Yeah. *hangs head in shame*
But... BUT... I promise to have something brilliant/insightful/entertaining/life-changing next week. Or, you know, maybe I'll just post pictures of cats.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
First post back is about... Les Mis!
Well, I think it only appropriate for my first post since, well, forever, to be about Les Mis. Especially since my rant about Taylor Swift possibly being cast as Eponine was my most popular post to date.
First I gloat.
How freaking good was Samantha Barks?! I mean, could you really picture TSwizzle doing that song now that you've (hopefully) seen it? It would have turned into a 21st century country music video. (I love Taylor Swift as a songwriter and a studio singer, but NOT FOR BROADWAY! Especially not LIVE Broadway!)
Next I share my thoughts/feelings. And of course, I rant a little.
Eddie Redmayne made me have ALL THE FEELS, people! All. The. Feels. I, of course, cried throughout the movie because I am a total baby and cry at everything, but when Eddie did his song, I was a mess. It didn't help that I was also battling a cold and was already snotting everywhere. Pretty sight, I was. Can we talk about his voice!? Who would have ever thought he could sing like that? When they first announced the casting, I was worried about him. I mean, he was dead-on for the character but I was afraid of his singing. But I was nervous for absolutely no reason because he held his own with all the professional Broadway people. And his acting!!! If I were running their Oscar campaign, I'd be pushing Eddie for Best Supporting Actor. But Anne and Hugh are totally stealing all his thunder. *note: Eddie was in a little movie I cast so I kinda feel a little like a proud mama.
That being said, Anne Hathaway really was amazing. Honestly, I had a hard time with the whole singing live thing at first. Until her song. And then I GOT it. I've listened to/watched televised/seen(live) this musical many, many times, as the total musical theatre nerd I am, this was the first time I really felt this song the way it's written. Oscar for Anne! (I think it will totally happen)
Hugh Jackman... Hmmm. I really wanted to like him more than I did. I felt like he pushed a little in places. He was spot on about 80% (this is being nice) of the time for me and then at times I felt like he was doing it as if on stage. I don't think that's entirely his fault, though. I think Tom Hooper could have brought him down/backed the camera off a hair, but what do I know? I'm just a little old casting director. He'll get an Oscar nom. Probably won't win, though.
Amanda Seyfried was good.
Samantha Barks was great.
Aaron Tveit was quite brilliant, but he's a Broadway guy so that was already assumed.
Gavroche aka The little boy. More feels! How good was Daniel Huttlestone, guys?
Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen were funny, which is good as they're the bit of comic relief in a completely and utterly depressing story, but the camera was too close most of the time. I wanted Tom Hooper to back off so I could actually see what was going on. I mean, the stealing sequences were really well staged, I just couldn't see everything because the camera was way too close! (And HBC's voice worked for this role. Still won't forgive her or Tim Burton for Sweeny Todd, though.)
And that just brings me to Russell Crowe. *sighs* *shakes head* Where to begin? (There are spoilers here! So if you are the one person who doesn't know the story, stop reading now!) Okay. Russell Crowe is the perfect Javert ... unless there's singing involved. So ... yeah. It's not that he just couldn't sing it, but it also felt like so much work for him to do this part. You know how when some foreign actors try to do an American accent and it makes their acting not as good as when they do their own accent because you can see them thinking about pronunciations? It was like that for me. Plus I just didn't care about him and we should care about Javert!!! In fact, during his first and biggest song "Stars," I was mentally willing him to (SPOILER!!!) jump to his death then!
And the last thing I'll rant about, because, as you know or will quickly learn, I'm ranty from time to time, is the direction. As I mentioned earlier, I found it extremely distracting in places. I feel like Tom Hooper used way too many close ups, especially where the characters are practically singing at the camera. If was uncomfortable. I was like, "Stop singing at me! It's creepy!" This was mostly in the scenes that involved the ensemble. Do I think his choice to have the actors sing live was good? Ultimately, yes. Do I think another director would have done a better job? YES!
So there you have it. My thoughts on Les Mis. Mostly positive. Ish.
First I gloat.
How freaking good was Samantha Barks?! I mean, could you really picture TSwizzle doing that song now that you've (hopefully) seen it? It would have turned into a 21st century country music video. (I love Taylor Swift as a songwriter and a studio singer, but NOT FOR BROADWAY! Especially not LIVE Broadway!)
