TJGS Episode 3: Mother Daughter Songfest

Liza Minnelli is a revelation in her guest spot on the third episode of The Judy Garland Show.  She's still forming as an artist and performer, still a little raw, and her presence is so..."unaffected" as one critic wrote, that I found myself wanting to be her best friend.  She's earnest, bouncy, boisterous, and so eager to please that you can't help but root for her.  She dredges up a that same desire to want to protect her that people have for Judy.  When you watch her, get a sense that there's something very special in her, something still shaping itself, that she courageously and unselfishly (if somewhat unwisely)  lets loose for all to see.  I say "unwisely" because anyone up onstage in front of that many people, with so little "armor" is going to be in for some tough surprises down the road.  It makes you want to fight for her and protect her so she can keep giving of this magic that she seems born to give. 

 

 

And take a close look at Liza's styling.  I have always thought that Rachel Berry's look in early episodes of Glee was reminiscent of Liza's.  Anybody else?  Am I just seeing what I want to see, kind of like when you buy a new Jeep Cherokee and suddenly it seems like everyone else has a Jeep Cherokee simply because you are attuned to seeing Jeep Cherokees???

 

One thing I AM certain of is that the number at the end of the episode, in which Liza and Judy dress up as hobos (Judy loved that hobo thing) inspired another duet on a certain show that any other kid of my age has embedded in his DNA. 

 

First there was "Judy and Liza"...

 

 

 

 

Then there was "Flo and Mo", also known as "Carol and Marcia"

 

 

 

This episode also had another great solo by Judy, in fact there are two of them duking it out for top honors here.  There was a powerful rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine", as only Judy can do it, and yet she would perform the song again in a later episode and that performance is just a little better than this one in my opinion so I'm going to save it for later.  No, the performance I love, and that is practically perfect is Judy' rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me".  Lionel Bart has been quoted many times as saying that Judy's voice was his inspiration for the score of Oliver, and so it's fitting that Judy gives the definitive performance.  If only it weren't for that damn chorus towards the end and that soprano who is really going for broke.  Ah well.  It was the early sixties after all.

 



 

Another thing that amazes me is how natural both Judy and Liza make this canned dialogue seem when they are together.  Sure there are moments when they are improvising, but then some of the dialogue is clearly scripted, and coming from anyone else would seem hokey as hell, but from these two, it seems so organic that it work in spite of itself. 

 

Finally, a bit of ridiculousness.  No sixties variety show is complete without a little bit of bizarrity.  In this case it is provided by The Brothers Castro.  Or, I should say it is provided by the Garland Show creative who take a perfectly charming, if somewhat "rough" act and turn it into this weird kind of Hollywood version of "Ole Mexico" that you can't help but be somewhat horrified and mesmerized by.  And, if you haven't noticed by now, wherever there's some bizarre shit going down, the "Judy Garland Dancers" are sure to be close at hand.  What the fuck is up with this mini-skirt poncho thing?

 

 

 

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TJGS Episode 2: The Velvet Smog Sounds Off

When I was in my teens I found a used copy of The Other Side of the Rainbow:  With Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol by Mel Torme.  Yes, that guy...the jazz singer.  You see, way back when The Judy Garland Show was in pre-production, the producer, George Schlatter, lured him onto the program to be musical director and arranger and to borrow a phrase from an old song, Torme "didn't wanna do it.  He didn't wanna dooooo it."

Help select music for another performer?  Coach her?  Conduct her off-camera for those moments when she can't quite hear the orchestra?  To stabd in the wings and give support?  To a WOMAN?    Mel Torme was a lot of things, one of those being a tremendously talented crooner.  He was also a bit of a chauvinist, and an egotist supreme (I ordered one of these at Taco Bell a couple nights ago, and it was pretty tasty) who knew?  He understandably wanted to work on his own career, not someone else's, and he only relented when he heard he would get two on-screen guest spots in the first thirteen episodes (incidentally he was always bickering about these spots, how much time he got, was cranky when he had to share the guest spot with others, blah blah blah) with more to come later.  Undoubtedly he was a bit bitter at having to play second fiddle to another singer, and his tell-all memoir about his experience on the show, published soon after Judy's death, seems like a way for him to have the last word.  In the book he skewered Garland, placed the show's demise largely on her shoulders, and alternately bitches about her and his estranged wife, whom he condescendingly nicknames "Snow White". 

Now I'm not trying to say that he was COMPLETELY inaccurate (although much of his story was, and many of the points he makes would later be refuted as "untruths" by other crew members).  After all, Garland was a tempestuous woman.  Nervous, lonely, insecure.  The reference to the "dawn patrol" in the book's title references the fact that some members of the production team would receive late night calls from Garland who was keyed up after a night's work and needed companionship.  No, I'm not saying Garland was flawless.  I'm just saying the book has an agenda, and it served as a way for Torme to be the star of the show's story in a way that he hadn't been in life.  Unfortunately, after a backlash from the Hollywood community against Torme, the book became the only source for info on the shows troubles, and it's story went largely unchecked until the late eighties when Coyne Steven Sanders wrote the book that is now considered the definitive version of the making of the television show:  Rainbow's End. 

