So when the comment comes out that I have country music in my playlist I obviously get on the defensive.

"Thats bluegrass! Get it straight or get out."

But yes, sometimes I see it myself.... there is a grey area that is much bigger than I would like to admit., But this conversation is going in a bad direction for me.

The Point I intended to make at the beginning of this post was simply that, for reasons seemingly unfathomable to others I have Rachmaninov right up there on my play list next to works by Lamb of God, Zao and Norma Jean. (Genre, if I have to apply, circa: Heavy/Death Metal, though debates still arise). What seems odd is not my taste, but my reason for it. I listen to Rachmaninoff for the exact reason I listen to heavier music... I like to think it is the emotion, the breakdowns and the intensity of the music in general. Simply put,Piano Concertos Number one and two gets my blood moving, and if I am predisposed Vocalise can give me that tingly feeling that swells up in your nose...you know the one (dont make me say it).

What I think this stems from is the radio, or highschool music appreciation classes who seem to play nothing but Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach and Brahms... the 4 Horseman of horrendously overplayed musicians.... They are right up there with Skynard... some people love them.... and others just need to step in and tell them that they have a problem.

But this whole train I am riding got me to thinking about CocoRosie (of all people). I heard recently an interview where Bianca said to the effect that Opera and Hip-hop are unequaled when it comes to their Love stories... And although Opera is another line that I refuse to cross.... I get the picture. and it did make me think twice about giving opera another chance...... but stilll.... Im not that much in need of diversity.

But then again, what do I know. I still Rock STP at work and draw some amusing looks.

The second band in out series highlighting the local South Korean bands that will be performing at this year's Pentaport Rock Festival is the electronic band “The Ratios”. “The Ratios” are Vada on vocals; Sang Jin on synthesizer and sound making machines; Jung Jun on bass; Yong Sik on drums; and Yun Tack as the sound designer.

Followers of the late-'90s Korean heavy metal will probably identify the name Vada as the lead vocalist for the super-group Sinawe, which broke up in 1999. “The music scene was a lot better then. There were all kinds of music being heard in Korea, punk, rock, psychedelic rock – and almost anything. Our most memorable performance was at Seoul National University in ’96. We were the first band to perform there, and the students were hungry for live music then. The turnout was a lot more than we expected, with 2,000 people showing up.”

Echoing the sentiments of “Broccoli, you too?”, Vada (or Kim Ba Da) feels that there is not enough variety in Korean music today. “What you hear in Korea today is mostly light sounding pop music with a smaller following. Everybody in Korea is so busy working to support a family that most people don’t have time for very much leisure activity.” In South Korea, it is quite common for salarymen to work twelve-hour days.

Despite their current release, “Burning Telepathy”, featuring about half of the songs written with English lyrics, it is their music itself that attracts listeners of any language. The Ratios have a unique sound that mixes high-energy electronica with a driving bass and drum beat. The sound designer, Yun Tack, also adds an incredible range of nuances using various DJ and hip-hop techniques. Tracks from the band’s latest album can be heard on their Myspace page. The Ratios have a stage presence that can enthrall an audience of any size, from club audiences to those the size of the Pentaport Rock Festival.

“There is influx of foreign music to Korea, but hardly any Korean music being heard abroad. I would like to show the rest of the world what Korean music is really like, and to introduce [contemporary] music produced with Korean instruments,” Vada said. Vada listens to glam rock artists such as TRex, David Bowie and Ian Brown, most of the time. “The first time I heard rock, I was blown away.” Jung Jun listens to ambient music artists such as Oasis and Ian Brown. Sang Jin listens to electronic artists such as Sebastien and Justix. Yong Sik listens to classic rock the most. And Yun Tack listens to electronica.

After Sinawe broke up in 1999, Vada was the front man for “Butterfly Effect” which had performed at the 2007 Pentaport Rock Festival. After the band broke up in 2004, Vada contacted Sang Jin, having heard his music before, to discuss forming a new band. The rest of the band members have been long time friends. “It took awhile to come up with a name for the band.” Vada chose the name “The Ratios” because he likes the way it sounds. Vada and Sang Jin write most of the songs for the band.