Next I share my thoughts/feelings. And of course, I rant a little.
Eddie Redmayne made me have ALL THE FEELS, people! All. The. Feels. I, of course, cried throughout the movie because I am a total baby and cry at everything, but when Eddie did his song, I was a mess. It didn't help that I was also battling a cold and was already snotting everywhere. Pretty sight, I was. Can we talk about his voice!? Who would have ever thought he could sing like that? When they first announced the casting, I was worried about him. I mean, he was dead-on for the character but I was afraid of his singing. But I was nervous for absolutely no reason because he held his own with all the professional Broadway people. And his acting!!! If I were running their Oscar campaign, I'd be pushing Eddie for Best Supporting Actor. But Anne and Hugh are totally stealing all his thunder. *note: Eddie was in a little movie I cast so I kinda feel a little like a proud mama.
That being said, Anne Hathaway really was amazing. Honestly, I had a hard time with the whole singing live thing at first. Until her song. And then I GOT it. I've listened to/watched televised/seen(live) this musical many, many times, as the total musical theatre nerd I am, this was the first time I really felt this song the way it's written. Oscar for Anne! (I think it will totally happen)
Hugh Jackman... Hmmm. I really wanted to like him more than I did. I felt like he pushed a little in places. He was spot on about 80% (this is being nice) of the time for me and then at times I felt like he was doing it as if on stage. I don't think that's entirely his fault, though. I think Tom Hooper could have brought him down/backed the camera off a hair, but what do I know? I'm just a little old casting director. He'll get an Oscar nom. Probably won't win, though.
Amanda Seyfried was good.
Samantha Barks was great.
Aaron Tveit was quite brilliant, but he's a Broadway guy so that was already assumed.
Gavroche aka The little boy. More feels! How good was Daniel Huttlestone, guys?
Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen were funny, which is good as they're the bit of comic relief in a completely and utterly depressing story, but the camera was too close most of the time. I wanted Tom Hooper to back off so I could actually see what was going on. I mean, the stealing sequences were really well staged, I just couldn't see everything because the camera was way too close! (And HBC's voice worked for this role. Still won't forgive her or Tim Burton for Sweeny Todd, though.)
And that just brings me to Russell Crowe. *sighs* *shakes head* Where to begin? (There are spoilers here! So if you are the one person who doesn't know the story, stop reading now!) Okay. Russell Crowe is the perfect Javert ... unless there's singing involved. So ... yeah. It's not that he just couldn't sing it, but it also felt like so much work for him to do this part. You know how when some foreign actors try to do an American accent and it makes their acting not as good as when they do their own accent because you can see them thinking about pronunciations? It was like that for me. Plus I just didn't care about him and we should care about Javert!!! In fact, during his first and biggest song "Stars," I was mentally willing him to (SPOILER!!!) jump to his death then!
And the last thing I'll rant about, because, as you know or will quickly learn, I'm ranty from time to time, is the direction. As I mentioned earlier, I found it extremely distracting in places. I feel like Tom Hooper used way too many close ups, especially where the characters are practically singing at the camera. If was uncomfortable. I was like, "Stop singing at me! It's creepy!" This was mostly in the scenes that involved the ensemble. Do I think his choice to have the actors sing live was good? Ultimately, yes. Do I think another director would have done a better job? YES!
So there you have it. My thoughts on Les Mis. Mostly positive. Ish.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sometimes life is punchy.
Originally posted on June 1, 2012
I have sat in front of my computer screen staring at a blank "new post" page many, many times over the last few months. And then I would type a few things and then I delete them. And then type, and delete, over and over and over again until I contemplated deleting the entire blog altogether. The thing is, it's hard to be inspirational when you yourself are feeling uninspired.
I know most of the people who read my posts - if you haven't abandoned ship (and thank you for that, BTW) - are actors or other creative-types. And most of you will probably relate to my recent frustrations. You see, sometimes casting directors struggle as much as actors do in between jobs. I know we're supposed to be these big, scary people who hold your dreams in our hands, but we are just human. We have bills to pay. We have crazy family members and friends to deal with. We have old pets with health problems. We suffer from depression and/or anxiety. We have car troubles. We have families of birds nesting in our backyards that we obsessively observe and occasionally photograph. Just me? Okay, well anyway, the point is, we are just like you!