It's extremely readable, balanced, and doesn't overlook Garland's flaws.  It does however, put her occasional outburst into context with the craziness that was around her, the power grabs, the firings, the revamping...it's all in there.  Sanders is quoted as saying he was looking to expose the truth, no matter how ugly, and he was pleasantly surprised to finish his research and interviews with a deeper respect for Garland's work ethic, kindness, and talent (this did not happen when he dug into the life of Lucille Ball for a similar project, FYI).  Anytime I have a question about the facts of the making of the Garland series, it is the first place I go for answers. 

Well, all this is taking the long way to tell you that episode 2 of the Garland show featured Count Basie, and Mel Torme as guests, and the show gets off to a pretty dreamy start.  Judy enters a quiet set which is made to resemble a rehearsal hall in which the musicians are warming up...

 

It's a moment that I love because it allows Judy to swing it a little in a very "cool" arrangement.  Judy was never what you could call a jazz singer (although like everyone else who has an eye on the neighbor's backyard, she wanted to have her try at it) but it is great when she's allowed to escape her sentimental show biz numbers for something a little sultrier. 

 

The problems with the show are not with Judy, or Basie, but with everything else.  As much as I've grown to have a fond distaste for Mel Torme, I have to say, his vocal stylings are impeccable and a treat to listen to.  Watching him sing is another thing altogether.  He's like the nerd in school who hung around with the cool kids (you know "Sammy, Frankie, Dean") and was determined to be just like them.  He aped their moves in the mirror, dressed like them, convinced himself he WAS them, but nobody on the playground ever really bought it.  That's Mr. Torme.  He's so smarmy and schmoozy, and that swagger of his is just repellent.

 



 

Also on the list of things that bring down this episode is Jerry Van Dyke, or at least the material he's working with.  He was brought on to the show as Judy's comedic second banana, but they never quite figured out what to do with him.  Personally, I've always thought critics were too hard on him as his   presence is very sweet natured, naïve and bumbling and his bombastic energy is a nice contrast to Garland's.  And yes, the bits are trite, but he didn't write them, nor was he happy with them.  In fact, much as he loved working with Garland, he was very unhappy with his role in the show, especially when the writers came up with the idea of his poking fun at Judy to de-glamorize her and make her more approachable to the audience.

 

Other things I don't love in this episode?  Well there's this pretty unfortunate musical number in which folk singer Judy Henske teams up with Mel Torme and Jerry Van Dyke to sing "Walk Right In".  The harmonies are way off and Henske hits some notes that cause pretty hysterical reactions from Jerry.  Another thing I'm not a huge fan of in the show?

 

 

This hat...

 

 

 

While we're at it, I didn't love the dance in which these hats were featured either.  It's such a confusing melee.  Garland gets lost in it, seems unsure of herself through much of the routine, and they style seems ill fitted to her.

 

 

 

                                

 

A moment that definitely DOES work is when Judy is singing in the Trunk spot at the end of the show and flubs a line during the song, turning it into a delightful win.  The minds behind the scenes had gotten the idea to start taping dress rehearsals of the show so they would have two versions of numbers to choose from, and then they could slip the better version in.  Well, in this case they chose to use the dress rehearsal, and I can't blame them.  She's so animated and energetic, like a mischievous little sequined elf who, incidentally, can sing the shit out of a song.

 

One final note.  Does anyone else notice that Judy seems to be wearing the same outfit through the entire show?  Sure she changes from skirt to pants, but everything else seems exactly the same.  Am I the only one bothered by this?  WTF Aghayan?



The Judy Garland Show Episode 1: The Premiere!!!

This episode was the first one taped for the series, and I have to say it's pretty wonderful.  The look is dramatic, glamorous, glossy and glitzy (all those "g" words I love)...Judy looks and sounds wonderful and aside from some clunky comedic bits which were typical of sixties tv variety shows, it's a perfect way to illustrate what a viewer could look forward to in the season ahead.  If you care to watch along with me and can get ahold of a DVD of the show, the Pioneer set has loads of outtakes and deleted numbers removed and replaced due to the later change in the ordering of the episode.   ALSO, it's important to note that this show was rehearsed and taped like a theatrical production.  It was finished taping in less than 90 minutes, and Judy required no second takes on any of it.  It's a very different way of doing things from the over-produced, over "tweaked" and stilted shows of the same variety that are made today.

