Two links to good, short, easy-reading pieces that are worth checking out:
First, Dave White names ten actors worth knowing for MSNBC. It's a great list, but as with all lists there are a few things worth quibbling with (Rainn Wilson? I'm not doubting his talent but shouldn't he like prove himself in at least a movie first? Sahara didn't really do it for me).
In a happy development one of the names on the list, Lauren Graham, was just cast opposite Steve Carell in the Carell-centric Bruce Almighty sequel Evan Almighty. Possibly the first sequel ever made that I'm really looking forward to even though I never saw the original (and don't much care if I ever do).
Even shorter and more fun is this LA Times piece (free registration required...sorry) about just how old certain actors were when they played teens. But, even though she mentions Olivia Newton-John, the author somehow overlooks the fact that Stockard Channing was 33 (33!) when she played a teen in Grease.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Some movies get bumped for a good reason
V for Vendetta opens today and there was some early hype that suggested this could be the year's first great movie. But unless you're desperate for political commentary in any form the movie fails to live up to that buzz.
The reviews are generally positive (although a lot of the "better" critics around didn't care for it much), but I found the movie to be a well intentioned bore. It's interesting to see a film that aims to make a statement but the messages here are muddled and so far removed from reality that I'd seriously question anyone eager to draw parallels between the movie's post-WWIII Totalitarian London and our present day existence. That's partly because the filmmakers do such a poor job of showing what it's actually like to live in Vendetta's fictional world—all we really learn is that it's not wise to go out alone at night, it's still tough to be gay and TV has gotten really really bad.
The hero is a generic comicbook creation who happens to be a political terrorist, but that's not enough to make him interesting. Natalie Portman is actually very good as the female lead (and the movie's "name"—good luck drawing crowds on that) but her character is so limited that it doesn't much matter. There's really no visual style to speak of, which is fairly surprising considering how involved the Wachowski Brothers were with this, and despite the action-heavy trailers the film's explosions and fight scenes are kept to a bare minimum. Marketing this movie to teenage boys is a serious mistake (even if the opening is big the second weekend will be brutal), but I'm not even sure what other audience they could possibly go for.
I'm not very well schooled in Alan Moore's graphic novels (I've only read the excellent The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) but just as with From Hell, also adapted from one of Moore's works, I have little doubt that the film doesn't do the source material justice.
V for Vendetta isn't a terrible movie but it's not really worth your moviegoing time either. Honestly if you want truly provocative, and relevant, political commentary wrapped up in a fancy genre package I've got some DVDs for you to check out.
The reviews are generally positive (although a lot of the "better" critics around didn't care for it much), but I found the movie to be a well intentioned bore. It's interesting to see a film that aims to make a statement but the messages here are muddled and so far removed from reality that I'd seriously question anyone eager to draw parallels between the movie's post-WWIII Totalitarian London and our present day existence. That's partly because the filmmakers do such a poor job of showing what it's actually like to live in Vendetta's fictional world—all we really learn is that it's not wise to go out alone at night, it's still tough to be gay and TV has gotten really really bad.
The hero is a generic comicbook creation who happens to be a political terrorist, but that's not enough to make him interesting. Natalie Portman is actually very good as the female lead (and the movie's "name"—good luck drawing crowds on that) but her character is so limited that it doesn't much matter. There's really no visual style to speak of, which is fairly surprising considering how involved the Wachowski Brothers were with this, and despite the action-heavy trailers the film's explosions and fight scenes are kept to a bare minimum. Marketing this movie to teenage boys is a serious mistake (even if the opening is big the second weekend will be brutal), but I'm not even sure what other audience they could possibly go for.
I'm not very well schooled in Alan Moore's graphic novels (I've only read the excellent The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) but just as with From Hell, also adapted from one of Moore's works, I have little doubt that the film doesn't do the source material justice.
V for Vendetta isn't a terrible movie but it's not really worth your moviegoing time either. Honestly if you want truly provocative, and relevant, political commentary wrapped up in a fancy genre package I've got some DVDs for you to check out.
American Idiots
It was no surprise that Melissa left last night on Idol, she's seen this coming since the first performance week when she wisely called out the producers for her lack of screen time during the important audience-relationship-building audition episodes. She didn't deserve to go so soon but she didn't deserve to be around forever either, so at least she can be happy the judges praised her final performance on the show (Simon called it her best yet) and she's now the best singer ever to be eliminated first in the Idol finals.
What was shocking, of course, was who was in the bottom three with her. I couldn't even properly enjoy Ace's bottom three standing because I knew he was in no way worse than Kevin and Kellie, who both miraculously (or deviously?) escaped the bottom three.
And standing next to Ace and Melissa was Lisa, one of the best singers in the top 12. She tried to change up her style, going for a faster song, and she did well but maybe now she'll run back to the ballads.
It's possible that Lisa doesn't stand out enough, or that her fans are also likely to be fans of Mandisa or Paris or Katharine and were busy voting for one or all of those three instead. It's just too bad that some of the contestants who do stand out more than Lisa, do so because they're weak singers with big personalities, or just plain bad.
Maybe it's worth remembering that Kinnik and Gedeon were both much better than some of the top 12, but I guess America needs its "variety"...
What was shocking, of course, was who was in the bottom three with her. I couldn't even properly enjoy Ace's bottom three standing because I knew he was in no way worse than Kevin and Kellie, who both miraculously (or deviously?) escaped the bottom three.
And standing next to Ace and Melissa was Lisa, one of the best singers in the top 12. She tried to change up her style, going for a faster song, and she did well but maybe now she'll run back to the ballads.
It's possible that Lisa doesn't stand out enough, or that her fans are also likely to be fans of Mandisa or Paris or Katharine and were busy voting for one or all of those three instead. It's just too bad that some of the contestants who do stand out more than Lisa, do so because they're weak singers with big personalities, or just plain bad.
Maybe it's worth remembering that Kinnik and Gedeon were both much better than some of the top 12, but I guess America needs its "variety"...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Pecking order
American Idol's top 12 took the stage last night and although it's still shocking to me that freaky Gedeon was not among the finalists last night did very little to change my opinions on anyone.
