Cakebug Tranch

ALSO. Did anyone see that god-awful 'Blinded By the Light' last year? (I am looking at letterboxd and it seems like a few of you have, and no one hated it as much as I did, but here's my review of it: https://letterboxd.com/shaksper/film/blinded-by-the-light-2019/) One of the major issues I had with that movie was that it featured a writer character who was apparently miraculously gifted, but the writers of the movie didn't have the talent to write him material that was actually in line with how everyone was reacting to him. So they cut away just about every time he's about to read his stories out and we have to take their word. So much of 'Funny Girl' felt like that for me with Fanny - I kept wanting to see how AMAZING she was but all we saw was her and the other girls getting on and off trains. Show us the shows in Baltimore, ffs! Dazzle us! Because it seems the only reason she's famous is because she goes in and deliberately sabotages other peoples' work just to get a laugh. I don't care how funny you are, that's so unprofessional and would get you fired no matter what. I wanted to like this more, but in the end... meh.

My wife and I have worked in the theatre for 25 years and we both felt that this was a major gap in our musical knowledge. So, seeing this felt like a way of ticking something off the list more than anything. Twice, with 'People' and 'Don't Rain on my Parade', my wife said 'OH! That's from this?!', but without those numbers this thing felt pretty aimless. More than anything, I was amazed that it seemed the composers' primary job was to come up with five or six 'follies'-style numbers that could be performed anywhere, rather than using the music to move the story along.

Hey! I worked on that production of Love's Labour's at Stratford, as well as the Hamlet that's coming out this week. I work as video dramaturg for all of the Stratford productions, advising on text cuts.

Glad to see this is a well-received pick! I mostly only know this because of the individual songs that came out of it (like 'People who need people') and because it was a featured storyline in 'Glee'. It seems like it might be long-ish, but I'm hoping that it's more 'Cabaret' and less 'Gigi'!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that my inability to check email last night meant I delayed the pick today. I am never around here anymore but that doesn't mean I don't miss you all, and I am especially appreciative of watching you all generate great work over on Letterboxd. I had a bit of a struggle this week with what I would pick: should I pick the standard HDTGM-worthy thing to make fun of, or something that would pep us up in this difficult time? In the end, I chose the latter, a generally well-received musical based on a Broadway production that launched an international career. What's that you say? "They didn't make a Broadway musical of Across the Universe!" Yet. They haven't made it yet. Anyway, I noticed that this movie had been added to Netflix, I had never seen it, but my wife said "oh, I want to see that!", which is as much as to say, I'm picking that, instead of the terrible movie I was going to pick. So, let's all watch the movie version of the Broadway musical that would eventually launch the career of Rachel Berry! No one in this thread had reviewed it on Letterboxd yet, so hopefully this is a new experience for many of us! It's nice to be back! I'll try to remember to be around more! (I've said that 3000 times in the last 3 years. Sorry guys.)

I'm here! I'm here! But I guess... if it's already been flipped... I can come back in 2 weeks. I have a pick here but I'll wait to see if CamB has already picked something. I miss everyone!

Coming soon to a theatre near you! It's RUPERT! The wise-cracking, fun-loving Australian urchin who rose to become the world's most beloved man and newspaper oligarch! For the Rupert Murdoch lover in YOUR life! Coming on Trumpsday, 23rd of Trumpruary, 2122!

Apologies for missing the first day of the discussion: I'll try to get in to the forum as much as I can but I hope we can find plenty to discuss here. This movie gets me every time, even though I know there are enough terrible things that mean I shouldn't buy in. 'A Million Dreams' makes me cry every god damned time, and I can't make it through with a dry eye. I don't know, if it's the performance or the content, but the idea of hope and dreams hits me just in the right way at the moment. I love the fantasy version of Barnum and Charity's early relationship, and love the quick transition from urchin into fifty-something Jackman pretending to be thirty years younger. Honestly, I think for me the things I love best are the things that speak to me as a father, so songs like 'From Now On' really strike the right chord with me. Others, not so much. My daughter hates Jenny Lind with a burning passion and refuses to watch her scenes, and that's no great loss. My favourite part of the existence of 'The Greatest Showman' comes from the latest season of The Good Place, which states that Michael and Janet's meddling with the afterlife meant that the world is all messed up: Brexit happened, the Jacksonville Jaguars are good now, and this movie musical about PT Barnum made $400million...

Also, I kind of feel as though I should dig up the world record holding longest ever thread for this, but given the proximity of Zac Efron, this feels right. I'm... kind of really excited about this?

10,000%. Also, that was the ideal way of selling it to my daughter. "Look who's in it! TROY!"

I posted quickly this morning before I drove down to New York for work, so didn't get much of a chance to introduce this, but glad to hear everyone's pretty positive about it. I know it's a film many of us have already seen, but my second-to-last pick was La La Land, which many of us had seen too, which spurred great conversation. I first saw this movie on an airplane, not having much of a sense of what it was. I cried like a baby throughout. Then I nudged my seven year old daughter and suggested she watch it. She watched it three times in a row. Long story short, we've seen this movie as a family at least seven times now, usually fast forwarding through the crap bits (Jenny Lind, Come Alive) and focusing on the bits we love. It's a hot mess of a movie but they commit SO HARD to what they're making that it sort of works. Anyway, good luck getting the music out of your head!