Vada’s recording experience, from his tenure with Sinawe and Butterfly Effect, have developed his skill in leading a crowd when performing, and finding the right sounds when working on writing songs. Future plans for The Ratios include touring clubs in Japan this summer. “I would also like to do a concert out in the forest sometime.” Their goal for Pentaport Rock Festival is to give their electrifying performance – celebrating their love for music with an international audience, and redefining Korean music as more than just Kpop.

Once é pequeno, tanto no sentido de ser curto (apenas 85 minutos) como na própria produção. Foram usadas câmeras de mão, em geral filmado bem perto dos atores, o que dá um grau de imersão muito grande na história. A falta de recursos nesse caso acabou sendo muito boa para o filme.

É aí que essa história te ataca os calcanhares. Você fica altamente enovlto pela atmosfera do filme. A construção dos personagens os faz parecer bem humanos, o que ainda agrava isso. Um terrível sensação de história real.  Quando você menos percebe, numa das primeiras cenas musicais do filme você já está tendo calafrios e cantando junto o refrão de "Falling Slowly" com os protagonistas, quando um deles (the guy) está ensinando ao outro (the girl) a tocar a música. Você provavelmente vai aprender e cantarolar essa múscica após ver o filme.

Alias, a cena toda em que é tocada essa música, numa loja de instrumentos musicais, é de uma grande safadeza. Sem dúvida é o primeiro momento que realmente cativa no filme e vai garantir que você o veja até o fim com o olhar que ele tem que ser visto. A cena vai te deixar preparado para chorar mais à frente.
No entanto, nem todo mundo vai chorar nesse filme, mas é muito improvável que uma pessoa com um coração não fique bem tocada pela história.

Veja com cuidado, esse filme é perigoso nos detalhes, pode ser que quando menos perceber você já esteja rendido. Mas não se preocupe, provavelmente serão poucas lágrimas, você deve conseguir disfarçar. Só evite uma fungada nesse momento, porque se não vai ficar na cara o que aconteceu.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, it's this hilarious, goofy Joss Whedon musical internet event type thingy that everyone is talking IM-ing about. It's brill!

So what are you waiting for? Don't just sit there! Click something. Preferrably THIS. You have 24 hours. After which you will have to pay and nobody wants that, now do they? This blog post will become irrelevant in T-minus 20 hours. Now, go Jack, go!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

I just got back from seeing Wicked at the Regent Theatre, and all I can say is WOW! I've been hanging out for ages waiting for the show to finally open here in Australia, and open it did - one week ago, to rave reviews. But I still wasn't expecting the show I got. Unfortunately Amanda Harrison wasn't performing, but Jemma Stevenson filled in for her as Elphaba, and absolutely blew me away. I mean, she stole the show. I can see why Idina Menzel won the Tony for her role as Elphaba - what an amazing part to play. Lucy Durack was also excellent as G(a)linda - I'd worried that I would spend the whole show comparing her to Kristin Chenoweth, but she really impressed me with both her singing and her acting.

When Rob Mills made his entrance as Fiyero I immediately thought, "Okay, it's obvious they've picked him because of name recognition. Surely there must have been a theatre-trained actor who could play the role." But lo and behold, I actually forgot I was watching Rob Mills and completely bought him as the character, which is the highest compliment you can give to an actor. So there you go. Anthony Callea was good, I guess, although his role actually wasn't that big compared to the character of Boq in the book.

The ensemble itself was sort of a star of the show - whenever they started singing I got shivers from the sheer power. Choreography and costumes were AMAZING. One of my favourite moments was when the crowd followed Glinda around in formation during "What is This Feeling?" Just perfect. The highlights were probably Elphaba's two show-stoppers, "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed", but so many of the songs made the hair stand up on the back of my neck that I can't really play favourites. Lucy Durack was very good during "Thank Goodness" and also during the finale. I thought she really shone during the second half when we got to see Glinda suffer a bit.

The ending took me completely by surprise - I haven't finished the book so I don't know whether or not they changed it, but I am so completely impressed with whoever came up with that idea. Kudos to you Gregory Maguire and/or Stephen Schwartz.

