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shadowkat1) Finished watching the Stephen Sondhiem documentary Six by Sondheim on HBO. Sondheim is considered the creator of the modern musical - musicals that may have been heavily influenced by Sondheim include - Rent, Joss Whedon's Once More with Feeling, Title of Show, First Date, Next to Normal and Spring Awakening.
The documentary was rather fascinating in some respects. Yes, there's a lot of pandering, but there's also quite a bit of interesting information interspersed within it. For example the history behind the creation of the songs "Something's Coming" from West Side Story and "Send in the Clowns".
Sondheim relates at one point how West Side Story was criticized at the time as not having any hummable numbers - and therefore couldn't be successful. The musical wasn't successful on Broadway, and only two cast album were recorded. Two songs were taken from it at the time - Maria and Tonight. That was it. But once the movie came out and the marketing people started pushing the songs, getting DJ's to play them in order to market the movie - it was a hit, and suddenly the songs were considered hummable. They weren't until then. Which is why Sondheim gets annoyed when people complain about a song not being hummable.
Send in the Clowns was amongst the only songs he wrote that was an instant hit - and her wrote it on the fly - as a song for Glynnis Johns to sing at the opening of an act. He wrote it specifically for that actress - who wasn't a singer and had a small bell-like voice which couldn't sustain notes...so short phrases and breaths in between each few notes.
Sondheim was influenced heavily by Oscar Hammerstein who was his teacher, mentor, and stand-in parent. As well as Leonard Bernstein - his first writing partner. But his mother and father had little to do with him and basically gave him to the Hammerstein's to raise.
Later his mother told him - that her dearest wish was that he'd never been born. He was an inconvenience to her and she'd have been happier if he didn't exist. Which he related in a 1980s interview with Diane Sawyer.
Stand-outs are two numbers sung by Audra MacDonald and another one by Darren Criss, America Ferrara, and Jeremy Jordan (who sing Opening Doors - which is about a three writers (lyrcist, book writer, and musician) attempting to make it in NYC and failing miserably.)
Sondheim was interested in writing about the neurotic, the troubled, those who who didn't quite fit in or were struggling. He also loves teaching. It's the one profession that he consider sacred and loves more than anything.
Recommended for musical theater buffs, fans of Sondheim, or anyone interested in songwriting or the creation of a musical.
2) Revolution - I've given up after two episodes. Granted I missed the first episode of the season and the third - so that could have an effect. But mainly I gave up because every single scene has either a torture, a fight, someone being brutally killed, or hurt. It's similar to The Walking Dead, except no zombies, with the focus on just how incredibly nasty human beings can be to one another in their quest for personal power (not survival, power). Considering this is a post-apocalyptic world, you'd think survival would be the main issue. But no - power and revenge (disguised as justice) are. Like The Walking Dead and other similar series this is more of a political allegory on our own culture and society, and the flaws within it. Which makes it interesting and relevant, but far too violent for my state of mind. I found it difficult to follow and I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters - who were all equally nasty. (Again, like the Walking Dead, except no zombies.)
It should be noted that I've also given up on The Walking Dead this year. Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones were grueling enough, but at least those series have or had characters that I care about and were so well written, directed, produced and acted that I was riveted during them regardless of the violence. Walking Dead and Revolution just don't have that same level of quality. In short, if you love Revolution and/or The Walking Dead - check out Game of Thrones - it's better written and does the political power thing, survival, and war thing so much better. Plus it has dragons and zombies (albeit creative and watchable zombies - in that they aren't overused and don't do what zombies normally do). You might also want to check out Breaking Bad.
3. Have also given up on Reign - it's just not holding my interest. I apparently don't like historical costume drama soap operas which skew far west of the continental divide on historical accuracy? I seem to find them unspeakably dull. Didn't make it through The Tudors either, which was admittedly better written and acted than Reign. The best thing in Reign is Megan Follows, Sebastian and the King, and they aren't on screen enough. Mary...is well, not compelling. Also appears to wear the same expression all the time - bewildered fear. (Granted if I were in her shoes, I'd look like that too.)
4. Best Shows of the Year? Hmmm...too many tv shows and more coming. Apparently the 21st Century is the Century of Television? People keep saying that the computer will bring an end to tv soon, but I doubt it. We still have 10-15 years. Or so I hope.
Here's an impromptu list off the top of my head, but I reserve the right to change my mind or be convinced otherwise. Keep in mind I do not have Showtime, so have not watched any of the shows on Showtime and can't comment on them. Also have not seen every tv show on, god, who has? No one has that much time. They did a rather good joke with Neil Patrick Harris during the Emmy's regarding that.
Memorable Television Series that I Watched this Year - which Stand Out from the Pack. (And yes if they are currently on or more recently seen they had a definite advantage.)
* Breaking Bad (if only for the last three episodes)
* Game of Thrones (not so much for the Red Wedding but for the Bear and The Maiden - which was done even better than it had been in the books, also for various quiet dialogue sequences with Tywin/Tyrion and Cersei Lannister.)
* The Good Wife (the last five episodes of S4 and all the episodes of S5 in the first half of this year up to and including the 100th episode)
* Justified (if only for the last scene, although there were several excellent episodes in that season and extremely funny bits).