So before they start getting eliminated for real, here's how I would kick them out, one-by-one, if I was the only person who got to vote...
Week One
Kevin Covais, dubbed "Chicken Little" by the sadistic producers and his masochistic "fans," is so clearly out of his depth that it's actually insulting he's even in the top 12. The way he's taken to playing up his I'm-a-geek-but-now-it's-ironic-because-I'm-on-TV persona does him no favors. Would anyone seriously buy an album by this kid as anything but a gag gift? I'm not convinced he'll go tonight but there's no one who deserves it more.
Week Two
Ace Young is supposed to be the "good looking one" but is it weird that I find him more than a little creepy? He's not slimy like Constantine or a living Muppet like Guarini but it's no surprise that those are the two past Idols he's most compared to. Let's face it, it's never gonna get better than that George Michael song he did a month ago... I say cut him off as early as possible.
Week Three
Kellie Pickler is coasting purely on her Beverly Hillbilly personality (golly, you big city folks and your fancy indoor plumbing!!). Maybe more people will realize this after her completely disasterous performance last night. I would allow her to torture the viewing public for three weeks, but if I was really in charge she never would've made top 12.
Week Four
Bucky Covington seems more genuine to me than Kellie and he's never really awful, but he's never really good either. Simon's comments about finding guys like Bucky in bars all over America are pretty spot-on. (He's a prime contender to leave tonight.)
Week Five
Melissa McGhee is an underdog and I kind of like her. But she's no star and no great singer. Someone's gotta go every week... (back in the real world, she could even go tonight.)
Week Six
By this point I'm a little sick of Taylor Hicks' spastic dance moves and boring song choices. The audience starts to turn against me...
Week Seven
In the first flat-out shocker Chris Daughtry, who represents everything bland and bad about modern rock radio (not even music, radio), exits the competition. He cries a lot. I smile.
Week Eight
Mandisa is eliminated. America is outraged. I explain that although she is talented and likable there's still something missing. Don't ask me what it is, I still don't know.
And now I cheat. The four remaning contestants—Paris Bennett, Katharine McPhee, Lisa Tucker and Elliott Yamin—are my favorites, and I still can't decide which of them I like best. They've all had good weeks and bad, all have endearing personalities and none seem likely to actually win (but they're the only four I could see myself voting for). Alphabetical order is as good as any (and frankly represents where I'm actually leaning as of last night) but I'd want to see how each of them does or doesn't grow through the competition.
But I know that back in the real world I won't get that chance... damn you Chris!!
So before they start getting eliminated for real, here's how I would kick them out, one-by-one, if I was the only person who got to vote...
Week One
Kevin Covais, dubbed "Chicken Little" by the sadistic producers and his masochistic "fans," is so clearly out of his depth that it's actually insulting he's even in the top 12. The way he's taken to playing up his I'm-a-geek-but-now-it's-ironic-because-I'm-on-TV persona does him no favors. Would anyone seriously buy an album by this kid as anything but a gag gift? I'm not convinced he'll go tonight but there's no one who deserves it more.
Week Two
Ace Young is supposed to be the "good looking one" but is it weird that I find him more than a little creepy? He's not slimy like Constantine or a living Muppet like Guarini but it's no surprise that those are the two past Idols he's most compared to. Let's face it, it's never gonna get better than that George Michael song he did a month ago... I say cut him off as early as possible.
Week Three
Kellie Pickler is coasting purely on her Beverly Hillbilly personality (golly, you big city folks and your fancy indoor plumbing!!). Maybe more people will realize this after her completely disasterous performance last night. I would allow her to torture the viewing public for three weeks, but if I was really in charge she never would've made top 12.
Week Four
Bucky Covington seems more genuine to me than Kellie and he's never really awful, but he's never really good either. Simon's comments about finding guys like Bucky in bars all over America are pretty spot-on. (He's a prime contender to leave tonight.)
Week Five
Melissa McGhee is an underdog and I kind of like her. But she's no star and no great singer. Someone's gotta go every week... (back in the real world, she could even go tonight.)
Week Six
By this point I'm a little sick of Taylor Hicks' spastic dance moves and boring song choices. The audience starts to turn against me...
Week Seven
In the first flat-out shocker Chris Daughtry, who represents everything bland and bad about modern rock radio (not even music, radio), exits the competition. He cries a lot. I smile.
Week Eight
Mandisa is eliminated. America is outraged. I explain that although she is talented and likable there's still something missing. Don't ask me what it is, I still don't know.
And now I cheat. The four remaning contestants—Paris Bennett, Katharine McPhee, Lisa Tucker and Elliott Yamin—are my favorites, and I still can't decide which of them I like best. They've all had good weeks and bad, all have endearing personalities and none seem likely to actually win (but they're the only four I could see myself voting for). Alphabetical order is as good as any (and frankly represents where I'm actually leaning as of last night) but I'd want to see how each of them does or doesn't grow through the competition.
But I know that back in the real world I won't get that chance... damn you Chris!!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Darkness and Light
My plan yesterday was to post about how The Hills Have Eyes is the first wide release movie of 2006 that I've seen and enjoyed. If "enjoyed" is the right word for the story of a family stranded in the desert who become prey for a band of mutant cannibals. This is brutal stuff, and not for anyone who doesn't have a taste for those kinds of things, but it's also very good for what it is: tense, gritty, psychologically disturbing and even a little bit smart. This is horror that hits you where it hurts (the version I saw was an early "NC-17" cut, although from what I've read the theatrical "R-rated" version is shocking enough).
The ensemble cast is quite good: stalwarts Ted Levine and Kathleen Quinlan are the parents, Eyes Wide Shut's Vinessa Shaw and Lost's Emilie de Ravin are the pretty blonde daughters and cast standouts Aaron Stanford and Dan Byrd are the young men of the family. The film is also a big step up for director Alexandre Aja, who showed a lot of style, but not much smarts, with last year's High Tension. Yet I understand how watching a nice Middle American family get torn limb from limb before the survivors take their grisly revenge is not everyone's idea of an enjoyable night at the movies.