So there you have it - I laughed, I cried, I learned some stuff. I will definitely save up some money and see the show again at some point. And I will be first in line to buy tickets when they finally get around to making the movie... which won't be until it stops selling out on Broadway, so I could be waiting a while. In the meantime I will just have to content myself with my program, mug, and soundtrack - which I believe has more plays on my iTunes than all my other albums put together. If it were possible to fall in love with a musical, Wicked would be the one for me.

Caitlin

It follows a wannabe super villain, Dr. Horrible, as he tries to join a league of other bad guys. It's filled with drama, laughter, action and Neil Patrick Harris. Yes, fucking, Neil Patrick Harris, playing an evil doctor. Oh, and did I mention it's also a musical? If any of those interest you at all, you really need to check this out. If you didn't already catch the link in one of the automatic del.icio.us link updates, click the banner.

Oh, and watch while the watchin' is good. All signs point to this costing money to see in the near future. Not that it isn't worth it, though. Follow on Facebook or Twitter as well.

So I feel really sad about reading about Omagh, really.

That's a photo I found on Wikipedia. It makes me feel so sad~ so many innocent people died.
No, I'm not that bored. I'm studying Omagh for English, because we're doing this whole "Encountering Conflict" theme, and we write argumentative or expository essays on a prompt (ie, "Conflict emerges from intensely emotional situations" and then we have to write an essay on that).
I've been struggling to find the Movie, because I missed out on seeing it at school due to Grandma's funeral on the 19th of June.
On Tuesday (or Wednesday?) Jerry went to both JB Hi-Fi and Sanity in the city, who didn't have it. I went to JB Hi-Fi with him on that afternoon because JB in the city told him it should be there. They didn't have a copy as it'd just sold that morning.
I rang Borders on Thursday, and they didn't have it in the city. Then, they said try Camberwell Borders. So I did, they didn't pick up the first time I rang. The second time I rang, they put me on hold and then finally a lady picked up and said that the computers had crashed so she couldn't check. Just my luck~!
So today Mum went to Camberwell JB again, and they said go to Nunawading. They put a copy aside for us and we bought it, it was only $14.
Mum also bought this CD by the "Presets" and some others, like Cass bought the Wicked Soundtrack. Wicked is so good!!! The costumes are amazing and everything.

So yeah~ I'm about to watch that movie, when Jerry arives (he's been at work all day).

julian♥

According to Paybill News, this new production will be handled by Marc Platt Productions for Universal Pictures: "Universal Pictures production president Donna Langley told the industry paper, "Our goal now is absolutely to make the Wicked film, but much like Judy Craymer wouldn't give up screen rights to Mamma Mia! until the stage show had reached its pinnacle, Marc and Stephen Schwartz are very mindful of the right timing. But we're dying to do it."

Below is the clip Defying Gravity from the musical by the London cast. Just to remind you how amazing the musical is:

]]> http://helenap.wordpress.com/?p=126 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:52:15 +0000 Helena http://helenap.wordpress.com/?p=126 I absolutely loved Mamma Mia the musical when I went to see it last year, so when I heard they were making a film version I was excited.  I wasn't quite sure what it would be like, and whether or not it would have been turned in a more traditional movie, but I've been looking forward to seeing it for a few months.  Finally, last night I went to the Odeon Cinema in Port Solent to see it and I wasn't disappointed!

The film has been left as a musical and for a very brief moment when the first Abba song started I wasn't quite if it would work and be as good.  I soon changed my mind!  It's as cheesy as anything, but it is absolutely hilarious.  The actors seem to have real fun with it, and the words of the songs along with the expressions on their faces had me crying with laughter.  I loved every minute of this film and will no doubt watch it again and again!

It’s hard to describe this as anything other than awesome, and is a great way to spend your Friday lunch break.

Neal Patrick Harris plays ‘Dr Horrible’, an everyday super villain trying to get the girl of his dreams while gaining acceptance into The Evil League of Evil . It’s done as a musical, sports some excellent dry humor, and should not be missed.