 

The show begins with Judy's conductor and right hand man Mort Lindsey leading an overture of her numbers that would build to her entrance, much as had been done in her concerts.  The overture of a singer's hits is pretty standard fare today, and one that Judy pioneered.  In fact, it's pretty amazing how many things we think of as standard concert tropes were originated or made famous first by Garland.  When Judy finally arrives she makes an incredible entrance and looks stunning in this ultra -sophisticated pantsuit gown combo that was very in fashion in the late-fifties early sixties.  She looks so fresh, comfortable, in control...  it only makes me wish the show had been taped in color, because Judy's color palette really made up so much of her "look" and enhanced her beauty.  This licorice black hair, deep red lips and porcelain skin, that rich sophisticated "drawl" of a speaking voice.  She sings "I Feel A Song Coming On" (one of the few pre-recorded numbers of the series) with special lyrics introducing Mickey Rooney

 

 

Then we unfortunately fade out and fade in to...Mickey Rooney.  I've always had rather ambiguous feelings about Mickey Rooney.  While I loved him in the early Andy Hardy films, in his musicals with Judy like Babes on Broadway and Girl Crazy, let's just say I tried to keep my eyes focused on her side of the screen.  He's always been a bit too forceful, too hammy for my taste.  "He really insists upon himself" as my friend Meg would say.  His philosophy of performance seemed to be "why say anything when you can shout it, while doing a handstand, balancing plates on your feet, and speaking in a bad Gable imitation.  He's the Jim Carrey/Martin Short of his day, and it ain't my cup o tea. 

 

For his solo spot on the show he is seated on a large staircase as he sings this falsely "sincere"  medley of songs glorifying the American girl, and having the much married Rooney singing that when he's not near the girl he loves he loves the girl he's with?  It has a humor that I'm not quite sure was intended.  Thank god he finally drops the winsome pose, but he segues into a schmaltzy bit in which he impersonates Jimmy Durante and Maurice Chevalier.  At the end of the number, as he sings "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" he's flanked by two little girls which would seem really creepy if you didn't know they were his daughters.  For the record, this is exactly the kind of corny number  I would usually fast-forward through, but it's worth watching once, even if it's only to see Mickey's bizarre combed forward hair-do.

 

From that number we move to one of my favorite from the series.  Ever.  The stairs that Mickey had been singing on rotate on this wonderful turn-table, doing it's job long before "Les Miz" became synonymous with the word in a theatrical context, and Judy strolls out from the darkness and just lays out the most brilliant, structured performance of a real "sock-o" number that shows what a master she is at building a song.  She's the Queen of audience mind control.  And you'll notice how carefully she selects which moments to play to the camera directly, when she plays to the studio audience, and when she seems to be singing for herself.  To paraphrase, Judy expert John Fricke, she has a way of making the relatively cold mediums of television and film seem so warm.  She communicates across forty years as if it's a cinch.  Truly stunning.    

 

 

 

Next Judy and Mickey have a really sweet interaction where they reminisce over old times and look back at old photos of themselves back when they were "in pictures" together.  While the impact is less momentous and thrilling than it would have had back then (the much publicized reunion of a beloved team that hadn't been seen together on-screen in fifteen years, in a time before you could push a button and bring up virtually any image or film clip) the dialogue is off the cuff, and sincere, and their affection for each other is blatantly obvious.  Mickey is so gentle and considerate to Judy that he completely redeems himself from his sub-par singing, and Judy she is equally loving toward him, doing her old trick of kicking off her Ferragamo heels when they dance, so they are roughly the same height.  And as they perform side by side you get a glimpse at two performers with very different styles.  Mickey looks straight at the camera, faces it dead on through most of the song, glancing at Judy ocassionally, while she makes it all about him.  She leans in to him, sings for him and to him, reacting to every moment he gives her.  This is something that she would do time and time again through the episodes.  She would constantly defer to her guest, make sure that they got spot lighted in their duets, give them the full focus, and she would give them a lot of the better material in the duets.  After awhile, Mickey shows off his comedic chops by reviving one of his most clever routines that he'd performed with Judy in personal appearances and on film in Girl Crazy: the Goofy Golfer, and he's really quite charming in it. 

 

The second half of the show is largely devoted to a sketch that probably played better in it's day, and seems a bit stumbly and tongue in cheek for it's own good.  It was obviously rehearsed, but it's too loosely scripted and most of the comedic moments fall flat as a result, aside from a wonderful moment when Mickey mocks his own penchant for hamming it up, showing again how wonderfully funny he can be. 

 

The final moment of the show worth remembering is from Judy's "Born in a Trunk" segment.  At the end of each show, Judy would stand alone on her "runway" with a large stage trunk, and sing one or two final numbers to close the evening.  The number Judy chose for the opening episode, "Old Man River", was not conventional, and not often performed by women, and the CBS executives hated it.  They wanted something nostalgic and familiar like "Over The Rainbow" or "The Trolley Song", but Judy insisted on pushing boundaries, and doing things her way.  She would take a lot of input and let other people make a lot of decisions, but when it came to musical selections, she was of the firm opinion that she knew what was right for her.  The performance proves her right, and is one of the highlights of the series...