So I'm glad that last night I caught Dave Chappelle's Block Party (good call Justin!), the best film I've seen of this young year and something I can recommend to just about anyone. I know it's something I'll remember at year's end.
I wouldn't have expected much from this (possibly because I'm one of the country's only twentysomethings who has never seen an episode of Chappelle's insanely popular Comedy Central show) but in retrospect I have no idea why. I know Chappelle is funny, I love (or really like) many of the musical artists who perform and the director is Michel Gondry (of 2004's best movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Block Party is pure joy, a documentary/comedy/concert film hybrid that is so unrelentingly positive I have a hard time believing anyone could walk away from this movie unimpressed.
About a year and a half ago Chappelle decided to throw a giant block party in Brooklyn. He invited some of the best hip-hop/neo-soul acts around (Kanye West, The Roots, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and even a reunited Fugees) and bused in residents of his Dayton, Ohio community to mix with New Yorkers. The result is truly something to behold.
The music is electrifying: whether it's West tearing into "Jesus Walks" with a high school marching band from Ohio or the awe-inspiring Scott joining Badu and The Roots on "You Got Me" or Def mixing it up with Common and Talib Kweli for several tracks, the result is a powerful sensation of unfiltered bliss. (There's so much more to hip-hop than a film like Hustle & Flow allows for.)
I wanted a little more from some of those performances (some songs are cut off too soon or interrupted) but all of the material is so good—Chappelle's comedy, the "real people" interviews and the music—that it really doesn't matter where the film strays. And I have a feeling we'll be able to see more of everything on the DVD, a format where I think this movie will transform from pretty great to simply classic.
The ensemble cast is quite good: stalwarts Ted Levine and Kathleen Quinlan are the parents, Eyes Wide Shut's Vinessa Shaw and Lost's Emilie de Ravin are the pretty blonde daughters and cast standouts Aaron Stanford and Dan Byrd are the young men of the family. The film is also a big step up for director Alexandre Aja, who showed a lot of style, but not much smarts, with last year's High Tension. Yet I understand how watching a nice Middle American family get torn limb from limb before the survivors take their grisly revenge is not everyone's idea of an enjoyable night at the movies.
So I'm glad that last night I caught Dave Chappelle's Block Party (good call Justin!), the best film I've seen of this young year and something I can recommend to just about anyone. I know it's something I'll remember at year's end.
I wouldn't have expected much from this (possibly because I'm one of the country's only twentysomethings who has never seen an episode of Chappelle's insanely popular Comedy Central show) but in retrospect I have no idea why. I know Chappelle is funny, I love (or really like) many of the musical artists who perform and the director is Michel Gondry (of 2004's best movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Block Party is pure joy, a documentary/comedy/concert film hybrid that is so unrelentingly positive I have a hard time believing anyone could walk away from this movie unimpressed.
About a year and a half ago Chappelle decided to throw a giant block party in Brooklyn. He invited some of the best hip-hop/neo-soul acts around (Kanye West, The Roots, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and even a reunited Fugees) and bused in residents of his Dayton, Ohio community to mix with New Yorkers. The result is truly something to behold.
The music is electrifying: whether it's West tearing into "Jesus Walks" with a high school marching band from Ohio or the awe-inspiring Scott joining Badu and The Roots on "You Got Me" or Def mixing it up with Common and Talib Kweli for several tracks, the result is a powerful sensation of unfiltered bliss. (There's so much more to hip-hop than a film like Hustle & Flow allows for.)
I wanted a little more from some of those performances (some songs are cut off too soon or interrupted) but all of the material is so good—Chappelle's comedy, the "real people" interviews and the music—that it really doesn't matter where the film strays. And I have a feeling we'll be able to see more of everything on the DVD, a format where I think this movie will transform from pretty great to simply classic.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Aftermath
The reactions to Oscar's folly keep pouring in.
Be sure to check out this amazing commentary by Steve Lopez from the LA Times, which directly challenges the Worst Best Picture Ever from a Los Angeles perspective and Dateline Hollywood's very amusing explanation of why this happened (third graph from the end is comedy gold, and Haggis was asking for it on the Brecht reference in his speech).
Then, if you must, check out the commentary of a pompous jackass in the Chicago Sun Times.
Roger Ebert has been extremely annoying this entire award season but he reached a new low with this, and I had to respond. So posted below is the e-mail I sent him in response to his column:
Be sure to check out this amazing commentary by Steve Lopez from the LA Times, which directly challenges the Worst Best Picture Ever from a Los Angeles perspective and Dateline Hollywood's very amusing explanation of why this happened (third graph from the end is comedy gold, and Haggis was asking for it on the Brecht reference in his speech).
Then, if you must, check out the commentary of a pompous jackass in the Chicago Sun Times.
Roger Ebert has been extremely annoying this entire award season but he reached a new low with this, and I had to respond. So posted below is the e-mail I sent him in response to his column:
Re: The Fury of the 'Crash'-lash
Roger,
Your insistence on spinning information in order to justify the Oscar debacle is as shameful as it is embarrassing.
In your article, which primarily attacks Kenneth Turan and Nikki Finke, you state that "What is intriguing about these writers is that they never mention the other three best picture nominees: "Capote," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Munich.""
Did you even read Turan's article? If so you must have missed this:
" "Brokeback," it is worth noting, was in some ways the tamest of the discomforting films available to Oscar voters in various categories. Steven Spielberg's "Munich"; the Palestinian Territories' "Paradise Now," one of the best foreign language nominees; and the documentary nominee "Darwin's Nightmare" offered scenarios that truly shook up people's normal ways of seeing the world. None of them won a thing."
And Finke's article, which was published before the Oscar travesty and seems especially prescient now, includes this passage:
"It’s not that Crash isn’t Oscar-worthy and Brokeback is. Both are good, if flawed, movies."