Acts I and II are currently available for free online, and Act III comes out tomorrow. All 3 acts will be available for free until midnight on July 20th after which they’ll only be available on iTunes.

It's as if Collage Humor had directed the show. It's that good.

Todo esto se originó durante la huelga de guionistas. Se trata de un proyecto que trata de demostrar que es posible la creación de contenidos rentables sin los presupuestos multimillonarios de las grandes productoras. Todo gracias a que Internet abarata todo: ¿gastos de distribución? ... que distribución?, ¿infraestructura de distribución? ... una web chaval, ¿marketing? web 2.0 (aka: redes sociales y demás). Es una idea con un par de cojones, así que ya sabéis, si queréis apoyar esta causa y empezar el principio del fin de la centralización de poder en la creación de contenidos audiovisuales, sólo tenéis que ver este musical!!.

Bueno y ahora a hablar del musical en si. Se trata de "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". Es un musical de superhéroes y supervillanos. Imaginaros, el héroe, el villano, y la chica. Hasta aquí todo normal. Excepto que el protagonista es el villano, que quiere dominar el mundo para convertirlo en un lugar mejor, el héroe es un estúpido creido de mucho cuidao, y la chica se enamora del héroe, rompiendo el corazon del villano...

No quiero contar más para no spoilearos nada, pero decir que es muy muy divertido. Es en inglés por supuesto pero como es un músical se sigue la trama sin absolutamente ningún problema, y aún así es posible pasarse un buen rato riendose. Si encima pillais el ingles, pues mucha más risa.

Ahora bien, y ¿por qué tanta urgencia?, pues sencillo, Dr. Horrible se podrá ver gratuitamente en Internet hasta el 19 de Julio a media noche, después habrá que comprarlo para descargarlo. Así que aprovechad hoy y mañana y echarle un vistazo, que no cuesta nada, y solo dura 40 min. Por cierto, la tercera y última parte del musical no sale hasta mañana, así que sólo habrá un día para verlo entero.

Por último, un poco acerca de los actores. Dr. Horrible está interpretado por Neil Patrick Harris, a quien pudimos ver en "Starship Troopers" por ejemplo. La "chica" (o "her" como dicen en el musical) está interpretada por Felicia Day, salío en varios capítulos de "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Y por último, el héroe Captain Hammer está interpretado por Nathan Fillion, que sorpresa fue verle por cierto, aunque me costó reconocerle. Nathan Fillion salía en la serie de culto "Firefly", y la película que siguió a la serie: "Serenity". Por cierto, recordarme que os hable algún día de Firefly.

Zoomin Super TV News de "Cinderella the Musical" con Ai Takahashi y Risa Niigaki del día 16 de Julio.
Muestran pequeñas escenas del ensayo de baile y una corta entrevista.

Isaura.Tsuji

Mamma Mia!, ein Lied der kultigen und auch überaus großartigen schwedischen Band ABBA hat es nach seinem fulminanten Musicalerfolg mit über 30 Millionen Besuchern weltweit, also auch noch auf die Leinwand geschafft. Und nachdem ich von Musicalfilmen sowieso sehr wenig halte (zumindest kenne ich nur ganz wenig wirklich Herausragende), habe ich mir auch nicht viel erwartet.

Was zuallererst ins Auge springt, ist der akute Kitsch. Um ja das Hotel auf einer Insel in Griechenland so romantisch und mysteriös wie möglich zu machen. Die Geschichte ist schnell erzählt. Sophie, gerade mal zarte zwanzig Jahre alt, steht kurz vor ihrer Hochzeit. Und während ihre Mutter Donna (Meryl Streep in einer, für diesen Film, herausragenden Rolle) ihre zwei Freundinnen zur Hochzeit einlädt, hat sich auch Sophie etwas überlegt. Um endlich ihren Vater kennen zu lernen, hat sie recherchiert und irgendwo das alte Tagebuch von Donna gefunden. Und in genau diesem schreibt sie von drei Sexabenteuern, wo jeder als möglicher Vater in Frage käme. Und so lädt Sophie in Donnas Namen diese drei Männer ein. Nach dem ersten unfreiwilligen Aufeinandertreffen nimmt das Schauspiel seinen Lauf.