 



 

All in all, a pretty great show that displays a relaxed, healthy looking and sophisticated Garland and it's really a shame that this wasn't the first episode aired, as I think it would have payed so much better than the hokey countrified episode that was the official premier with guest star Donald O'Connor.  While that episode actually beat the unbeatable competition "Bonanza" (a color program when color tv was a true novelty and the event television of it's day- God knows why they put Garland in such a tough time slot) one thinks the show might have fared a lot better later on if the audiences had been shown this first.

 

A couple of final comments on Garland's look.  I love her gowns in this episode.  They were (with the exception of the one in the opening number) designed by Edith Head who was fired due to disagreements with George Schlatter, the director.  He didn't like her approach to the costumes, nor did he like her demeanor, and so she was replaced by Ray Aghayan who had a much more high fashion look in mind.  It's very stylized, very sixties, and yet, while it's definitely the minority opinion...I prefer Head's conception.  As for the hairstyling, it's surprising what a difference a "do" makes.  As the season went on, Garland would go from a relaxed and tousled look to a Dairy Queen "dip cone" look. 

 

 



To me, it's constricting, and artificial, more architecture than hair.  In fact, I would have preferred her to have her hair a little longer than she does altogether, because, while I know that a forty-something year old women at that time was considered much older than we would consider one now, a more youthful hairstyle would have been lovely on her.

 

 

Ok, one LAST clip!  After the credits rolled on the show, someone left the cameras rolling and Judy and Mickey were captured as they say their thanks to the studio audience.  It's a special treat that really captures how they felt about each other.  Enjoy...

 





A Garland Geek's Conundrum

So I've decided on a new undertaking, a new blogging project.  I've decided to re-watch all episodes of Judy's critically acclaimed, ill-fated television show which lasted one season from 1963-64, and blog about them, one episode a day for the next twenty-six days.   I  know this may lose me some readers, as it appeals to a pretty "niche" audience, and yet, this whole blog serves a niche audience, so what the hell.  I'm a gonna do it.  And once I start.  I vow to watch one episode a day, and write about it for twenty-six days, until I've reached the last episode. 

Still, a decision has to be made before the first show is watched...

The shows were not aired in the order that they were taped.  The first five were produced by George Schlatter, who would later gain fame as producer of  Laugh-In.  They were glossy, glamorous, and glitzy.  The guest stars included Lena Horne, Mickey Rooney, Liza Minnelli, Count Basie and Tony Bennet.  But CBS was concerned by some comments made by a random sampling of audience members who viewed the taped episodes.  They said things like Judy looked nervous, she touched her guests too much...the concensous was that she was too unapproachable, too glamorous and not enough of the girl next door.  The former "best pal" Garland image had morphed through the years into that of a mercurial, extremely talented and troubled "Star!" and the brass wanted someone more down to earth, and a show more in keeping with their current folksy offerings like The Beverly Hillbillys".  And so the production team was unduly fired.  Schlatter was gone, most everyone else was axed as well, with only a few people remaining.  Also dropped were the guest stars Schlatter had planned to team Garland, including Nat King Cole, Betty Grable, Steve and Eydie, and Phil Harris and Alice Faye.  Instead there would be a lot more "down home" acts mixed in with the fellow legends, guests like the "The Dillards", and Zina Bethune of the drama "Nurses". 

Aside from changing up a lot of the guests, the new team would attempt to provide Judy with a bunch of regulars to be surrounded by, a "family" so to speak, much in the way The Carol Burnett Show would later.  The team would also add certain segments which could be relied upon to appear on a regular basis in an attempt to give each episode the same structure, as opposed to Schlatter's approach of each show being a "special".  Finally, they would also attempt to make Judy more approachable by writing comedic bits which would knock Judy off her "pedestal".  They would mock her age, her reputation, and lack of television know how.   

In order to present what the execs thought was one of the better shows as it's series premier, they chose to air an episode produced by the second team rather than the initially planned, first taped show, with Judy's former co-star and dear friend Mickey Rooney.  Other episodes would air out of order as well, until you get later on in the series.

So here's the quandary.  Watch as aired?  See a less cohesive order, which reproduces the way the television audiences first saw them?  Or watch them as taped and watch the chronological progression of the show?  One allows you to see the show as others first did, and the other allows you a step-by-step walk through the show and lets you see how Judy changes throughout the process.    Which is more important?  Which is the "true" experience?  Seeing the shows as they should have been viewed, or how they actually were.

Butter Churning...With Adrienne Kennedy

My spirit is churning this afternoon.  Awash in different images and thoughts, daily events- some of which happened to me and some of which I made happen due to being highly emotional and somewhat impulsive.  I've always been one to give into temptation.  Luckily, in the arena of drugs and alcohol and other dangerous vices, temptation doesn't often visit me.  No, my temptations have always been in the realm of escapism through entertainment, big cookies, and the need to over-comunicate my emotions.

So this week has me thinking, with images flashing in my mind.  Fleeting images that I can't quite grab onto.  Themes that like to tease me with ideas just enough to grant a little bit of hope and then yank it fast as fuck away, so I'm  left feeling vaguely empty and yet with a teensy touch of promise.