Acknowledging Finke's personal opinion would have given your readers a better idea of where she was actually coming from in this debate, but unfortunately it doesn't support your viewpoint that critics and entertainment media just won't leave poor Crash alone. Or recognize it for the genius, Dickensian work that it apparently is.
As a critic you are, of course, entitled to your opinion and the general public is entitled to agree or disagree. But if you're really trying to figure out why so many Brokeback Mountain fans are so upset with the Crash victory maybe you should consider, and maybe even inform your readers, of the amount of "Best Picture" awards that Brokeback Mountain won prior to Oscar night:
BAFTA
Golden Globes
Independent Spirit Awards
Venice Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
New York Film Critics Circle
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Golden Satellite
Critics groups from: Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida, Iowa, Las Vegas, London, St. Louis, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S., Utah and Vancouver
Brokeback also won "Best Picture" equivalents from the Directors Guild and Producers Guild and won Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild. It also received the highest ranking of any Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice and Film Comment critics polls AND made more money at the U.S. box office than any other nominee.
In comparison Crash won top awards from the Actors and Editors Guilds. It won the original screenplay prize from the Writers Guild. It was voted Best Picture by the Chicago Film Critics and won the NAACP Image Award. Not a bad showing but not even in the same universe as Brokeback when it comes to awards and acclaim.
Crash also failed to receive a Golden Globe nomination as Best Drama (nominations went to far more artistically successful films like A History of Violence and The Constant Gardener) and it was nominated as "Best First Feature," rather than "Best Feature," by the Independent Spirit Awards (even though Tommy Lee Jones' debut film, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, was nominated as "Best Feature").
I admire you for standing up for the minority opinion on this sad and shocking moment in Oscar history but I wish you wouldn't pretend to be so clueless about why so many people are outraged.
You're smarter than that.
Best,
Geoff Berkshire
Los Angeles, California
Lackluster
This is starting to look like the worst season yet for American Idol, at least for me. My favorites are turning out to be highly uneven and the other presumptive frontrunners either don't interest me or fail to impress.
This week was marked by another disappointing performance from Paris (the "Conga" song selection was embarrassing, and although I still like her this worries me more than her attempt to "stretch" with a poorly chosen ballad last week) and the first disappointing performance by Elliott (the only guy I truly like). At least the judges loved him, I'm worried he may not even make the top 12.
Katharine was probably the highlight of the women this week, she confirmed her Kelly Clarkson-esque aspirations by daring to take on an Aretha standard (although by doing so she proved she's good, but not Kelly good). And for the first time since her audition I really loved Lisa's performance, even if the judges were thoroughly unimpressed. The way that Kellie continually gets a pass from the judges is starting to drive me crazy ("cute" does not overcome mediocre singing) and I have yet to be "wow"-ed by Mandisa, but I guess I'm almost alone in that.
On the guys' side only Gedeon was worth watching, but he's a little too bizarre offstage (what exactly was that clip package about? a painting involving the world and a record?? and he was so serious about it...creepy).
I've pretty much resigned myself to Chris winning this whole thing. He's the only one with clear "talent" who is consistent every week. Mandisa may put up a good fight, and if it actually comes down to the two of them I suppose she could win. But either way I wouldn't care much.
It's hard to predict exactly who will leave tonight but I'm guessing Melissa (who doesn't deserve it) and Ayla (who does) from the ladies and Kevin and Will (both deserving) from the guys (I would celebrate the elimination of either Bucky or Ace, but I expect them both to be safe for now).
I think Kinnik saved herself by showing some personality and picking a very safe Alicia Keys song (the same song that saved Vonzell when she needed it early on), but I'd expect her to be in the bottom three. Though the underwhelmed reactions that Paris and Lisa received from the judges could be dangerous.
Anyway after tonight we'll have a top 12 and I'll weigh in further next week.
This week was marked by another disappointing performance from Paris (the "Conga" song selection was embarrassing, and although I still like her this worries me more than her attempt to "stretch" with a poorly chosen ballad last week) and the first disappointing performance by Elliott (the only guy I truly like). At least the judges loved him, I'm worried he may not even make the top 12.
Katharine was probably the highlight of the women this week, she confirmed her Kelly Clarkson-esque aspirations by daring to take on an Aretha standard (although by doing so she proved she's good, but not Kelly good). And for the first time since her audition I really loved Lisa's performance, even if the judges were thoroughly unimpressed. The way that Kellie continually gets a pass from the judges is starting to drive me crazy ("cute" does not overcome mediocre singing) and I have yet to be "wow"-ed by Mandisa, but I guess I'm almost alone in that.
On the guys' side only Gedeon was worth watching, but he's a little too bizarre offstage (what exactly was that clip package about? a painting involving the world and a record?? and he was so serious about it...creepy).
I've pretty much resigned myself to Chris winning this whole thing. He's the only one with clear "talent" who is consistent every week. Mandisa may put up a good fight, and if it actually comes down to the two of them I suppose she could win. But either way I wouldn't care much.
It's hard to predict exactly who will leave tonight but I'm guessing Melissa (who doesn't deserve it) and Ayla (who does) from the ladies and Kevin and Will (both deserving) from the guys (I would celebrate the elimination of either Bucky or Ace, but I expect them both to be safe for now).
I think Kinnik saved herself by showing some personality and picking a very safe Alicia Keys song (the same song that saved Vonzell when she needed it early on), but I'd expect her to be in the bottom three. Though the underwhelmed reactions that Paris and Lisa received from the judges could be dangerous.
Anyway after tonight we'll have a top 12 and I'll weigh in further next week.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
No spoilers, but...
I just have to say: 24 is fearless.
For a TV show, a network TV show no less, to be this good in its fifth season is insane.
For a TV show, a network TV show no less, to be this good in its fifth season is insane.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
The Season's Best (Network) TV Pilot Finally Arrives
If Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm had a baby it would be Sons & Daughters, which premieres on ABC tonight at 9 with back-to-back episodes (fits great into the post-Idol, pre-Race viewing schedule, right?).
