October 24 08

in general, i can’t stand falsettos. HATE. and in general, i can’t stand musicals that are built around the music of a band ala Mamma Mia or We Will Rock You…”Jukebox Shows”, if you will. Combine those two factors with the obvious lounge act-y music that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons sang…think: Can’t Take My Eyes off of You….and i was all set to HATE Jersey Boys.

but i didn’t. for the most part, the music did nothing for me. i did enjoy recognizing the songs i DID know (about 3/4 of them) and linking them to the movies i know them from…like Big Girls Don’t Cry from Dirty Dancing and big credit goes to my sister-in-law Adina for correctly pairing up Can’t Take My Eyes off of You with Love Actually. and i did enjoy watching the couple in front of me shoulder-bopping their way through the entire production.

but i’m a history girl. and a music girl. so, the history of a band, and its rise and fall, LOVE. and, i mean, a teenaged Joe Pesci is in it. seriously. you can’t get much better than that. and it’s NEW JERSEY. you gotta love a production that uses a BROWN skyline and tattered fences as a backdrop. and, of course, Oh What a Night…was a gigantenormous part of my teen years. (i’m sorry. i hate the word gigantenormous. almost as much as i hate the word redonkulous. what the fuck people?)

so, yes, didn’t HATE it. but don’t think for a single second that you will ever get me into the theater to see Mamma Mia. because for that, i will put my foot down. i do, however, have no shame in forcing my husband to buy us a theater subscription and force him to see Sound of Music AND A Chorus Line. the poor, poor guy. good thing he has a flask he can sneak into the theater….

so…on the way home we stopped to pick me up a coffee. at 11:30pm. i had a blanket order that i needed to fill by Friday morning, and it needed a good 2 hours of work. GREAT. so, i pumped up the caffeine, pumped up the Grey’s Anatomy and the Survivor and the Office and got to work.

and then i was up until 3, listening to Sex on Fire on repeat. because coffee after 5pm and Ali DO NOT MIX WELL.

oh yeah. i’ve been a fan of Kings of Leon for a LONG time. and i’ve been trying to get anyone and everyone to listen to them. i even sent FADKOG about 7 emails containing files from their Because of the Times album…because FANS? one of the best. songs. ever. (sure beats the pants off of Frankie Valli’s Sherry. hahaha)

so…what about you on this lovely Friday. your take on musicals? love ’em? hate ’em? best show you’ve seen? worst? (and you can’t say CATS…that’s too easy an answer! dear god the very WORST ever) and what are you listening to on repeat these days?

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  1. The stage production of Dirty Dancing in Toronto at the Princess Alexandra is pretty great. The guy who sings “I’ve Had the TIme of My Life” is INCREDIBLE – he got the biggest cheers at the end 🙂

    Juliennes last blog post..Confessions

    Comment by Julienne on October 24, 2008
  2. I like some musicals. My favorite production (besides CATS 😉 ) is Les Miserables. I was lucky to see that on Broadway when I was in highschool. Those two are the only shows I’ve ever seen so far.

    Lady Gaga is playing on repeat at my house 🙂

    Comment by Ashley on October 24, 2008
  3. I don’t think I take full advantage of the fact that I live in the suburbs outside NYC and can be there in an hour.

    I only get into the city once or twice a year. I’m stupid.

    But I saw Rent 3 times – once with the original cast. It was awesome and the movie hardly did it justice.

    And you don’t look like George Bush, btw. I can totally see Marcia though. 🙂

    And in re: to Ashley up there, Lady Gaga is so fun! My current favorite line from her is “I want to ride your disco stick” You can’t make this shit up people. LOL

    AndreAnnas last blog post..It’s 12:19 am

    Comment by AndreAnna on October 24, 2008
  4. so funny you should bring this up since this week has been a Les Mis fest for me at work. I too am not a fan of the Momma Mia or other those musical movies. I did see Follies once and almost kindof liked it…
    But my favorite musical .. actually one that I’m current on youtube listening to repeat all day at work is Les Mis. I’ve seen it twice in London, twice in Montreal and I wish it was still on somewhere close so I could show my son, he’d love it too – watch this
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrZ6NtPR2M
    it’s brillers .. gives me chills..
    I will never tire of Colm Wilkinson
    The fisrt muscial I saw was “Joseph and the
    amazing techincolored dreamcoat” in 1974 when I was 8, it was the very first production of this muscial and was in my grandfather’s hometown inLeceister England, it starred Kenneth Brannagh and it took my breath away .. was pretty much the sound track of our childhoods..

