowe, ELizabeth Banks
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Haggis
Distrib: Lionsgate

November 24

Love and Other Drugs
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Judy Greer, Josh Gad
Director: Ed Zwick
Screenwriter: Charles Randolph
Script: Novel Adaptation
Distrib: Fox

The King's Speech
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Tom Hooper
Screenwriter: David Seidler
Distrib: Weinstein Co.

Tangled
Voices: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
Director: Byron Howard, Nathan Greno
Distrib: Walt Disney Pictures

November 26

The Fighter
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale
Director: David O'Russell
Distrib: Paramount

December 1

Black Swan
Cast: Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder Director: Darren Aronofsky
Script: Original Distrib: Fox Searchlight

December 10

The Chronicles of Narnia
Cast: Ben Barnes
Director: Michael Apted
Distrib: Fox

The Tourist
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Screenwriter: Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Distrib: Sony Pictures

The Tempest
Cast: Helen Mirren, Chris Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Reeve Carney, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, Ben Wishaw, Felicity Jones, Geoffrey Rush
Director: Julie Taymor
Screenwriter: Julie Taymor
Distrib: Miramax

December 17

Everything You've Got
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson
Director: James L. Brooks
Screenwriter: James L. Brooks

December 22

Somewhere
Cast: Elle Fanning, Stephen Dorff
Director/Screenwriter: Sofia Coppola
Distrib: Focus

December 25

True Grit
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Script: Novel Adaptation

December 29

Another Year
Cast: Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Jim Broadbent
Director/Screenwriter: Mike Leigh
Distrib: Sony Classics

The Debt
Cast: Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren
Director: John Madden
Distrib: Miramax

December 31

Blue Valentine
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Screenwriter: Derek Cianfrance et al
Script: Original
Distrib: Weinstein Co.

Song of the Day Prempted by Annette

Happy Birthday Annette

annette's been out of the public eye for some time now as she battles ms. annette single handedly is credited with putting a certain generation of pre pubescent boys on the road to early manhood. if you have to ask it's best you don't.

we wish her well on her birthday.

annette recorded a few albums in her teens and released a few singles from them. here are a few of the mostly known.

annette became the most popular of the original mouseketeers so disney decided to write a 'serialized' segment simply titled 'annette'. the following song was introduced and charted on billboard within weeks of the serialized airing.


how will i know my love'

'tall paul'

'first name initial'

annette became a disney favorite and was given a guest shot role on the then prime time series 'zorro'


naturally by that point they wrote a song for her character called 'lonely guitar'

'Les Miserables' Film Finally?

'les miserables' stands atop my favorite broadway musicals. will the film really, finally, happen? we'll see.

Last Wednesday Cameron Mackintosh was in Madrid to present the cast of the new production of Les Miserables that will open in November. In the press conference he was asked by a journalist about why there wasn't yet a movie adaptation of the musical.
Broadway World Spain was there to capture Mackintosh's reply, which was "I signed a contract yesterday. And, in fact, the concert at the O2 next week, I'm presenting with Universal Pictures and it's huge -- with over 500 in the cast and it is being simultaneously screened to over a 1000 cinemas around the world - including Spain. It's been a long time coming, I originally was going to do it after the Broadway opening but mercifully it didn't happen. No film could have been as successful as Les Miserables has been on stage. And now, after 25 years, it seems a very good time to do it. We'll be working with a screenplay writer over the next few months and hopefully if all that comes together, we will find a great director and start."
In October this year, the legendary musical "LES MISÉRABLES" will celebrate its 25th birthday by making theatrical history with an international first - three different productions in London at the same time. The Original Production at the Queen's Theatre, the New 25th Anniversary Production at the Barbican, London and now, stars in their multitudes will gather for a celebratory concert at The O2 on Sunday 3rd October at 7.00pm, when all three productions and many of the shows original cast will come together to celebrate this momentous occasion.
LES MISÉRABLES originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on 8 October 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at theQueen's Theatre on 3 April 2004. When "LES MISÉRABLES" celebrated its 21st London birthday on 8 October 2006, it became the World's Longest Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by "Cats" in London's West End. In January 2010, the West End production broke another record by celebrating its historic 10,000th performances.
Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, "LES MISÉRABLES" is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of "LES MISÉRABLES", including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School's Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools. Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing a film of "LES MISÉRABLES" with Working Title and Universal.