* Once Upon a Time ( the jam-packed episodes Manhattan and The Miller's Daughter, and of course the Peter Pan plot twists)
* Broadchurch (BBC America series - and by far the best of the dark mystery serials that take place in a small town or city. We've had a couple - The Killing and The Bridge. But this one focused on something deeper - the interrelations of a town struggling through a crisis, and resulted in some touching and life-affirming moments. Yes, you can do a dark mystery and still make it hopeful.)
* Doctor Who - the Anniversary Special and film (Doctor Who actually outdid General Hospital with its 50th Anniversary edition). I haven't seen the Fifth Doctor Reboot - but from whispers online and a co-worker, it apparently was great as well.
* Scandal - the last 14 episodes of the second season were a roller-coaster ride of cliff-hangers and plot twists, yet cohesive and well acted ones. (But it may be best to stop there. The third season has become a bit silly and over-the-top in comparison. Shonda Rhimes has a tendency for over-kill. This happens when tv writers get cocky and have to out-do themselves.)
* Mad Men (eh, only for the last five episodes... see that's the thing about tv, you can't really go by all the episodes, there's always crappy ones. I remember one of the producers/writers of Farscape stating that because you put out 22 episodes a year or in this case 13-20, you are bound to have a couple of stinkers and a couple of brilliant episodes.)
* Big Bang Theory (admittedly an uneven season - but it had its moments...such as the Neil Young Bonding between Amy and Howard, or Dungeon and Dragons.)
* Orphan Black (possibly the best new science fiction series in a long time, if not the trippiest, with an amazing performance by the lead - who plays at least five different characters.)
Biggest Disappointments:
* SMASH (innovative tv series - about making musicals on Broadway, right up my alley, but too much time is wasted on cliche plotting and soapy relationship drama that is right out of a 1970s or 1980s made for tv drama, it's old, it's trite, and it doesn't live up to the great musical numbers interspersed throughout. The former writer - they'd fired - was better than the new one. Note to writers? Stop getting ideas from Tumblr and TWOPY. It wasn't Susan's scarves that were the problem. )
* Marvel Agents of Shield (and oddly enough for some of the same reasons as SMASH, innovative tv series with lots of talent behind it, based on comics and comic universe that I loved and tailor made for geeks, so right up my alley - yet lacks any warmth, and falls into time-worn cliches and at times offensive storylines, and puts me to sleep. At times I felt like I was watching a Disneyified version of the A Team.)
The documentary was rather fascinating in some respects. Yes, there's a lot of pandering, but there's also quite a bit of interesting information interspersed within it. For example the history behind the creation of the songs "Something's Coming" from West Side Story and "Send in the Clowns".
Sondheim relates at one point how West Side Story was criticized at the time as not having any hummable numbers - and therefore couldn't be successful. The musical wasn't successful on Broadway, and only two cast album were recorded. Two songs were taken from it at the time - Maria and Tonight. That was it. But once the movie came out and the marketing people started pushing the songs, getting DJ's to play them in order to market the movie - it was a hit, and suddenly the songs were considered hummable. They weren't until then. Which is why Sondheim gets annoyed when people complain about a song not being hummable.
Send in the Clowns was amongst the only songs he wrote that was an instant hit - and her wrote it on the fly - as a song for Glynnis Johns to sing at the opening of an act. He wrote it specifically for that actress - who wasn't a singer and had a small bell-like voice which couldn't sustain notes...so short phrases and breaths in between each few notes.
Sondheim was influenced heavily by Oscar Hammerstein who was his teacher, mentor, and stand-in parent. As well as Leonard Bernstein - his first writing partner. But his mother and father had little to do with him and basically gave him to the Hammerstein's to raise.
Later his mother told him - that her dearest wish was that he'd never been born. He was an inconvenience to her and she'd have been happier if he didn't exist. Which he related in a 1980s interview with Diane Sawyer.
Stand-outs are two numbers sung by Audra MacDonald and another one by Darren Criss, America Ferrara, and Jeremy Jordan (who sing Opening Doors - which is about a three writers (lyrcist, book writer, and musician) attempting to make it in NYC and failing miserably.)
Sondheim was interested in writing about the neurotic, the troubled, those who who didn't quite fit in or were struggling. He also loves teaching. It's the one profession that he consider sacred and loves more than anything.
Recommended for musical theater buffs, fans of Sondheim, or anyone interested in songwriting or the creation of a musical.
2) Revolution - I've given up after two episodes. Granted I missed the first episode of the season and the third - so that could have an effect. But mainly I gave up because every single scene has either a torture, a fight, someone being brutally killed, or hurt. It's similar to The Walking Dead, except no zombies, with the focus on just how incredibly nasty human beings can be to one another in their quest for personal power (not survival, power). Considering this is a post-apocalyptic world, you'd think survival would be the main issue. But no - power and revenge (disguised as justice) are. Like The Walking Dead and other similar series this is more of a political allegory on our own culture and society, and the flaws within it. Which makes it interesting and relevant, but far too violent for my state of mind. I found it difficult to follow and I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters - who were all equally nasty. (Again, like the Walking Dead, except no zombies.)
