A Movie Scene Quiz

YIPPEE! It's on.

Hey, it's on! Walter C. is looking a little feeble.

He is -- but isn't he about 87 or 88 years old?

Yep, you're right, he had his 88th birthday last month.

Did the conductor speak? A *&%** commercial broke in Just as he walked on stage.

No, he didn't. I think they were just acknowledging him.

I think that, at the live ceremony, the Joan Sutherland tribute probably included another musical number which John Mauceri conducted, and that CBS decided to cut it from the telecast in order to keep the telecast at two hours (on the theory that, of all the nominees, the opera singer was probably the one that the fewest TV viewers would care about -- grrr). But it was strange that they left in his introduction if they were going to do that -- maybe just a glitch on some technician's part.

Thanks. I didn't miss anything then. I love the show. (Loved the Pearl Fishers duet) It's so nice to be watching it with you.

Oh, did you see Michael York in the audience? Just want you to know I've taped 9 of the Kennedy shows and he's been in the audience in the same seat in every one. (lol)

I missed him -- but that's funny because my sister saw Michael York in a museum once, and it was in Washington!

Yes, they cut to Michael York in the audience two or three times.

You may be right about the conductor intro...

Did you have a couple of glitches at the beginning of the Warren Beatty section? Actually, it was when the administrator (missed the name) for the Kennedy Center came out. We had a second or two of Jack Nicholson, then the Kennedy Center guy, then back to Jack, then back the the other guy. Could have just been a local glitch...

So when Jack was introducing the diva to perform for Warren, I was afraid it was going to be Shirley MacLaine!!!

All in all, a great show.

I'm not sure about the glitches you mention, mac -- I turned away from the TV at that point because I wasn't interested in the administrator's speech. I should go back and look at it on the tape. (I have to go back to the tape anyway, because I stopped watching after the Warren Beatty segment, so I still have to watch the Elton John part.)

The conductor was introduced and then was gone because of a commercial.

An announcer just said Jack's name and then Jack spoke. That part was OK.

But, after the show I deleted the commercials from my recording and couldn't believe that the show was only one hour and a half long. I also recorded it on tape upstairs with the commercials still on it, and I'll check to be sure I didn't delete something from the DVD by accident. But, I don't think so.

At last -- someone who shares my opinion of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music! A.O. Scott (New York Times film critic) begins his review of the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera as follows:

"Far too many notes for my taste," sniffs one of the proprietors of the Opéra Populaire in "The Phantom of the Opera." I quite agree. He is talking about the threatening messages that the control-freak phantom (Gerard Butler) is sending to various members of the company, but his complaint applies perfectly to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose relentless bombast afflicts this movie like a bad case of swollen lymph nodes.

Of course, Lord Lloyd Webber's music is the whole point of the film, and Joel Schumacher, the director, does his best to find a visual style to match the vulgarity and pretentiousness of the soundtrack.

If that excerpt whets your appetite for more, the full review is at:

Phantom of the Opera review

Aaaaah. I must admit I love the "relentless bombast" and vulgarity and pretentiousness of Weber's Phantom of the Opera (with Crawford and Brightman). However, after seeing previews on TV, I've lost all interest in seeing the movie. Mr. Scott's review hasn't helped, either.

It's my least favorite of all the ALW scores I've heard. (Haven't heard a couple of the most recent ones...so maybe there's a worse one?)

I have friends who were just nuts about it. Saw the show over and over - played the soundtrack night and day. So perhaps that's why I dislike it. I was overexposed to it early on.

Naah, Mac. You just don't like it. I can tell. You've been overexposed to The Music Man and Victor Victoria, too.

Good point.

See y'all later. I'm taking my niece to the movies...

I absolutely cannot take ALW. Sorry, Aggie, he gives me the creeps. No humor, no lasting beauty--sort of deflated pop ballads. yuck. I have been spoiled on the "good stuff," and I just can't hear any good stuff in either the lyrics or the music. sigh.

KC Honors were great; I was very pleased by how relatively few shots of the geek that they showed. I did notice Michael York, and tons of other folks. I loved the Ossie & Ruby tribute; they deserve the time spent on them. And I enjoy anything that gives me the oppty to hear Audra MacDonald!
I was happy they did them in order of who I wanted to see: Ruby/Ossie, Dame Joan and I guess John Williams (only because I wanted to see Itzhak!). While I'm not the biggest fan, the man has created the anthems of film for Spielberg and others.
Missed Warren and Elton though. It was funny to see Elton bopping around to William's score!

James Mason, huh? DOY! One of my favorites. That voice. wooo. His, Ronald Coleman's, Basil Rathbone (when doing poetry!), James Earl Jones--there are just some voices that are sooo perfect.

Bree--you da questioner, yes?

I'm outnumbered here. (lol) I love Music of the Night and Don't Cry for Me Argentina and Memory. I love sentimental ballads. Now, please tell me: What's the "good stuff"?

Ahhh! Sondheim! You can get a totally sentimental ballad (Send in the Clowns) with an edge or something totally intense (Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd...").

The witty and hilarious tunes from Victor/Victoria that seemed to come almost from the correct period: Chicago, Illinois; Le Jazz Hot and the lovely sentimental Crazy World.

I love the wit of Sondheim and Mary Rodgers in their lyrics; I love the wit in the music of Sondheim! I love the "classics:" Berlin, Rodgers & Hart or Hammerstein, Lerner & Lowe (though not as much). These folks wrote to their style of music, but made it fit the feel of the show.
Although you can generally know a Sondheim lyric, there is no resemblance between the feel of Sweeney Todd and Night Music and Company.

For me, ALW just pulls out the schlock (and about 10 reprises for every song) and then pulls out the same schlock every time. No difference between the music for Cats than for Phantom. I think Jesus Christ Superstar comes closest to having some relationship to the material: it was a rock (ish) opera.

I don't think it's the restriction of "rock" as the mode, I just think he's replaying what he knows people like. He grabs a story, writes the same music, has the rep to get it produced--in an enormous scale--and bob's yer uncle.

Anyway, Aggie, I'm long past the age of thinking everyone has to think like me, and if you like him, hey, listen to him! One of my best buddies adores him!