This is Me! Cakebug! I've missed you all! Since I've been gone, walking a Tightrope of academia, I've had A Million Dreams about presenting a film which will help the forum Come Alive because, as I know, with this discerning crowd, too much is Never Enough. So let's Rewrite the Stars and realize that From Now On, you'll have a new guilty pleasure musical. Come with me to The Other Side. Ladies and Gents, This is the Moment You've Waited For... Hugh Jackman Whoa-oh-oh-oh!

I've been listening every week since the podcast started, and have been reading along with Michael after each episode. Last week I read ahead just a little bit and got to this devastating point, so have been dreading this week's episode ever since. I want to pass on my thanks and admiration to Michael for the sensitivity and care that he handled this really hard point in the book. This is by far my favourite podcast and I am really sad that we're only a few chapters from the end. I'm really hoping that Michael goes on to read us another one. RIP, little Fawleys.

Taylor Anne's going to be so mad that you brought up baked beans

Me too! And while I'm a bit sad that this pick didn't generate all that much discussion (I dipped out for a week, accidentally), I'm very happy that everyone liked it! I think we can all agree that this was my second best ever MM pick!

Tom, how was the experience of the live performance? I imagine with a half-full audience it wasn't as riotous as the filmed version. What do you recall?

I agree, I had no real idea what I was picking, but I had this film highly praised and recommended by a playwright I respect, who said without hesitation that it was his favorite musical ever. That's a big claim to make, so I think I had the expectation of that ringing in my ears as we went, and was glad I did this instead of Sharpay's Big Adventure... Also, a few days ago, I was doing basement karaoke with my kids on my daughter's karaoke machine, and while waiting for my song to begin I wrapped the cord around my neck and started doing Mr Venus. So now my kids sit at dinner and every time there is a lull in conversation, they whisper 'vat's inside is yust a lie'. 10/10 parenting right there.

vatsinsideisjustalie

You mean "in addition to Across the Universe, you're really burnishing your reputation"?

Taking advantage of all those sweet sweet Euros from all the Christensen-heads in Lithuania. Smart.

So Paul and Jason mention that in the outtakes for this movie, Hayden Christensen and Emma Roberts are never seen having fun or goofing around, so that must mean that they didn't get along on set. However, it seems like they really DID get on, off-set... https://www.teenvogue.com/story/emma-roberts-blamed-hayden-christensen-rachel-bilsons-breakup https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4964194/Did-Emma-Roberts-come-Christensen-Bilson.html https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/11/blame-emma-roberts-for-rachel-bilsons-split-from-hayden-christensen-reports-say/

The obliteration of Toronto 100% has to do with the producers feeling as though if people say 'Canada' or, worse, 'Toronto', that will turn off American viewers (and maybe overseas markets, I don't know), but honestly, if you've paid ten bucks to sit through this pile of shit, do you think it's going to be a reference to Toronto that's going to make you stand up and say 'what the hell? This isn't New York? I'm out!'? Add to that Lei-O's heavy-handed Toronto Blue Jays jacket with 'TORONTO' in giant letters on the back, and the establishing shots of the CN Tower, I don't think not mentioning Toronto unTorontofies this script. I fully agree with you that TO should have had more love in this, but I'd suggest that it almost certainly was more of a Toronto story in the first draft. It's kind of like in 'Episodes', where 'Lyman's Boys' in England becomes 'Pucks!' in the US. Executives have a lot to answer for! I think your version of the film is much better.

Don't forget the happy bear, monster beaver, stuffed eagle and super subtle T that makes our coat of arms all the crazier... At least it's an upgrade on our old coat of arms which featured jolly native Canadian, Mera from Aquaman, attack beaver and surprisingly cocky old slogan...

I don't know, when I was an actor I used to always hear about people bad-mouthing summer stock theatre as lesser than 'real' professional work, but in auditioning for those things (and then later when I was a dramaturg, sitting watching people audition), people are cut-throat and hardcore about the opportunity. I, for one, never got a summer stock gig, and not for lack of trying. They're tough to get. It's not as though there are theatres crying out for actors: if you're working summer stock, you may not be on Broadway, but at least you're working. There are literally countless actors who would kill to have that gig in Ohio, and she's making the best of it. The fact that she's back in Ohio is almost certainly because in casting it's easiest to bring back people who you know can do the job, so most summer stock companies are at least half returners. In the Shakespeare company I worked at for years we used to only have 3-4 new cast members each year, and we'd bring veterans back provided they didn't have a better gig to go to. So, I see Ohio as Cathy's 'in' to showbiz, where she would have had an opportunity to play roles she couldn't get otherwise (she plays Maria in Sound of Music, seemingly, and definitely Anita in West Side Story: not sure what she'd do in Porgy and Bess though!), and she's gone back because there were no better offers. This is, sadly, the life of an actor, and it is completely meaningless about how hard you try.

100% here for the Jathy portmanteau. #fuckyouteamCamie