Wie für einen Musicalfilm üblich, werden überall Songs von ABBA gesungen. Und es hat mich teilweise beeindruckt, wie passend die Lieder zu den verschiedenen Szenen im Film gepasst haben. Und natürlich ist es von Vorteil, dass gerade ABBA-Lieder einen unglaublich hohen Ohrwurmfaktor besitzen, denn so wippt man schon nach dem zweiten Takt mit und möchte am liebsten gleich mitsingen. Dass ein Musicalfilm natürlich auch zeigt, ob die bekannten Schauspieler auch singen können, ist gerade hier sehr unterhaltsam. Meryl Streep beeindruckt vor allem mit ihrem gefühlvollen The winner takes it all, Amanda Seyfried (die junge Sophie) überzeugt ebenso mit ihrer sanften, schönen Stimme. Jedes Mal lächeln musste ich, als Pierce Brosnan (einer der drei möglichen Väter) sein Songparts hatte. Keine Ahnung wieso, aber vielleicht war ich nur seine deutsche Synchronstimme gewohnt.

So könnte man eigentlich sagen, dass die Story eigentlich schon etwas ausgelutscht ist. Denn Ich-suche-meinen-Vater-Filme gibt es zur Genüge. Die Szenerie ist viel zu kitschig, aber das liegt vielleicht daran, dass der Film scheinbar vor allem für Frauen ausgelegt ist. Die Songparts und Tanzchoreographien überzeugen. Und was jetzt noch bleibt, ist der Anspruch. Und da hätten wir das, was wahrscheinlich nicht anders möglich gewesen wäre. Der Film ist seichte Blockbuster-Unterhaltung, was Schönes und defintiv sehr Lustiges für zwischendurch. Dass man vom Film, von der Handlung gefordert wird, wage ich jedoch zu bezweifeln. Vor allem, da der restliche Plot nach der Hälfte des Films zu erahnen ist.

Wer also unbedingt mal wieder einen durchaus gelungenen (ich zähle ihn zum gehobenen Durchschnitt) Musicalfilm sehen möchte, wer endlich mal wieder ABBA-Songs hören möchte und wer bekannte und gute Schauspieler in sehr lustigen Szenen sehen will, der ist hier vollkommen richtig. Aber recht viel mehr darf man sich, meiner Meinung nach, nicht erwarten. Interessant finde ich, dass der Film am Premiereabend in einem vollen Saal lief. So schlecht kann es der Filmindustrie also gar nicht gehen.

Usually when I think of musicals/opera/the theatre in general I tend to snore and find a nice spot to sleep. But last night I went to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia and saw one musical I definitely don't regret seeing: Billy Elliot the Musical! Was I wrong generally about musicals? hm....

In Everything I Do, I'll Always Be Myself.

- lyrics from Billy Elliot, the Musical.

Having seen the movie (about 3 times from TV replays), I was expecting a torrent of emotional mush (which I generally find distasteful) - but instead found more sarcastic humour and songs that were insightful about the struggles of the miners and the general hardship of life.

The stage design and choreography were stunning and the boy ( Dayton Tavares) who played Billy was extremely talented to maintain a high quality performance that lasted about 3 hours (Excl. Intermission) - wow!

Overall: Inspiring and heart-wrenching musical, and stunning effects and performances. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! (The show runs until November 2008 in Sydney)

I've looked about the tube and found some high quality videos of song extracts from the musical:

And Suddenly I'm Flying, Flying Like A Bird

Like Electricity, Electricity Sparks Inside of Me

And I'm Free, I'm Free

- Lyrics from the song "Electricity", Billy Elliot Musical

Electricty - Special Stage on "So You Think You Can Dance Australia"

Thanks to: roccohot (note: these boys all sing with a Northern-English accent during the play)

Electricty - Official Music Video by Elton John (with amazing chair dance, that was in the show)

Thanks to: tteinchai (more exciting live but still cool on youtube!)

Grandma's Song - Generally Sombre Song with a Fantastic Twist at the End! (from UK version of musical)

Thanks to: LittlEAciD