This nutty, complex half-hour comedy blends the sharp improv style of Curb with the dysfunctional family appeal and smart running gags of Arrested. This wasn't a great season for new shows on network television but this first episode would be among the best in any season.
Whether the show stays good after the first episode I can't say, but I'm optimistic. I'm not as optimistic about its chances of survival. This is hardly broad comedy for the masses and the large amount of characters, lack of recognizable stars (lead Fred Goss was also on Bravo's acclaimed but short lived Significant Others, and yes that's Dee Wallace, the mom from E.T., as the matriarch of the extended family, but no one here is a known commodity) and ABC's uneven marketing campaign won't help.
If Arrested Development couldn't make it despite Fox's patience it's hard to imagine this show doing any better on a "bigger" network. But I'm glad ABC is giving it a shot, and given the network's embarrassing line-up of comedies right now (their highest rated comedy of the season was the offbeat, but never good enough, Crumbs, which isn't even on the schedule anymore) maybe something good will come of this odd little experiment.
I hope to enjoy it while it lasts.
This nutty, complex half-hour comedy blends the sharp improv style of Curb with the dysfunctional family appeal and smart running gags of Arrested. This wasn't a great season for new shows on network television but this first episode would be among the best in any season.
Whether the show stays good after the first episode I can't say, but I'm optimistic. I'm not as optimistic about its chances of survival. This is hardly broad comedy for the masses and the large amount of characters, lack of recognizable stars (lead Fred Goss was also on Bravo's acclaimed but short lived Significant Others, and yes that's Dee Wallace, the mom from E.T., as the matriarch of the extended family, but no one here is a known commodity) and ABC's uneven marketing campaign won't help.
If Arrested Development couldn't make it despite Fox's patience it's hard to imagine this show doing any better on a "bigger" network. But I'm glad ABC is giving it a shot, and given the network's embarrassing line-up of comedies right now (their highest rated comedy of the season was the offbeat, but never good enough, Crumbs, which isn't even on the schedule anymore) maybe something good will come of this odd little experiment.
I hope to enjoy it while it lasts.
Monday, March 06, 2006
The Morning After
Now that some of the blinding rage has subsided (some, not all), I realized I made a big, embarrassing mistake in my post of outrage: Million Dollar Baby didn't lose a script Oscar to Lord of the Rings, it lost a script Oscar to Sideways, which is fine and as it should be. Mystic River lost to Lord of the Rings, but we'll let that go...
Since the world hasn't actually ended I'll go ahead and mention a few things I liked about this year's Oscars:
1) Reese Witherspoon's speech (and George Clooney's wasn't so bad either)
2) The honorary Oscar segment, with a fantastic presentation by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin and a rather inspiring speech from Robert Altman
3) The mock political attack ads for the Best Actress and Best Sound Editing categories; cheeky, brilliant
4) Jon Stewart's presence throughout the show; his opening monologue was weak (and I did miss Chris Rock) but Stewart improved as the show went on, which was vital for a ceremony short on surprises or otherwise riveting moments; that said I have a feeling it'll be back to Crystal or Martin next year, one of them will probably be willing to give it another go
And I think that's about it. Not a really great production (literally, what was up with all the sound flubs?), but even if it had been a great show the ending would've ruined everything.
Kenneth Turan has his say on Oscar's folly, it's a great read.
Since the world hasn't actually ended I'll go ahead and mention a few things I liked about this year's Oscars:
1) Reese Witherspoon's speech (and George Clooney's wasn't so bad either)
2) The honorary Oscar segment, with a fantastic presentation by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin and a rather inspiring speech from Robert Altman
3) The mock political attack ads for the Best Actress and Best Sound Editing categories; cheeky, brilliant
4) Jon Stewart's presence throughout the show; his opening monologue was weak (and I did miss Chris Rock) but Stewart improved as the show went on, which was vital for a ceremony short on surprises or otherwise riveting moments; that said I have a feeling it'll be back to Crystal or Martin next year, one of them will probably be willing to give it another go
And I think that's about it. Not a really great production (literally, what was up with all the sound flubs?), but even if it had been a great show the ending would've ruined everything.
Kenneth Turan has his say on Oscar's folly, it's a great read.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
What is there to say?
I've been disappointed in the past (like when Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare in Love), I've been prepared for disappointment (like when Jack Nicholson beat Peter Fonda, or Traffic and Crouching Tiger both lost to Gladiator), I've been slightly appalled by surprise choices (like when Adrien Brody beat Jack Nicholson, or Paul Haggis' Million Dollar Baby script lost to Lord of the freakin' Rings) but I've never been AS DISGUSTED as when I heard Jack Nicholson announce Crash as the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2005.
Best Picture. Crash.
As someone who likes movies, loves movies, really cares about movies, I am dumbfounded by such blatant stupidity. Such cluelessness. Such utter disregard for movies as an art.
To single out such mediocrity in what was a pretty damn good year for filmmaking (and for Oscar nominations) is beyond absurd. It's pathetic.
And here's the thing. Mediocre is the key word when it comes to this "Best" Picture. I don't consider Crash to be a terrible film. I don't think it's an abomination. It has some good qualities and it's impossible to say it's not well intentioned. I understand why people like it.
But liking it is completely different from calling it the best film of the year, or choosing it as the best film when your other choices are Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck and Munich. That is what I simply can not wrap my head around, and never will.
There are a lot of people (and organizations) to fault for this ridiculous victory. But I'm confident about how this will play in the record books. A "controversial" choice at best, an all-time Oscar low point at the worst.
As I mentioned in my predictions post, Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well.
Add to that list Brokeback's victory over the weekend at the Independent Spirit Awards (where Crash was relegated to Best First Feature, not allowed to play with the big boys, although it could've been nominated as Best Feature if it had the support: Tommy Lee Jones' debut film The Three Burials of Melqiuades Estrada was nominated in the Best Feature category this year). And throw in critics groups from Florida, Iowa and St. Louis that I neglected to mention (probably others as well).