I was inspired this morning by an article in the New Yorker featuring playwright Adrienne Kennedy.  I'd never heard of her before, but her surreal pieces which explore her unique experience of being a black woman in the mid-twentieth century are so exciting, and even forty years later feel fresh and exploratory.  She's a spirit to learn from, someone I want to soak up and understand...

She takes her unique experience, the images and mythos of her life and molds it into something unique and new.  I feel like that's what every artist/writer/actor/singer aspires to.  If not, they should.  To me, that's the business of being an artist, blazing a unique trail using the media of your experiences and the archetypes and images that have spoken to you.  But somehow I can't seem to fid a way to do this that feels new enough.  The stuff that I'm inspired to do all seems already charted.  A review of my one-man show "Idol Worship" plagues me.  The reviewer said that it was entertaining, but not really blazing new trails. 

I couldn't help but think that, of course, to a gay man in art, which this reviewer was, this may not all be new stuff, but to other people in Austin, this isn't all well trod territory.  And the question of why gays love fierce, emotional feminine artists or "divas" has been misrepresented in a lot of media, simply by stating that gay men want to be these women.  This is both facile and a misstatement.  But anyway, I'm not writing this post to speak up for past work, but to find a new piece, a new trail to blaze. 

Part of me would love to pin down in this post all the images and themes duking it out for my attention, but the superstitious part of me wants to protect them, keep them private, and so I will, until they step out in more concrete form. Of course I have a rough draft of a play I could easily work on, shape into something more pleasing to me than in it's current incarnation, but the motivation isn't there right now.  Will it ever be?  Is that ok?  It's so raw right now that I can't bring myself to print it out, because when I do, great giant chunks of it will be torn out...and yet, maybe that's the easiest way to move onto step 2.  To have it in a concrete, in my face form that won't allow me to ignore it so easily... yes, perhaps.  I mean, nobody ever said creating this shit was easy.  It's multitudes of long steps, mired in uncertainty and questions-  "Is this new?  Is it real?  Is it truth?  Is it trite?  Do I see it for what it is or through some kind of fucking fun house mirror?"  But you just keep on churning and writing, or churning and creating and trusting.  At least you do if you ever expect to come out with something tangible.  The doubting NEVER stops, and the creators job is to create in spite of that.

Complete List of 86th Academy Award Nominations

1. Best Picture: "American Hustle," ''Captain Phillips," ''Dallas Buyers Club," ''Gravity," ''Her," ''Nebraska," ''Philomena," ''12 Years a Slave," ''The Wolf of Wall Street."

2. Actor: Christian Bale, "American Hustle"; Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"; Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"; Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"; Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club."

3. Actress: Amy Adams, "American Hustle"; Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"; Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"; Judi Dench, "Philomena"; Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County."

4. Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"; Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"; Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"; Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"; Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club."

5. Supporting Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine'''; Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"; Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"; Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"; June Squibb, "Nebraska."

6. Directing: David O. Russell, "American Hustle"; Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"; Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"; Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"; Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

7. Foreign Language Film: "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Belgium; "The Great Beauty," Italy; "The Hunt," Denmark; "The Missing Picture," Cambodia; "Omar," Palestine.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, "Before Midnight"; Billy Ray, "Captain Phillips"; Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, "Philomena"; John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave"; Terence Winter, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

9. Original Screenplay: Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, "American Hustle"; Woody Allen, "Blue Jasmine"; Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack, "Dallas Buyers Club"; Spike Jonze, "Her"; Bob Nelson, "Nebraska."

10. Animated Feature Film: "The Croods"; "Despicable Me 2"; "Ernest & Celestine"; "Frozen"; "The Wind Rises."

11. Production Design: "American Hustle," ''Gravity," ''The Great Gatsby," ''Her," ''12 Years a Slave."

12. Cinematography: "The Grandmaster," ''Gravity," ''Inside Llewyn Davis," ''Nebraska," ''Prisoners."

13. Sound Mixing: "Captain Phillips," ''Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Inside Llewyn Davis," ''Lone Survivor."

14. Sound Editing: "All Is Lost," ''Captain Phillips," ''Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Lone Survivor."

15. Original Score: "The Book Thief," John Williams; "Gravity," Steven Price; "Her," William Butler and Owen Pallett; "Philomena," Alexandre Desplat; "Saving Mr. Banks," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone," Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel; "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2," Pharrell Williams; "Let It Go" from "Frozen," Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez; "The Moon Song" from "Her," Karen O and Spike Jonze; "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.

17. Costume: "American Hustle," ''The Grandmaster," ''The Great Gatsby," ''The Invisible Woman," ''12 Years a Slave."

18. Documentary Feature: "The Act of Killing," ''Cutie and the Boxer," ''Dirty Wars," ''The Square," ''20 Feet from Stardom."

19. Documentary (short subject): "CaveDigger," ''Facing Fear," ''Karama Has No Walls," ''The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life," ''Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall."

