The King’s Speech, The Musical: Track List

You probably might have heard by now that The King’s Speech is headed to Broadway, and I really am intrigued by the state of affairs which has turned the film from affable Best Picture contender to loathed Oscar winner. (I was a vaguely reticent fan when I first saw, but upon multiple viewings it ended up in my top 7 that year).
           
I’m interested in the notion of how the film will transfer to theatre, I could imagine the libretto would be rather simple – the script is straightforward. It’s the music – the crux of a musical – that has me more anxious. I happened to get my hands (illicitly, of course) on a drafted list of songs for the 2012 opening. I’ve left my thoughts below on what I imagine they could be about where necessary.
       
ACT ONE

• The Microphone – Ensemble


• Speech Therapy– Elizabeth


• The Penguins – Bertie


• My Castle, My Rules – Lionel


• Unnamed Song – Bertie, King George V


• The King’s Speech I– Lionel, Bertie and Elizabeth


• When I Was a Boy – Bertie, Lionel


• King George the Stammer-er – Bertie, David

This would probably be the scene for the first The King's Speech number...

ACT TWO

• When I Was A Boy (Reprise) – Bertie


• Shit and Fuck and Tits – Albert and Lionel


• The King’s Speech II– Bertie, David and Ensemble


• Unnamed Song - Lionel


• If I Must Be Queen – Elizabeth, Bertie (I imagine that this could be a sleeper number that ends up becoming the emotional gamut of the show)


• Confrontation / I Have A Voice– Bertie, Lionel


• The King’s Speech III – Albert, Lionel, Elizabeth and Ensemble

It seems the songwriters are playing on the concept of his literal speech and his speech (as in the manner of speaking), which is the only reason I could account for a resounding THREE songs with the title. I’m actually surprised that Elizabeth actually has a solo, this is – after all – a boys’ piece so she’s probably lucky to get even that. I like that the purported list has little more than a dozen numbers, which probably means it probably won’t be sung-through. I can’t imagine what the solo number for Lionel in the second act could be about. Maybe we might get a further glimpse of home life…who knows?
       
Fingers crossed; maybe the lyrics to some of these gems might leak before the year’s out. *I’ll do my utmost to make that happen.*
          

Now that we've seen the track list are you anticipating the film's transfer to the stage?

     
(To state the obvious, in case the deadpan is misleading - this information is falsified.)

Randomness: Chris vs Chris vs Christian vs Christian

There’s really no hard and fast rule, but I’m sure it’s difficult when actors in the same age range have the same first name hijinks ensue. And, when I say hijinks I of course mean that I forgot which is which. It’s happening right now in the form of Chris Pine and Chris Evans who I still end up mixing up crazily. I swear, I was having an argument with myself where I was convinced that it was Chris Pine who was in Fantastic Four. Obviously, I was wrong – it turns out the only is Star Trek (and that Diane Keaton TV movie Surrender, Dorothy - but that doesn’t count, I can’t remember him in it).

I’ve seen a lot more of Evans work (Not Another Teen Movie, Cellular, The Perfect Score, The Nanny Diariesand more recently Captain America) and he seems interesting enough in that bland way but he’s hardly riveting. The reason the Chris versus Chris battle comes to mind is because Heathers was on recently and I remembered there was a time when Christian Slater did more than star in bad TV shows. Of course, there’s only room for one Christian now (the Oscar winning one) but I have to admit that circa 1999 I was more interested Slater than I was in Bale. Oddly, it comes down to their two Winona Ryder films – Slater in Heathers and Bale in Little Women. And, even though, on a literary front Little Women is unbeatable, I’m not a big fan of 1994 version (although Bale is good in it), so Slater sort of wins by default - although he's terribly hilarious in Heathers so it's probably not just default - he's so easily the MVP in Heathers.

Looking at their résumés, it wasn’t until 2000 when the two really went separate ways Bale had American Psycho, and he’s been unstoppable since. Shame for Slater. For now, I’d say that Chris Evans and Chris Pine are evenly matched but who knows which will get a big break in the next fifteen years or so and turn into an Oscar winning performer?

And just because I’m feeling nostalgic – another poll...which Christian/Winona match-up triumphs?

 

Okay, make your arguments below. Go!

Heretic posting – I know. Sue me, I like Sam Trammell.

These are not good times. Things are insane at work and I'm under the weather, physically not emotionally. Well, the Emmy nominees didn't exactly cheer me up. But, I'll live. I shall return...soon...but for now -

What Are You Watching?

Anyone else enjoying Fiona Shaw on True Blood? I wouldn't know because other than a few of you I have no idea what you readers watch on TV, which completely invalidates the TV part of this blog. As much as I love movies I often think that knowing what people watch on a small screen is a better barometer of their personalities than the big screen. Or, maybe I'm just being inquisitive and want to know what tickles your fancy? True Blood fans? Burn After Reading? Anticipating Breaking Bad or Damages?  The Closer maybe?
        