So yes, it will look like a mistake. It already does. But let's not kid ourselves, the Best Picture Oscar is the big one. It's the one award that Brokeback deserved more than anything else. For it to have lost to a good film would be unfortunate, for it to have lost to a film that didn't even deserve a nomination is...disgusting.
I never hated Crash.
I do now.
Best Picture. Crash.
As someone who likes movies, loves movies, really cares about movies, I am dumbfounded by such blatant stupidity. Such cluelessness. Such utter disregard for movies as an art.
To single out such mediocrity in what was a pretty damn good year for filmmaking (and for Oscar nominations) is beyond absurd. It's pathetic.
And here's the thing. Mediocre is the key word when it comes to this "Best" Picture. I don't consider Crash to be a terrible film. I don't think it's an abomination. It has some good qualities and it's impossible to say it's not well intentioned. I understand why people like it.
But liking it is completely different from calling it the best film of the year, or choosing it as the best film when your other choices are Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck and Munich. That is what I simply can not wrap my head around, and never will.
There are a lot of people (and organizations) to fault for this ridiculous victory. But I'm confident about how this will play in the record books. A "controversial" choice at best, an all-time Oscar low point at the worst.
As I mentioned in my predictions post, Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well.
Add to that list Brokeback's victory over the weekend at the Independent Spirit Awards (where Crash was relegated to Best First Feature, not allowed to play with the big boys, although it could've been nominated as Best Feature if it had the support: Tommy Lee Jones' debut film The Three Burials of Melqiuades Estrada was nominated in the Best Feature category this year). And throw in critics groups from Florida, Iowa and St. Louis that I neglected to mention (probably others as well).
So yes, it will look like a mistake. It already does. But let's not kid ourselves, the Best Picture Oscar is the big one. It's the one award that Brokeback deserved more than anything else. For it to have lost to a good film would be unfortunate, for it to have lost to a film that didn't even deserve a nomination is...disgusting.
I never hated Crash.
I do now.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Oscar predictions 2006
And here we go... lots of predictions this year for "unpredictable" things happening. The nominees were much easier to forecast than Oscarwatchers were expecting and I think the winners will be to. Honestly I hope so, because in most cases the frontrunners will make for a very nice winners' circle.
Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Munich
Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well. It's not just a great movie, it's a great zeitgeist movie. That's what Oscar really loves. Even in such a great year for nominees anything else winning would be a mistake for the record books.
Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman; Terrence Howard; Heath Ledger; Joaquin Phoenix; David Strathairn
Hoffman is the actor's actor. Generally unrecognized by award groups until his work in Capote he's been on a tear all year, and it won't end here.
Best Actress
Judi Dench; Felicity Huffman; Keira Knightley; Charlize Theron; Reese Witherspoon
Possibly the only category with a "superstar" winner: was there anyone Witherspoon didn't charm with the best country music film performance since Sissy Spacek 25 years ago?
Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney; Matt Dillon; Paul Giamatti; Jake Gyllenhaal; William Hurt
The one where no one knows anything. But Clooney is the golden boy of the moment, with good reason. (My nagging doubt: when actors prove themselves as filmmakers they usually don't win an Oscar for acting.)
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams; Catherine Keener; Frances McDormand; Rachel Weisz; Michelle Williams
The name that keeps going through my head is Marisa Tomei, who pulled off a shocker of a win 13 years ago that many people credit to video screeners. If enough people watch Junebug then the same thing might happen for Adams. But I fear the movie is too small, and The Constant Gardener is too well liked, and Weisz becomes the latest actress nobody thought would win an Oscar to win an Oscar.
Best Director
George Clooney; Paul Haggis; Ang Lee; Bennett Miller; Steven Spielberg
Lee. A master filmmaker winning an Oscar for one of his best films doesn't happen very often. Enjoy it.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; The Constant Gardener; A History of Violence; Munich
I hope Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana have a good speech ready when Brokeback wins.
Best Original Screenplay
Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Match Point; The Squid and the Whale; Syriana
Crash has had a lock on this for months, unfortunately.
Best Animated Film
Howl's Moving Castle; Tim Burton's Corpse Bride; Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace & Gromit has to be one of the night's surest locks.
Best Documentary
Darwin's Nightmare; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; March of the Penguins; Murderball; Street Fight
I wouldn't consider those mega-grossing Penguins locks, but I think they'll, uh, march off with the win anyway...
Best Foreign Language Film
Don't Tell (Italy); Joyeux Noel (France); Paradise Now (Palestine); Sophie Scholl-The Final Days (Germany); Tsotsi (South Africa)
I was wrong with this at the Globes but I'm sticking by Tsotsi for the Oscar (South Africa's first after two consecutive nominations).
Best Original Song
"In the Deep" (Crash); "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (Hustle & Flow); "Travelin' Thru" (Transamerica)
I'm actually looking forward to the performances for once but I feel incredibly uncertain about who will win. Dolly Parton (who wrote Travelin') is the respected vet, but things haven't been going so well for vets lately in this category. Pimp is showcased the best in its film, it's undeniably catchy and voters have already embraced rap with Eminem's win three years ago. But Bird York has been promoting her song like crazy and Crash is nominated for Best Picture. I want Dolly to get her Oscar (imagine how great her speech would be!) but I think In the Deep takes it.
Best Cinematography
Batman Begins; Brokeback Mountain; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Memoirs of a Geisha; The New World
Memoirs of a Geisha won at BAFTA and the Cinematographers' Guild but the whole Oscar body votes on this and I think it'll be Brokeback's one tech win.
Best Editing
Cinderella Man; The Constant Gardener; Crash; Munich; Walk the Line
Crash. :(
Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain; The Constant Gardener; Memoirs of a Geisha; Munich; Pride & Prejudice
John Williams has two nominations this year and has won five times in the past. I think he'll win again for Geisha (but that Brokeback score is awfully catchy...).