    Comment by Sarah on October 24, 2008
  5. WE ARE THE SAME. I am also obsessed with KOL, and listen to “Sex on Fire” an alarming number of times during the day. Also, speaking of musicals, please come to NYC and see this one with me: http://rockofagesmusical.com/about.html

    metalias last blog post..Things no one ever warned me about motherhood, Part ninety bajillion

    Comment by metalia on October 24, 2008
  6. Love love love musicals. My absolute favorite is Showboat, and I love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as well. Then there’s always Grease, but I like John Travolta Grease more than Broadway Grease. Really didn’t think I’d enjoy the stage production of Mamma Mia, especially since I know maybe 2 ABBA songs. But I went to it last month to save a friend from going alone and (can’t believe I’m saying this) I flippin’ loved it. Great story, awesome cast…just loved it! Not sure I could tolerate the movie though.

    Comment by AJ on October 24, 2008
  7. NEY to the musical. I have been to phantom and Spring Awakening. Both were good, especially the latter, but I’ll pass in general. KOL are awesome, would MUCH prefer plunking down the cash to see a good band like this live than a musical.

    Comment by Hockeyman on October 24, 2008
  8. I just had to listen to Sex on Fire. AGAIN! Before I could come and comment. Damn but that song makes me want to throw my clothes off and dance around the room, whipping my hair around. The CD is out all the time, but today? Today is going to be all about the HSM3 soundtrack. I bought it for my son…ok? 🙂

    My husband took me to see Mamma Mia a few years ago for our anniversary. I didn’t hate it, but I’m kind of an ABBA fan. When we played the movie soundtrack at the store, I could be found dancing between the bookshelves. I’m happy to report that time, though, I kept all my clothes on.

    differentkindofgirls last blog post..‘i know this much is true…’

    Comment by differentkindofgirl on October 24, 2008
  9. For our first Christmas, I took MTM to see Mama Mia (the musical). I still want those hours of my life back.

    I’ve done a couple shows in the pit orchestra (Man of La Mancha and A Funny Thing Happened On My Way To The Forum), but I generally don’t care for them.

    Notable exception: Dr. Horrible’s Sing A Long Blog. I’ve actually got the soundtrack on CD in my car today.

    SciFi Dads last blog post..Buddy’s Birth: The Final Two Days

    Comment by SciFi Dad on October 24, 2008
  10. I have never been to a musical, although my wife has been asking to go see ‘Wicked’ so that long streak may be coming to an end. Have you seen it? If so, will I need to go buy a flask?

    Always playing on my ipod: Death Cab For Cutie, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, and the new (but also the old) Bob Dylan.

    Comment by daddy dan on October 24, 2008
  11. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” was also sung in 10 Things I Hate About You by Heath Ledger 😛

    shoot…not i’m thinking that’s where it’s from and NOT Love ACtually. hmmm… ~ALi

    Comment by Mari on October 24, 2008
  12. That is a great song and I credit you for introducing me to Kings of Leon. So THANKS!

    Chantals last blog post..Drop in for a quick (sorta) hello

    Comment by Chantal on October 24, 2008
  13. I LOVEEEEE that song! Aren’t they awesome? It’s about time they started getting noticed. Although now I’m going to have to pretend to hate them because everyone else knows who they are.

    And I swear- guess what song I was listening to when I opened this post?? Heh.

    Marias last blog post..Immoral Parenting: Movies

    Comment by Maria on October 24, 2008
  14. CSOKOLOM- amari szi amari is currently on repeat on my i-pod.and i really liked that song its great going to go limewire it

    Comment by LAVENDULA on October 24, 2008
  15. Kings of Leon are AWESOME. Don’t do musicals.