20. Film Editing: "American Hustle," ''Captain Phillips," ''Dallas Buyers Club," ''Gravity," ''12 Years a Slave."

21. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Dallas Buyers Club," ''Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa," ''The Lone Ranger."

22. Animated Short Film: "Feral," ''Get a Horse!," ''Mr. Hublot," ''Possessions", "Room on the Broom."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)," ''Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)," ''Helium," ''Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)," ''The Voorman Problem."

24. Visual Effects: "Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Iron Man 3," ''The Lone Ranger," ''Star Trek Into Darkness."


_______________________________

Some quick thoughts-

First of all, where the fuck is Oprah?  It's not a huge surprise since she was left off the Golden Globes nominations and sure the movie was far from amazing, but Oprah was a stand-out in an otherwise manipulative by the numbers walk down history memories lane.

Sad to see that Emma Thompson was not nominated for Best Actress, but I suppose from an academy perspective, regal British lady isn't too much of a stretch for her.

More excited about the Best Supporting Actor category than anything else.  If either Barkhad Abdi of Captain Phillips or Jared Leto of Dallas Buyers Club wins, I will feel that justice has been served.

Happy to see Woody Allen nominated for his screenplay although I think it borrows HEAVILY from A Streetcar Named Desire, from character archetypes to plot points to underlying themes.

Final thought-  Sure Cate Blanchet does crazy very well, but my emotional vote goes to Judi Dench.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Inside Llewyn Davis is a bizarre kind of time travelling machine that took me to places I remembered in my life.  It felt as I watched it as if I'd been to a place exactly like so many of the homes, diners, clubs evoked.  I recognized them.  I didn't recognize them consciously, but on a weirdly deep level, and the sight of these places and people acted as a kind of...well it's like when you smell Vicks Vapo rub and are brought back to the time you were six years old, and sick, looking at the pictures in a yellowing Dennis The Menace paperback that collected old comics from the news paper.  And the baby sitter came by and placed a hot water bottle next to you, but with a layer of blanket in between the bottle and your skin so you wouldn't burn.

When you see the people and places in this film you get a sense of them having existed before and after the moment we catch them.  They are completely formed and we happen to catch a piece of their lives. 

It's a pretty wonderful film and it's made me a bit puzzled, and sad, and nostalgic.  It's the kind of film that probably won't win any Academy Awards, because it's not a "grand" film.  It's unpresumptuous, and full of moments that can not be anticipated.  It's strange and sometimes sad, and in some ways mythic.   

Live-Blogging the Golden Globes (Condensed)

Now that the Golden Globes are over, in the interest of making the comments more readable, and to make it easier for those who want to skip them entirely and go back to earlier posts, I've decided to put all of the individual posts together.  For the thirty or so people who followed all the posts, huge thanks, and to those who still care about the Golden Globes, this is for you...

Sunday Night, 7:01---

Ok, so I'm alone with Schlotzky's, a glass of wine, and some popcorn for later.  I'll be drinking and watching and writing, and am really looking forward to watching, and rooting like HELL for Emma Thompson.

•  Tom Hanks is obviously a Longhorn fan and has painted his face accordingly.
•  Woah!  It's not just Tom Hanks.  Orange is the color for the evening. 
• Julia Louie's e-cigarette equals awesome sauce.
• Kerri Washington looks awesome and Scandal is definitely on my list of shows to catch up on.
• What the fuck is up with presenters entering from their tables???  "excuse me, excuse me, pardon me, excuse me..." WTF is up with Sandra Bullocks dress??  It belongs on Barbie.
• Jennifer Lawrence is praising the "I Heart Huckabees" director.  Has she seen the youtube video where he throws things at Lily Tomlin?
• Jacqueline Bissett is so moved!!!  I love her little tear stained face. Wait...now she's milking it...milk the shit out of your "hard luck" story Jackie.  Stop pausing.  Is she drunk??  She's fucking drunk.  Holy balls, this speech...there goes the music.  UH-OH!!!!!!  She got bleeped!  They will defs be talkin' bout this shizz tomorrow.

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• New drinking game-  Drink every time you hear the word "shaking". 
• Jane and Garth???
• 2nd Bleep of the night.  Way to go Mad Men chick.
• Matt Damon became even sexier just by admitting he wears glasses.  Yum.  I love his salt and pepper hair.  I'm gonna lick the tv screen.
• I hate both Judy Greer and Jane Krakowski.  Are they really sisters????  Ugh.  No wonder.
• If you haven't seen the video where Lily Tomlin and David O'Russel freak out on each other...here it is.

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No one was ready to return from the commercial break, apparently.  The noise!!!  But thank God they mentioned V.I. Warshawski.

Don't try to be funny little Swedish man who is the President of the Foreign Press.

I loved Kyle Chandler in Wolf of Wallstreet.  He was the only character I didn't want to flush down the toidy.

Some stylist fucking hates that Latina chick with the white dress. This is what she's reminding me of right now.