Best Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; War of the Worlds
King Kong
Best Art Direction
Good Night, and Good Luck.; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Pride & Prejudice
Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Costume Design
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Memoirs of a Geisha; Mrs. Henderson Presents; Pride & Prejudice; Walk the Line
Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Sound
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Walk the Line; War of the Worlds
Walk the Line
Best Sound Editing
King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; War of the Worlds
King Kong
Best Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia; Cinderella Man; Star Wars: Episode III
Cinderella Man
According to my predictions Brokeback Mountain will win four awards and Crash and Memoirs of a Geisha will win three. King Kong and Walk the Line take two.
What a weird year.
Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Munich
Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well. It's not just a great movie, it's a great zeitgeist movie. That's what Oscar really loves. Even in such a great year for nominees anything else winning would be a mistake for the record books.
Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman; Terrence Howard; Heath Ledger; Joaquin Phoenix; David Strathairn
Hoffman is the actor's actor. Generally unrecognized by award groups until his work in Capote he's been on a tear all year, and it won't end here.
Best Actress
Judi Dench; Felicity Huffman; Keira Knightley; Charlize Theron; Reese Witherspoon
Possibly the only category with a "superstar" winner: was there anyone Witherspoon didn't charm with the best country music film performance since Sissy Spacek 25 years ago?
Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney; Matt Dillon; Paul Giamatti; Jake Gyllenhaal; William Hurt
The one where no one knows anything. But Clooney is the golden boy of the moment, with good reason. (My nagging doubt: when actors prove themselves as filmmakers they usually don't win an Oscar for acting.)
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams; Catherine Keener; Frances McDormand; Rachel Weisz; Michelle Williams
The name that keeps going through my head is Marisa Tomei, who pulled off a shocker of a win 13 years ago that many people credit to video screeners. If enough people watch Junebug then the same thing might happen for Adams. But I fear the movie is too small, and The Constant Gardener is too well liked, and Weisz becomes the latest actress nobody thought would win an Oscar to win an Oscar.
Best Director
George Clooney; Paul Haggis; Ang Lee; Bennett Miller; Steven Spielberg
Lee. A master filmmaker winning an Oscar for one of his best films doesn't happen very often. Enjoy it.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; The Constant Gardener; A History of Violence; Munich
I hope Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana have a good speech ready when Brokeback wins.
Best Original Screenplay
Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Match Point; The Squid and the Whale; Syriana
Crash has had a lock on this for months, unfortunately.
Best Animated Film
Howl's Moving Castle; Tim Burton's Corpse Bride; Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace & Gromit has to be one of the night's surest locks.
Best Documentary
Darwin's Nightmare; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; March of the Penguins; Murderball; Street Fight
I wouldn't consider those mega-grossing Penguins locks, but I think they'll, uh, march off with the win anyway...
Best Foreign Language Film
Don't Tell (Italy); Joyeux Noel (France); Paradise Now (Palestine); Sophie Scholl-The Final Days (Germany); Tsotsi (South Africa)
I was wrong with this at the Globes but I'm sticking by Tsotsi for the Oscar (South Africa's first after two consecutive nominations).
Best Original Song
"In the Deep" (Crash); "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (Hustle & Flow); "Travelin' Thru" (Transamerica)
I'm actually looking forward to the performances for once but I feel incredibly uncertain about who will win. Dolly Parton (who wrote Travelin') is the respected vet, but things haven't been going so well for vets lately in this category. Pimp is showcased the best in its film, it's undeniably catchy and voters have already embraced rap with Eminem's win three years ago. But Bird York has been promoting her song like crazy and Crash is nominated for Best Picture. I want Dolly to get her Oscar (imagine how great her speech would be!) but I think In the Deep takes it.
Best Cinematography
Batman Begins; Brokeback Mountain; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Memoirs of a Geisha; The New World
Memoirs of a Geisha won at BAFTA and the Cinematographers' Guild but the whole Oscar body votes on this and I think it'll be Brokeback's one tech win.
Best Editing
Cinderella Man; The Constant Gardener; Crash; Munich; Walk the Line
Crash. :(
Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain; The Constant Gardener; Memoirs of a Geisha; Munich; Pride & Prejudice
John Williams has two nominations this year and has won five times in the past. I think he'll win again for Geisha (but that Brokeback score is awfully catchy...).
Best Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; War of the Worlds
King Kong
Best Art Direction
Good Night, and Good Luck.; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Pride & Prejudice
Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Costume Design
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Memoirs of a Geisha; Mrs. Henderson Presents; Pride & Prejudice; Walk the Line
Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Sound
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Walk the Line; War of the Worlds
Walk the Line
Best Sound Editing
King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; War of the Worlds
King Kong
Best Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia; Cinderella Man; Star Wars: Episode III
Cinderella Man
According to my predictions Brokeback Mountain will win four awards and Crash and Memoirs of a Geisha will win three. King Kong and Walk the Line take two.
What a weird year.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
The (Not So) Alternative Oscars
One of the most interesting things about the Independent Spirit Awards is just how long it takes to get from nominees to winners. Here are my ridiculously quick, thoughtless and utterly unreliable predictions on who'll win at that show that happens the day before the Oscars...
John Cassavetes Award (for ultra low budget feature): Room (although Brick has the highest profile)
Truer Than Fiction Award: Occupation: Dreamland
Producers Award: Caroline Baron
Best Foreign Film: Paradise Now (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Cinematography: Good Night, and Good Luck. (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Documentary: Grizzly Man (not the Oscar nominee, that would be Enron, but a popular choice nonetheless)
Best First Screenplay: Junebug (if there's any justice...although Me and You and Everyone We Know would be a smart choice too, but Transamerica would not)
Best First Feature: Crash (ew)
Best Screenplay: The Squid and the Whale
Best Supporting Female: Amy Adams (I hope, but Michelle Williams has just as good a shot)
Best Supporting Male: Matt Dillon (sadly)
Best Female Lead: Felicity Huffman
Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman (but if Terrence Howard's gonna upset anywhere it would be here, right?)