And each time a job finishes, I tend to get a little down. Okay, a LOT down. And then I panic because I don't know when the next job will start and what the next job will be and if I will lose my insurance and on and on and on, as all us freelance creative-types tend to do between projects. And it totally sucks.
Sometimes it just feels like life is punching you in the face from the moment you wake up until you finally fall unconscious at night, only to do it all over again the next day. And the next. And the next. But we must remember that eventually life's arm will get tired from all the punching, and the blows will become lighter and lighter until we become immune to them.
But you guys, these things only destroy us if we let them.
And I have been letting it destroy me for the last month or so. But no mas! I say, enough with the violence already, life! Surely, a punching bag would be far better target on which to practice your fighting skills. From this moment on, I vow to learn how to bob and weave and block life's punches more effectively. Sure, there will be times I let my guard down and wallow in self-pity, and end up with a figurative swollen lip, and I might even need those times, but then I will pick myself back up, brush myself off, and put in my mouth guard. And I will be ready for you, life. I will be ready.
Now, please to enjoy photos of my happy little bird family. If anyone knows what kind of birds these are, I would love it if you would let me know in the comments! (Thanks to @PRETTYMEADOW I found out that the birds are House Finches!) Shall I name them?
Also, I'm back. Sorry about abandoning you for so long. It won't happen again. But if I run out of things to say, be prepared for bird family updates. Which will, of course, include photos. Because, eeee! Bird family in my back yard!
Ego < Experience
Originally posted on March 15, 2012
I
have an actor friend who works all the time. She’s one of those people
you see and go, “Oh, look it’s ... her ... from that ... thing.” In
fact, she works so much that there are even times where I’ll be watching
a show and she’ll unexpectedly pop up and I’m like, “Well hello,
Amazing Actor Friend. What are you doing on there?” It’s a thing of
beauty, I tell ya.
And I want explain to all of you lovely people why
she works all the time – aside from being generally awesome and
amazingly talented, though as her friend, I might be a tad biased.
She works consistently because she doesn’t ever think she’s too good for ANYTHING.
She
was recently submitted for a one-line role on a project I was casting,
and at first I was like, “oh, but you’re better than that.” But then I
was like, “I admire that you value any job, any size, and don’t want to
pass up any opportunity.” Smart actor, this one.
She knows that each and every opportunity can lead to something else.
She knows that experience breeds confidence.
She knows that a job is a freaking job!
I can’t tell you how many actors think they are better than small one-line roles. (see example HERE) But the thing is, those actors are usually the ones not working consistently.
What
these actors don’t understand is that you need those smaller credits to
build up your resume. I’m not saying that you should go be an extra.
No. I’m simply saying don’t poo-poo the small roles. Do those co-star roles on TV shows and those one line roles in indie movies. Because guess what? Even the one line roles in bigger blockbuster films are usually reserved for actors with more credits. So build those credits, people!
Experience means everything in this business.
We all have to pay our dues. Hell, I had to intern for nine months
before getting a paying casting job. NINE months! Of working for FREE!
But I did it.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Don’t let your ego stop you from gaining valuable experience.
Does this post make me look fat?
Originally posted on March 2, 2012
I
overheard the most disturbing conversation last week at Starbucks.
These two women were talking about Adele with this “good for her being
so recognized despite being the size she is” attitude, which I found
extremely condescending. Apparently only very thin women can be
recognized without question. Each of these ladies then tried to
convince the other (and themselves) that Adele is beautiful even
if she doesn’t fit the standard definition of “beauty.” My question is:
whose standard? Because I think she’s a pretty damn beautiful woman. I
mean, you can’t argue with that bone structure! One of these two ladies
even said that it shouldn’t matter what she looks like with a voice like
hers, but if you have to go out of your way to say this, doesn’t that
sort of make your point? If it doesn’t matter why bring it up at all?
Now
I would like to talk about the Oscars. Octavia Spencer, in particular.
Pretty much every recap I read referred to her as “full-figured” and
“curvy.” Are these the only adjectives you could come up with, people?
Does it matter? Does it make her brilliant performance any more or less
brilliant? Also, why is “curvy” a bad thing?