*reprinted from 'broadway world' without permission

Armani Jeans

cristiano ronaldo, portuguese  footballer hunk, in armani jeans (ad)

Song of the Day: 'Sparrow'

mary hopkins had a hit with 'those were the days'. on the flip side was this 'little' song about moving out on one's own from their family. it always stuck in my mind and here it is...

'those were the days' is coming soon

'Hereafter' Opens Friday

4 teasers for 'hereafter'

Wishing Kim Well

kim novak is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. my best wishes and good thoughts go out to her today and the days to come

Song of the Day: 'Alexander's Song'

when i started doing this 'song of the day' i wanted to revisit old songs, feature newer songs and introduce less known songs i like and songs by singers i like.

elly stone a well known cabaret singer in new york has always 'meant' something to me.

this song is about a dad, a dad who drove a taxi 'on the streets of new york'. elly's amazing voice gives real life to an otherwise 'mundane life'

Academy Award Winner 'The Secret in Thier Eyes' ***1/2stars

academy award winner 'best foreign film' of 2009 is a great mystery and a story of love's labors lost and found. justice and pain and injustice and more pain all collide. it's that rare intelligent film which is always welcome.

trailer

Song of the Day: 'Seasons in the Sun''

'seasons in the sun'

terry jacks 1974 surprise chart maker

the poet and singer jacques brel's original french recording

the beach boys covered it

nirvana even put a seemingly drug induced spin on it

elly stone an amazing cabaret singer and star of the long running off-broadway show 'jacques brel is alive and well and living in paris' recorded the song with new lyrics to fit her new york style and sensibilities. it was then titled 'goodbye new york'.

i actually sent this to my friends and family when i left new york almost six years ago. it wasn't hard to leave...it's just hard to stay away.

Song of the Day: 'Walk Away Joe'

as a kid born and raised in the city 'country western' was kind of foreign language for me. dolly parton and crystal gayle's crossover releases were about as close as i got or thought i would get. but a former boy friend introduced me to the sounds of trisha yearwood. i liked her sound, her music, her voice and her 'stories'. first up is 'walk away joe'. hell we've all been here.

Oscarbation: Outlook on Best Picture Nominees So Far

 the state of the race early on

The Leading 10:
1. The Social Network
2. The King’s Speech
3. Black Swan
4. 127 Hours
5. True Grit
6. The Kids Are All Right
7. Inception
8. Toy Story 3
9. The Fighter
10. For Colored Girls

a reminder: this time last year 'up in the air' stood at number 1

Song of the Day: 'I Don't Want to Know'

following up on angela lansbury's birthday celebration i offer one more number from another of her tony winning roles in 'dear world'.

'i don't want to know'

and liza minnelli added her own special flair and sequins to a great broadway song

Remembering Monty on His Birthday

personally i think monty was the handsomest man on the screen for years. that being said he was also a great actor. he was a brilliant though understated actor. possibly the best of a generation. monty died to young having lived a tortured life in the closet as one had to do in hollywood. a tragic and great loss to film.

my favorite monty films

he should have won the oscar for his role in 'judgement at nuremberg' over george chakiris in 'west side story'. another oscar fiasco! but chakiris was swept in with the 'west side story' tidal wave.

he should have been at least been nominated for 'suddenly last summer'. just another of oscar's greatest snubs. charton heston for 'ben hur' give me a break.

 i'm not sure if this clip is for monty or just my excuse to re-watch katherine hepburn's monologue  reminding us of when 'sebastian saw god'. damn she was brilliant.

a tribute

Song of the Day: Prempted by the Songs of Legendary Angela Lansbury on Her Birthday

Happy Birthday Angela

5 time tony award winner angela lansbury turns 85 years young today and continues to entertain us.

a 'gypsy' vocal compilation

'everything's coming up roses' at the 1989 tony awards

from 'sweeney todd' angela and len cariou 'a little priest'

'the worst pies in london'

'by the sea'

thank you miss lansbury for sharing your amazing talents with us for decades in every entertainment medium possibe.


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