The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

Saw this last week. Had to take a picture of it! Why are there so many songs about rainbows? I don’t know but if you’re feeling like hearing and watching Kermit singing about it, you can go to youtube. And here’s the video that used to be on Yahoo but now it seems to be logged only at youtube: video of Jason Mraz singing The Rainbow Connection.

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Wow, what a scene with all these native New Yorkers running around posing with Apu, Homer, Marge, etc. and taking pictures, grabbing Krusty-O’s and Buzz Colas off shelves, running the Squishee machine at the local Quik-E-Mart at Times Square. That is what I witnessed and partook in last night before I went to see The Simpsons Movie. I have to say, the store looked like it was 1) a landmark tourist attraction and 2) raking it in. It was cute though. The owners seemed pleased with the business and the customers were more than pleased with the Simpsons paraphernalia.

So, on to the movie. It was good. It was like a really solid episode of The Simpsons. Consistently funny and clever for the entire 86 minutes. It was a good length. I was a bit sleepy so I wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I think I will need to see it again to fully appreciate it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I read a bit every day this week and just finished it today. JK Rowlings is such a good writer. I was completely entranced by the book. I forgot where I was and totally felt like I was in it with Harry and the gang. Anyway, what a great book and a great series. I think I might re-read book 6. I read that one piecemeal and did not experience it in the same way I did this one. Anyway, now I can read this week’s EW which is devoted almost entirely to the book.

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I have to say that I’m completely I’m blown away that I received Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the day it came out, yesterday, June 21st! The postal carrier made a point of making a door-to-door delivery! He said he didn’t think he should just leave it out anywhere since the packaging reads “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I was actually away so imagine my surprise when I got back and checked my mail! I really wasn’t expecting it in such a timely way because I declined the option of paying extra for a Saturday delivery. But the regular old USPS pulled through! What an incredible feat! I wonder how many were delivered yesterday! I’m really impressed that my postal worker was so considerate! And really, Amazon Books, you rock!

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So Hairspray was adorable! The original John Waters’ movie was totally memorable. Then I was dubious about it being translated for Broadway. But that move worked fantastically well. The musical was so jubilant, I was sold from the get-go. The new movie is a strong translation of the musical. I’m already a fan of High School Musical so I knew I’d find Zac Efron entertaining. The new kid in town, Nikki Blonsky was impressive in the lead role. Elijah Kelley was excellent as Seaweed. I especially enjoyed the show because it was opening night and I saw it at the Ziegfeld with an exuberant crowd who clapped and cheered at every turn. Great energy. Mark Shaiman is a talented composer! EDIT: I recently watched the HBO Spotlight on Hairspray special and had to add here that Adam Shankman did a phenomenal job choreographing AND directing the movie!

Moz Gives Back

So the Morrissey show at Madison Square Garden was officially cancelled. We were given refunds. But in the end, I totally made out. I had used some reward points which were given to me in the form of a $12 credit. Then I got a free iTunes album of singles with really good artists like Bebel Gilberto, Bright Eyes and Guster. Plus, I got a free single of my choice. These were all gimmes. So all in all, though I did not get to see Morrissey perform, I feel like I came out ahead. Thanks, Moz!

On my way home from Hairspray, I saw the long line of people waiting outside of Barnes & Noble to get their copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I pre-ordered mine but did not opt for the special delivery. That cost as much as the book itself. I can wait a few extra days to receive it. I plan on starting it immediately but I can wait. Now the trick will be not to overhear people talking about it or read spoilers. I want to be surprised!

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I saw Talk to Me last night at the Film Society. Here’s the description:

Talk to Me
Series: Special Screenings [2007]
Runtime: 160

Mr. Cheadle will be joining Kent Jones, associate director of programming at the Film Society, for a conversation about Talk to Me and about his exemplary career.