 

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• My face is hot.  Whew.  Rum.

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The real Philomena Lee just walked out on stage.  My heart just exploded.  She's so amazing.  Emma Thompson just stood up and applauded her.  My exploded pieces of my heart just quivered.  You guys, see Philomena.  It's one of my two favorite films of the year.

Meryl Streep looks flawless in her Clark Kent glasses.

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Oh God.  John Voigt.  It's Jackie B all over again...whew.  Way to pull it together and go on John.

Greta Gerwig is so gorgeous with her red hair.  Good Lord!

The orchestra needs to cool its shit out.

Emma Watson has too much blush on. 

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Lesbian tennis players everywhere are applauding Robin Wright's win.

Jared Leto, take the bun out of your hair.

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Emma, I love  you with your pumps in one hand and martini in the other.  Way to lampoon your reputation for being prim and proper.

Seriously, orchestra.  You are being an asshole.  Leave Spike alone.

I love Julie Bowen.  She's hilarious.  Her sleeves look like upside down teeth.  Bloody upside down teeth.  And red and purple don't go together.

Lorne Michaels fucking HATES Andy Samberg.  He is so non-plussed.

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Zoe Salalala made her own dress, yall.  And those straps are just too much of a fuckin' bother to keep up.

Andy Kaufman is alive and well and just won a Golden Globe.

This Melissa McCarthy as Matt Damon shizz is bizarre and hilarious. 

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I will definitely be watching The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.  His late night show recalls the glory days of Johnny Carson.

That chick in the teal dress from Frozen, no disrespect, has some HUGE NOSTRILS!!!!

The two films I'm most excited about, and have not yet seen are Inside Llewyn Davis and Her. 

New Drinking Game-  Drink every time someone says "I was SO not prepared for this!" and or "nervous".

Kate Winslet, I love you.  I would watch a film of you pooping.  And it's probably out there.

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Emma Stone...fer realsies?  I don't know what to say.

Woody Allen, you are a genius.  Diane Keaton you look awesome.  Wear the shit out of that suit.  And her speech.  It's like she's just talking to us.  For once I'm not bored by the CB Demille Award speech.  Third bleep of the evening.   

Cate Blanchet!!!! Hollywood glamor  is alive!

Wait, what the hell is Diane Keaton singing.  I'm uncomfortable.

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New drinking game- drink whenever someone says "wrap it up" or "I will wrap it up".

Who's that man standing in front of the cast of Brooklyn 499 and talking?  Hubba-Hubba, I have some googling to do.

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Jennifer Lawrence's dress reminds me of this.

 

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Exploded, quivering heart just melted with Nicki Lauder's speech.

This lady is totally upstaging the other Producers of American Hustle.  Way to point, Lady.

I'm done with the commercials that are blatantly manipulating my emotions to sell shit.  P&G and Cheerios, I'm talking to you.

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Two words.  Fillo Mania!!!!!!!!!! 

Joyce Dewitt is very happy for Cate Blanchett.

Oh my sweet Lord.  Best dressed of the evening, Cate Blanchett.  And so fricking intelligent and well-spoken.  And then she said that thing about Judy.  The verdict is out on that comment...Release the Kraken!!!!

Tonight is definitely the evening for a bunch of weird shit stuck onto blouses...Sally the lady from Blue Gardenia, I'm talking to you.  And Drew Barrymore.  And Emma Stone.

Matthew McConnaughey-  "get it, my King"?

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Sarah Paulson, leave Steve McQueen alone.Whew, that was exhausting, and now I feel like a mean snarky bitch with nothing better to do than drink rum on a Sunday night and make fun of prettier more talented people than me.  Huh.

Good Night Austin!  RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!

Ordinary Days

I think it's close enough to opening to write about how  excited I am for the upcoming Texas premiere of Ordinary Days from Penfold Theatre, which runs from March 20th-April 6th at The Off-Center.  Michael McKelvey is directing the four person cast including Matthew Redden, Haley Smith, Sarah Marie Curry, and me, with Dustin Struhall in charge of Music Direction.  It's an honor to be get the chance to worth with these actors, and I couldn't be more pleased by the character I get to play.  He's a quirky, idealistic, slightly naïve, aspiring artist by the name of Warren.  When I first heard the soundtrack I just fell in love with him, and felt like I could do him some justice without having to stray too far from the essence of who I am.  

Bret Easton Ellis would probably see the show and deem Warren part of the archetype which is the "gay magical elf" that he rages against in his infamous essay.  Personally I disagree.  And personally I think that Bret is a bit of a douche (who but a douche would spell Brett "Bret") and I say that as much as I hate using that word as a pejorative.  To my mind his article is full of self-loathing, and anger toward any gay who is less than a man loving lumberjack.  Sorry, but I like sparkles, I like old Hollywood, I use words like "puddin'" as terms of endearment, and I have been heard to sing in the office.  I have a lot of zeal.  That doesn't make me less than a person, it's just who I am.  Should I be someone else because Brett, sorry, Bret, thinks this conforms to a safe non-threatening version of gay?  I'm not going to limit myself in anyway.  