It should be noted that I've also given up on The Walking Dead this year. Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones were grueling enough, but at least those series have or had characters that I care about and were so well written, directed, produced and acted that I was riveted during them regardless of the violence. Walking Dead and Revolution just don't have that same level of quality. In short, if you love Revolution and/or The Walking Dead - check out Game of Thrones - it's better written and does the political power thing, survival, and war thing so much better. Plus it has dragons and zombies (albeit creative and watchable zombies - in that they aren't overused and don't do what zombies normally do). You might also want to check out Breaking Bad.
3. Have also given up on Reign - it's just not holding my interest. I apparently don't like historical costume drama soap operas which skew far west of the continental divide on historical accuracy? I seem to find them unspeakably dull. Didn't make it through The Tudors either, which was admittedly better written and acted than Reign. The best thing in Reign is Megan Follows, Sebastian and the King, and they aren't on screen enough. Mary...is well, not compelling. Also appears to wear the same expression all the time - bewildered fear. (Granted if I were in her shoes, I'd look like that too.)
4. Best Shows of the Year? Hmmm...too many tv shows and more coming. Apparently the 21st Century is the Century of Television? People keep saying that the computer will bring an end to tv soon, but I doubt it. We still have 10-15 years. Or so I hope.
Here's an impromptu list off the top of my head, but I reserve the right to change my mind or be convinced otherwise. Keep in mind I do not have Showtime, so have not watched any of the shows on Showtime and can't comment on them. Also have not seen every tv show on, god, who has? No one has that much time. They did a rather good joke with Neil Patrick Harris during the Emmy's regarding that.
Memorable Television Series that I Watched this Year - which Stand Out from the Pack. (And yes if they are currently on or more recently seen they had a definite advantage.)
* Breaking Bad (if only for the last three episodes)
* Game of Thrones (not so much for the Red Wedding but for the Bear and The Maiden - which was done even better than it had been in the books, also for various quiet dialogue sequences with Tywin/Tyrion and Cersei Lannister.)
* The Good Wife (the last five episodes of S4 and all the episodes of S5 in the first half of this year up to and including the 100th episode)
* Justified (if only for the last scene, although there were several excellent episodes in that season and extremely funny bits).
* Once Upon a Time ( the jam-packed episodes Manhattan and The Miller's Daughter, and of course the Peter Pan plot twists)
* Broadchurch (BBC America series - and by far the best of the dark mystery serials that take place in a small town or city. We've had a couple - The Killing and The Bridge. But this one focused on something deeper - the interrelations of a town struggling through a crisis, and resulted in some touching and life-affirming moments. Yes, you can do a dark mystery and still make it hopeful.)
* Doctor Who - the Anniversary Special and film (Doctor Who actually outdid General Hospital with its 50th Anniversary edition). I haven't seen the Fifth Doctor Reboot - but from whispers online and a co-worker, it apparently was great as well.
* Scandal - the last 14 episodes of the second season were a roller-coaster ride of cliff-hangers and plot twists, yet cohesive and well acted ones. (But it may be best to stop there. The third season has become a bit silly and over-the-top in comparison. Shonda Rhimes has a tendency for over-kill. This happens when tv writers get cocky and have to out-do themselves.)
* Mad Men (eh, only for the last five episodes... see that's the thing about tv, you can't really go by all the episodes, there's always crappy ones. I remember one of the producers/writers of Farscape stating that because you put out 22 episodes a year or in this case 13-20, you are bound to have a couple of stinkers and a couple of brilliant episodes.)
* Big Bang Theory (admittedly an uneven season - but it had its moments...such as the Neil Young Bonding between Amy and Howard, or Dungeon and Dragons.)
* Orphan Black (possibly the best new science fiction series in a long time, if not the trippiest, with an amazing performance by the lead - who plays at least five different characters.)
Biggest Disappointments:
* SMASH (innovative tv series - about making musicals on Broadway, right up my alley, but too much time is wasted on cliche plotting and soapy relationship drama that is right out of a 1970s or 1980s made for tv drama, it's old, it's trite, and it doesn't live up to the great musical numbers interspersed throughout. The former writer - they'd fired - was better than the new one. Note to writers? Stop getting ideas from Tumblr and TWOPY. It wasn't Susan's scarves that were the problem. )
* Marvel Agents of Shield (and oddly enough for some of the same reasons as SMASH, innovative tv series with lots of talent behind it, based on comics and comic universe that I loved and tailor made for geeks, so right up my alley - yet lacks any warmth, and falls into time-worn cliches and at times offensive storylines, and puts me to sleep. At times I felt like I was watching a Disneyified version of the A Team.)
no subject
Date: 2013-12-12 08:36 pm (UTC)I laughed at *all* the different versions of 'Send In The Clowns'. Everybody and their mother must have sung it at one time.
Also loved his memories of Oscar Hammerstein and what he taught Sondheim.
Didn't care for Audra's interpretation and I don't know what that male singer was doing to 'I'm Still Here'.
Loved seeing Darren Criss and America Ferrera.