Best Director: Ang Lee
Best Feature: Brokeback Mountain
John Cassavetes Award (for ultra low budget feature): Room (although Brick has the highest profile)
Truer Than Fiction Award: Occupation: Dreamland
Producers Award: Caroline Baron
Best Foreign Film: Paradise Now (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Cinematography: Good Night, and Good Luck. (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Documentary: Grizzly Man (not the Oscar nominee, that would be Enron, but a popular choice nonetheless)
Best First Screenplay: Junebug (if there's any justice...although Me and You and Everyone We Know would be a smart choice too, but Transamerica would not)
Best First Feature: Crash (ew)
Best Screenplay: The Squid and the Whale
Best Supporting Female: Amy Adams (I hope, but Michelle Williams has just as good a shot)
Best Supporting Male: Matt Dillon (sadly)
Best Female Lead: Felicity Huffman
Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman (but if Terrence Howard's gonna upset anywhere it would be here, right?)
Best Director: Ang Lee
Best Feature: Brokeback Mountain
Oh those crazy judges
I'm glad the Idol contestants who I thought would leave are all gone now but the really interesting thing tonight was, of course, Paula. What the HELL was going on?!?
This show is never gonna end.
This show is never gonna end.
Songs Sung Blah
There’s something about these semi-final shows that inspires the American Idol contestants to become zombies—singing songs no one really wants to hear and looking a lot less impressive than they should considering they’re performing for 30 million-plus viewers. I have no idea what that something is but it was in full effect this week.
The girls were more of a mess than they were last week, if it wasn’t for Melissa’s energetic rendition of Reba McEntire’s "Why Haven’t I Heard From You" the show would’ve had no highlight at all. There’s no question that Katharine, Lisa and Paris are talented but they were all painfully dull this week (especially Katharine). I’d pick Melissa, Mandisa and Kinnik to join them in the top twelve but Kinnik is looking desperate (Gretchen Wilson!?) and either the thoroughly-mediocre-but-gee-ain’t-she-cute? Kellie Pickler or the overachieving Tracy Flick-esque Ayla Brown will wind up in the top 12 instead (odds are on Kellie). I’m still waiting for Mandisa to blow me away, but maybe she’s saving the good stuff for the finals?
Anyway my bets for those saying goodbye are Heather "shoot her now" Cox, who thought it was a good idea to sing Mariah Carey’s "Hero" and Brenna Gethers, who is sassy and all but is really out of her depth. (Again I think Kinnik is in trouble, and going country may have lost it for her, and I suppose people could be too bored with Katharine to care but she should be safe—she just needs to pull out all the stops next week.)
And then, over in Special Ed, the boys were really hurting (my ears and my soul). After Taylor demonstrated how quickly his whole weird Southern I-just-love-music-and-Ray-Charles! vibe can grow tiresome (especially when his vocals suck and his song choice is embarrassing— Easy? oh please), Elliott showed everyone what actual talent sounds like (but what exactly is this guy’s niche? and how on earth can anyone market it?). Then we had to suffer through eight other performers I’d be perfectly happy never seeing again. On the plus side, Gedeon probably secured himself a slot in the top 12 with a reasonably pleasant performance (but why has this show never found a great contemporary sounding African-American male?). And yes Chris knows how to perfectly imitate the worst of modern rock radio. If people like this crap as much as record companies believe they do he’ll go far. It’s just white noise to me.
Watching the other guys is really about waiting to see just how lame they’ll be. The lamest of the lame last night was David Radford, the "crooner," who seemed like he desperately wanted to be anywhere else but on stage. And "Sway" was also uncomfortable and awkward, though it was obvious he at least wanted to do better. Hopefully they’re both finished as of tonight, but it’s not like Ace, Will, Kevin or Bucky actually deserve to stay. Unfortunately that's who we're stuck with, for now...
The girls were more of a mess than they were last week, if it wasn’t for Melissa’s energetic rendition of Reba McEntire’s "Why Haven’t I Heard From You" the show would’ve had no highlight at all. There’s no question that Katharine, Lisa and Paris are talented but they were all painfully dull this week (especially Katharine). I’d pick Melissa, Mandisa and Kinnik to join them in the top twelve but Kinnik is looking desperate (Gretchen Wilson!?) and either the thoroughly-mediocre-but-gee-ain’t-she-cute? Kellie Pickler or the overachieving Tracy Flick-esque Ayla Brown will wind up in the top 12 instead (odds are on Kellie). I’m still waiting for Mandisa to blow me away, but maybe she’s saving the good stuff for the finals?
Anyway my bets for those saying goodbye are Heather "shoot her now" Cox, who thought it was a good idea to sing Mariah Carey’s "Hero" and Brenna Gethers, who is sassy and all but is really out of her depth. (Again I think Kinnik is in trouble, and going country may have lost it for her, and I suppose people could be too bored with Katharine to care but she should be safe—she just needs to pull out all the stops next week.)
And then, over in Special Ed, the boys were really hurting (my ears and my soul). After Taylor demonstrated how quickly his whole weird Southern I-just-love-music-and-Ray-Charles! vibe can grow tiresome (especially when his vocals suck and his song choice is embarrassing— Easy? oh please), Elliott showed everyone what actual talent sounds like (but what exactly is this guy’s niche? and how on earth can anyone market it?). Then we had to suffer through eight other performers I’d be perfectly happy never seeing again. On the plus side, Gedeon probably secured himself a slot in the top 12 with a reasonably pleasant performance (but why has this show never found a great contemporary sounding African-American male?). And yes Chris knows how to perfectly imitate the worst of modern rock radio. If people like this crap as much as record companies believe they do he’ll go far. It’s just white noise to me.
Watching the other guys is really about waiting to see just how lame they’ll be. The lamest of the lame last night was David Radford, the "crooner," who seemed like he desperately wanted to be anywhere else but on stage. And "Sway" was also uncomfortable and awkward, though it was obvious he at least wanted to do better. Hopefully they’re both finished as of tonight, but it’s not like Ace, Will, Kevin or Bucky actually deserve to stay. Unfortunately that's who we're stuck with, for now...
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