For years I hid that side of me, waited to speak until I learned what I thought the people around me wanted and expected from me, and then I played that role.  Once I felt safe in thinking that they might want who I was, I slowly let it out.  Dropped the mask.  But now?  I'm not going to wear it.  Does that mean I've picked up a different mask which skews to other extreme?  Maybe a bit, but that's more who I am.  And to be fair, the butch me was never   that butch, nor that convincing.  Neither is the flamboyant part of me all pink and princesses, although there is definitely an enjoyment of pink and princesses.  Always has been, and I ain't gonna deny it...

But all of that has gone a little off the topic of Ordinary Days.  Here's a bit from the press release:

Taxi cabs and the secret of happiness. From one of musical theatre's most exciting new composers comes Ordinary Days in its Texas premiere. A refreshingly honest and funny chamber musical about four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and taxis. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life. Ordinary Days is a story for anyone who's ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex world.

If you've never seen me perform, I hope you'll come and see this as I think the material's pretty great, and the cast truly talented.  And I'm really pleased to get to sing as much as I do in the show, and to sing with my own voice rather than the character voices I ocassionally have to employ.  If you HAVE seen me perform, I hope you'll still come and see this.  And if you have seen me perform and HATE my performances, well then...come to see everyone else, and to support Penfold Theatre.

More Inspirational Ideas



A couple of weeks ago I was at a party and a friend of mine recommended the site 750words.com, a site with a concept based on Julia Cameron's "Morning Pages". 

For those of you not familiar, Morning Pages are three pages written upon first waking.  Ideally you still have one foot in dream land, and your subconcience is bubbling up to the surface as you quickly pour out all your unedited thoughts and fears, resentments and dreams to release all of your angst and "to do's" before going on to the business of living with a clean slate. 

This site takes that concept and bends it a bit for the computer addict.  750 words.  Approximately three pages.  Written whenever you want, as long as it's before midnight of the same day.  And when I heard about the site, and the awards you can get for certain achievements, I was intrigued.  And once I started I couldn't stop.  Soon I had a ten day streak of writing and had a sticker with a cheetah on it, one with a hamster, and I was being labeled "FLAMINGO"!  I couldn't allow myself to go back to day-1.  Didn't want to lose my status as a 'flamingo" and go back to being an egg. And yet...

There's a lot to say about writing in long hand.  There's a mind-body connection.  It takes just long enough for one to process there thoughts and it goes fast enough to be able to ignore the inner-critic for awhile.  Another important aspect of these pages is that they are private.  No one will see them.  They are just for you.  You aren't writing for an audience, or to be artful, but to practice ignoring the critic, and to practice the art of unvarnished truth telling.

And, it takes a surprisingly large amount of psychic energy to write this pages.  Because it's painful.  Even if I'm able to ignore the judgement that leaps out long enough to put finger to keys, it still whispers those little poisonous words.  It still hurts.  And once I'm done doing those pages, I, personally am not energized to write more.  The process eases the itch to write, and drains the energy I have to "press on" creatively speaking.  So I'm beginning to wonder, do I want to put energy on these pages?  if that means I'm not motivated afterwards to work on other projects?

There are options of course...

1.   Go back to the original way.  Three pages, long hand, first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.  That way they're done.  Immediately.  And you don't spend them going over the day behind you, but on deeper things that come out in dreams and that you still have a bit of a grasp on before they flit away.

2.  Type them, but do them in the morning.

3.  Type them, but only after I've achieved one creative goal.  A goal that matters.

Today, I chose option 3.  Tomorrow?  We'll see.  But right now it feels like it would be as painful to stop writing my 750 words as it is to write them.

Certainly if you are not a writer, I think this is kind of a moot point.  There are certainly benefits to this process for anyone.  You'll be surprised how therapeutic they are.  Feel free to let me know what you think of the site, how your words are coming along, and other thoughts you may have...

Creative Inspirations

For anyone with creative resolutions for the new year, I highly recommend The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  I've had my copy for several years, thumbed through it a bunch, and always find in it the encouragement to keep pressing on.  The chapters are VERY short (some only a page) but they're so dense with ideas that I may recommend taking one or two chapters at a time to ruminate on. 

One of the major principles  espoused in the book is the idea of "going pro", which involves showing up every day, no matter what.  It's a bit like Julia Cameron's concept of sitting down to write whether inspiration has hit you or not, because once you plop your little reluctant butt down at the desk, you'll be surprised how often "inspiration" arrives.  .

The challenge with a book like this is to keep up with it.  To read it daily.  It's so tempting to pick it up when I'm feeling down, read a bit, get charged up, and having slapped a Band-Aid on my despondency, go to sleep and forget about it for a month or so.  I'd love to be more diligent about it in the new year, so if anyone needs a "book buddy" let me know.