When
we as a society put the likes of Angelina Jolie on a pedestal, do we
think we’re sending our young girls the right message? You guys! Did you
see her at the Oscars? YIKES, right? Remember when she was athletic and
sexy? Bring that Angie back! #AngelinaJolie was trending on Twitter
right after the awards, so for fun, I read through a bunch of the posts.
About half were making fun of that ridiculous leg pose, and the other
half were saying she needs to eat something. And, of course, there were a
few that defended her waifish (can we call her that? Is there one step
beyond waifish that might be more appropriate?) figure. They said that
all the haters were probably just jealous, fat women. Interestingly,
most of those “eat a cookie” comments were from MEN!
Oh,
you guys, I’m not sure what the answer is here, and I know things
probably won’t change in my lifetime, but, seriously, something’s got to
give.
* * *
When this posted originally an annonymous commenter made a very good point:
You make a lot of sense, but let me ask you this: How many "curvy" or
"full-figured" women have you called in for roles in the past month?
Roles that did not specifically call for a fat woman? Until that
changes, then nothing will.
My response:
Anon:
I personally call in women of all shapes and sizes whenever possible. If they are the best actor for the part, you bet your ass I will fight for them! If they aren't, well, then they aren't.
Sadly, directors/producers/studio heads don't share my feelings that we should populate these fictional worlds with "real" women, and thus I have nothing to "show" for it on my resume. But not for my lack of trying.
On a cool note, the last indie film I did featured a full-figured female lead. The director even fought the producers to get her the role! Too bad we lost our financing and the project never got made. But, see? Sometimes there's hope.
I personally call in women of all shapes and sizes whenever possible. If they are the best actor for the part, you bet your ass I will fight for them! If they aren't, well, then they aren't.
Sadly, directors/producers/studio heads don't share my feelings that we should populate these fictional worlds with "real" women, and thus I have nothing to "show" for it on my resume. But not for my lack of trying.
On a cool note, the last indie film I did featured a full-figured female lead. The director even fought the producers to get her the role! Too bad we lost our financing and the project never got made. But, see? Sometimes there's hope.
Touché, Taylor Swift. Touché.
Originally posted on February 13, 2012
Before I get back to that, I’d like to give my two cents on the show itself. First of all Whitney Houston
was one of my first cassette tapes as a kid. I listened to it over and
over belting “How Will I Know” at the top of my lungs (badly) while
dreaming of one day being as amazing as she was. Her passing is so
tragic yet, unfortunately, not entirely surprising. Addiction is an
extremely heartbreaking disease that needlessly hurts so many, many
people. I felt that the Grammys handled her passing quite elegantly and
Jennifer Hudson did her proud. The tribute to Etta James was pretty damn
amazing as well.
Next,
I want to ask why the hell is the world so forgiving of Chris Brown?
What is wrong with everyone? Did you guys see the tweets where young
girls are begging him to beat them? Seriously? WTF? It literally made me
nauseous. If we continue to glorify people like him, our society is
doomed. Doomed, I tell you!
On
a lighter note: I WANT TO BE ADELE WHEN I GROW UP! Yeah, so I have a
little over a decade on her, but I still totally want to be her when I
grow up. She’s such a positive role model in this day and age of
frighteningly thin women (and men). But the next person who dares to say
that she is even remotely overweight, I swear I will jump through the
interwebs and gouge your eyeballs out! She’s gorgeous! I would give my
left nut to look like her and I’m betting you would too! Then there’s
that voice! And she’s humble and awkward and so cute. Serious girl crush
going on over here if you haven't noticed. Oh, yeah, and she won ALL
THE AWARDS! Rightfully so. (sorry about all the exclamation points but
she really is just that awesome!)
Now, back to my nemesis Taylor. You guys, I LOVED her last night! Like, love
loved her. Like, I-watched-her-performance-four-times-in-a-row loved
her. The artistic direction of that performance and the performance
itself, were spot on. And she sounded AMAZING! Seriously, the best I’ve
ever heard her. My hat’s off to you Taylor. You win. And you have proved
a worthy adversary. (Though still not right for Eponine.)
Ask and ye shall receive!
Originally posted on February 1, 2012
You guys!!! Taylor Swift is not going to be in Les Miserables!!!
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