    Captain Dumbasss last blog post..All The Leaves Are Brown…

    Comment by Captain Dumbass on October 24, 2008
  16. I love musicals. On stage not in movies (except Chicago , Hair and Grease of course)

    My favoriite is A Chorus Line – I know every word and have seen it several times. I also performed in a camp version a looooong time ago. I also loved Tommy by the Who, and Rent.

    I fell asleep during Les Mis the first time I saw it.

    I love to sing and dance – and thought I would be a star…what the hell happened there?

    Comment by swirl girl on October 24, 2008
  17. Saw WICKED last April and it was SOOO good.

    Comment by JuJuBee on October 24, 2008
  18. Shut up! Cats was awesome, back when I was nine.

    I think I’ve only ever seen Cats and Phantom. I’ve seen a few operas though; Madame Butterfly is my favourite. It makes me cry every time.

    (hey, I got some mail yesterday – thank you!)

    Comment by mamatulip on October 24, 2008
  19. I liked Grease…and Grease 2. That is about all I have seen. I have NO DESIRE to watch a musical. At all.

    🙂

    Angellas last blog post..Guarding My Heart

    Comment by Angella on October 24, 2008
  20. Am totally all over that KoL song although it embarrasses my boys when I play it. You know — that WORD!!

    Anne Glamores last blog post..Who’s My Favorite Wormy?

    Comment by Anne Glamore on October 24, 2008
  21. Wait, I LOVE CATS! Ummm…. Because I love kitties???

    I was offered tickets to that show and I declined…. It sounded so uninteresting to me. But, so glad you enjoyed it.

    I definitely want to see Chorus Line. NOTHING’s keeping me from seeing that on stage….

    And, I hate redonculous, too….

    Etsy shop looks great! 🙂

    Haley-Os last blog post..Cheaty Reads the TAROT Now

    Comment by Haley-O on October 24, 2008
  22. Back in the day my sister and I saw Mama Mia…like you…not our thing…but we were totally entertained by the gigantic mole on the lead girl’s forehead. We laughed endlessly about this…especially when her giant silhouette was on the back wall with her giant forehead mole. THAT was hilarious…and even though we have since learned it wasn’t a mole, but actually a microphone, it was still funny!

    Mikes last blog post..PUPPY VS. BABY!!!

    Comment by Mike on October 24, 2008
  23. Les Miserables was the first and last musical I saw, MANY years ago. I guess hearing a coworker play the score to ‘Rent’ (on what seemed like INFINITE repeat) doesn’t count. LM was very good, I really liked the scene where Javert jumps off the bridge; I could relate to why.

    On repeat? These days I have been cycling through a broad mix. Everything from “In The Pines” by Leadbelly to “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground (yes, I know a lot of the words, even!) to the soundtrack of “Repo Man” (Emilio Estevez before Mighty Ducks, what a punk). A particular favorite has been “Not A Crime” by Gogol Bordello.

    And KOL rocks! I need to get the latest album!

    IrishGumbos last blog post..The Rats Didn’t Stand A Chance

    Comment by IrishGumbo on October 24, 2008
  24. I was never a big fan of Frankie Valli so am passing on this. A friend of mine saw it a couple weeks ago and said it was okay.

    Teena in Torontos last blog post..Egg tips

    Comment by Teena in Toronto on October 24, 2008
  25. Good to here. We’re planning on getting tickets to this. Yikes! How much longer is it here? Oh, and We will Rock You? Hated it. I didn’t mind Mama Mia though…..

    Comment by Leanne on October 24, 2008
  26. hear, not here. I hate it when I hit the button too fast….

    Sigh

    Leannes last blog post..It’s back

    Comment by Leanne on October 24, 2008
  27. I mean hear, not here. I hate it when I hit the button too fast….