It was good. I liked it. I had not heard of Petey Greene before and he definitely had an interesting story to tell. The movie is based on the life of Petey Greene, an ex-convict turned DJ who ends up partnering up with radio exec Dewey Hughes at WOL, a Washington, DC R&B station. The movie starts in 1966 and follows the relationship between these friends/colleagues. The real Petey Greene passed away in 1984 but Dewey Hughes served as a consultant to the movie. I really liked Taraji “Hustle and Flow” Henson’s performance too. She was highly entertaining and brought a lot of heart to the story. Apparently, she was an amalgamation of the many women who were part of Petey’s life. But her character was well-written. You may remember her from her work in the Oscar Award winning song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.” She sang it in the movie although, as we know, Three 6 Mafia wrote and recorded the award-winning version. Chiwetel Ejiofor was solid as Dewey Hughes. He takes on such diverse roles from the assassin in Serenity to the trannie in Kinky Boots. Also, he was the translator in Amistad. So the director, Kasi Lemmons, directed Eve’s Bayou way back when. That was good, too. I don’t recall the details but just remember thinking it was a decent movie.

Don Cheadle in person was fantastic. I have seen him up close and personal before when I went to see Top Dog Underdog at the Public Theater awhile back. The play was just okay, but he and Jeffrey Wright were fascinating to watch. The theater was circular so everyone got a real good look at both of these actors. I remember the people I went with were like, it totally seemed like they were looking right into our eyes at times. But this time, it was just Don Cheadle being himself. He gave great responses and held our attention the whole time. He was funny and smart. Aw, I feel like I’m running a campaign for the junior high year book – vote for Don for Cutest, Funniest, Smartest Boy. He’s just a cool dude.

Here are some highlights:

Don Cheadle plays the sax. He was good enough to get a music scholarship to Carnegie Mellon and acting scholarship to Cal Arts. He said he must’ve been in the mood for sunshine because he dropped music and went for acting. He seems to have made great friends there. He said he missed playing and ended up picked up a sax from an NYC thrift store later on. However, when he played again, he said he did not sound as good as he had envisioned himself being.

Don Cheadle had not heard of Petey Green until introduced to the project by Ted Demme. Originally he was slated to play the Dewey Hughes role while Terrence Howard was set to play Petey. He said things with Terrence Howard fell through during negotiations. This must’ve been when he was hot off of Hustle and Flow. The role of Vernell, the loyal girlfriend to Petey Greene, was basically written with Taraji Henson in mind but she still had to audition for the part.

He told us to go to youtube and watch the clip of Petey Greene’s How to Eat a Watermelon. If you want to see it, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w7YPlGRX5w. He said he listened to recordings and sort of got the voice down and that the fllamboyant clothes also helped him with the character.

He did note that the Ocean’s movies are kinda bloated although they paid well. I thought it was ironic he was kinda dissing the big studio system by using Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 even though they were big studio movies because Steven Soderbergh is practically the originator of the indie film wave. He still does really experimental stuff like Bubble. Anyway, Don Cheadle noted he really liked doing Things Behind the Sun where he had to bring his own clothes and hang out in his car during takes (a joke but probably somewhat true). I had forgotten about that movie by Allison Anders. Don Cheadle was amazing in it.

He talked about meeting Condoleeza Rice who basically told him the US has no control over the UN so he and his activist friends should quit their Darfur cause. He is heavily into helping Darfur. He talked a lot about Hotel Rwanda and how after traveling abroad, especially around Africa, it was hard to return home and not try to help the rest of the world somehow. He ended on a cute note telling us the 5 stages of an actor’s life:

1. Who the hell is Don Cheadle?

2. Get me Don Cheadle.

3. Get me a Don Cheadle type.

4. Get me a younger Don Cheadle.

5. Who the hell is Don Cheadle?

He figured he was somewhere in the middle there. You know he’s still at “Get me Don Cheadle” though. Also, he admitted he doesn’t really watch finished work and had not watched Talk to Me with us in the theater. I have to say it was one of the least painful Q&A’s I’ve sat through. Usually I get antsy from the awkwardness of it all but Don Cheadle was so well-spoken he made it all worthwhile.

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