    Sigh

    Leannes last blog post..It’s back

    Comment by Leanne on October 24, 2008
  28. My two favorite musicals are Sound of Music and… Oh Brother Where Art Thou.
    That was a favorite thing my mom and I used to do when I was like.. 8 to about 11 or so? Sunday afternoons the Uptown Theater would show musicals. It was awesome.

    monstergirlees last blog post..Gorgeous! Look at the colors of Late October…

    Comment by monstergirlee on October 24, 2008
  29. Well..you have to know that I love musicals. My favourite? It’s hard to say because it changes. Right now, it would probably be Spelling Bee. I dare you to see that and not pee your pants laughing. Spring Awakening was pretty fraking awesome too. I have a special place in my heart for Godspell (the movie, I don’t like, but I like pretty much any stage version)

    Tell me – did you get comps for Jersey Boys? And where can I get me some…?

    No Mother Earths last blog post..New drapes have been ordered.

    Comment by No Mother Earth on October 24, 2008
  30. I love musicals! I go to see at least 3 or 4 a year every year. As far as my favorite…UGH! Its so hard to pick. Aida, The Lion King, My Fair Lady, Chicago…to name a few. We plan on seeing Chorus Line and Phantom (again) next year and I hope to see Wicked and Jersey Boys if it comes to town.

    Collettes last blog post..Foto Friday

    Comment by Collette on October 24, 2008
  31. omg!!! I love sex on fire too!!! i have it on repeat all the time 🙂

    but my new fave of theirs is ‘use somebody’ – awesome song!

    Comment by Bronnie on October 25, 2008
  32. I love love love musicals. Miss Saigon is my favorite, i cry every time!
    I don’t know that i have seen a terribe show.
    I really want to see WICKED, but i am still trying to convince the husband.

    Comment by Amanda P on October 25, 2008
  33. I’m not a HUGE musical fan but there are some I really like. I haven’t seen Mama Mia, but I think I will at some point.

    I am glad musicals are still popular though, like with High School musical because I don’t want music and theater to go out of style.

    Comment by Rhea on October 25, 2008
  34. Oooh, This Sex is on Fire…love it! Although I have to admit when I first heard the song, I thought he was saying “This sucks I’m on fire.”

    And I was all, yeah okay it would suck to be on fire.

    Miss Yvonnes last blog post..Friday Fun with Craigslist

    Comment by Miss Yvonne on October 26, 2008
  35. THAT SONG! EEEEEEEEE!
    (I like it too is what I am saying.)

    Becks last blog post..Book Report

    Comment by Beck on October 26, 2008
  36. I LOVE all musicals. OK, most. Favorites include most of the obvious: Phantom (seen it 9 times on B’way), Les Mis, Lion King, Rent, some Rodgers and Hammerstein. I actually really loved Hairspray on the stage, too, and Spamalot was shockingly hilarious. Kept trying to see Jersey Boys while still residing in NYC, but alas, it was ALWAYS sold out. I’ve never seen Mamma Mia–stage or movie–so relax, we can still be pals 😉

    Camels & Chocolates last blog post..To Travel or Not Travel: That is The Question

    Comment by Camels & Chocolate on October 27, 2008
  37. Oh, I love musicals! It’s been forever since I’ve seen a decent one, though. I totally want to see Mama Mia. Sorry. 😉

    Courtneys last blog post..Obama Llama

    Comment by Courtney on October 27, 2008
  38. I’m so glad you liked Jersey Boys. I LOVED it, clearly, since I’ve seen it twice. I love musicals.

    Kristabellas last blog post..At Least Loser Was Spelled Right

    Comment by Kristabella on October 29, 2008
  39. hello i like sex

    Comment by bk on March 3, 2009
  40. Love love love musicals. My absolute favorite is Showboat, and I love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as well. Then there’s always Grease, but I like John Travolta Grease more than Broadway Grease. Really didn’t think I’d enjoy the stage production of Mamma Mia, especially since I know maybe 2 ABBA songs. But I went to it last month to save a friend from going alone and (can’t believe I’m saying this) I flippin’ loved it. Great story, awesome cast…just loved it! Not sure I could tolerate the movie though.

    Comment by Bow Ties on October 10, 2009
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