What are you watching on TV?

Randomness: Baroness Schraeder

The Sound of Music is such a rich film thematically (some might even call it saturated) that I could probably write missives on it and still not cover it completely. What is it really? Love story? Religious fantasy? Musical farce? Propaganda? Indeterminate. I’m never quite sure how significant the love story aspect of the film is. Andrews and Plummer are nice enough together, but that essential (an aspect that’s a prerequisite in any serious romance) is so odd. On one side religion is pulling Maria from marrying and on the other good breeding prevents the captain from succumbing to her, good breeding in the form of Eleanor Parker’s Baroness Schraeder.

             

I feel a bit bad for Parker (whose birthday anniversary was last Sunday), she’s a multiple Oscar nominee and I immediately remember not for her work in Caged or Detective Story (although, you can forgive me for forgetting the latter, she hops in and out of it) but for her thankless role in The Sound of Music. And, more than just a general memory of her performance I zero in on a specific scene – one of the most (intentionally, probably) scenes in the movie. I don’t think that there’s anything more uncomfortable in the film – including that ending – than that game of catch that the Baroness plays with the Von Trapp children. It’s both a positive and a negative that the Baroness’ only flaw in the entire film is that she’s not a singing nun. Sure, she might be just a little bit too grandiose but not to the point of being annoying, and those children can be awful.

               

 

I feel so badly for her in that scene. We all love Maria, but surely we do not hate the Baroness?

Summer Oscar Predictions

I’m from a legitimate Oscar predictor, and most of you probably know where to find the truly dedicated ones. But, 2011 is almost halfway done and there’s a deceptively little being said about potential Oscar nods. I’m probably wrong about these, but I’m never really invested in Oscar predictions for being right. I’d just like to put it out there that I don’t think that War Horse and The Iron Lady are going to be as big of hit as many are anticipating, but as I said. It’s all speculative here, I tend to have more fun making up random lists than in seeing them proven right. So here goes with random predictions for the top 6.
                
BEST PICTURE
MY GUESS: The Ides of March, A Dangerous Method, ★The Descendants, J. Edgar, Midnight in Paris, Money Ball, Tree of Life, We Bought A Zoo
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Carnage, Hugo Cabret, On the Road, War Horse
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Contagion, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, My Week with Marilyn, We Need to Talk About Kevin
         
BEST DIRECTOR
MY GUESS: George Clooney for The Ides of March, David Cronenberg for A Dangerous Method, Clint Eastwood for J. Edgar, Terrence Mallick for Tree of Life, ★Alexander Payne for The Descendants
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris, Cameron Crowe for We Bought A Zoo, David Fincher for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Roman Polanski for Carnage, Steven Spielberg for War Horse
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Bennett Miller for Money Ball, Oren Moverman for Rampart, Walter Salles for On the Road, Martin Scorsese for Hugo Cabret
      
BEST ACTRESS
MY GUESS: Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs, Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia, Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin, ★Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower, Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn,
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, Charlize Theron in Young Adult, Robin Wright in The Conspirator
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Jodie Foster in Carnage, Felicity Jones in Like Crazy, Keira Knightley in A Dangerous Method, Rooney Mara in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
            
BEST ACTOR
MY GUESS: George Clooney in The Descendats, Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar, Jean DuJardin in The Artist, ★Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March, Brad Pitt in Money Ball
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Matt Damon in We Bought A Zoo, Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method, Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus, Sam Riley in On the Road
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Woody Harrelson in Rampart, Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John C. Reilly in Carnage, Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris
               

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
MY GUESS: ★George Clooney in The Ides of March, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Money Ball, Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method, Brad Pitt in Tree of Life, Christoph Waltz in Carnage
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn, Thomas Haden Church in We Bought A Zoo, Ben Foster in Rampart, Armie Hammer in J. Edgar, Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Ides of March
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Jim Broadbent in The Iron Lady, Paul Giamati in The Ides of March, Josh Lucas in J. Edgar, John C. Reilly in We Need to Talk About Kevin
            
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MY GUESS: Judi Dench in J. Edgar, Scarlett Johansson in We Bought A Zoo, ★Vanessa Redgrave in Coriolanus, Naomi Watts in J. Edgar, Evan Rachel Wood in The Ides of March
THEN AGAIN, PERHAPS: Jessica Chastain in Tree of Life, Judi Dench in My Week with Marilyn, Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs, Kate Winslet in Carnage
MORE POSSIBILITIES: Marion Cotillard in Midnight in Paris, Charlotte Rampling in Melancholia Sigourney Weaver in Rampart
            
I realise I have Clooney being nominated for three categories already, but I never said I trying to make sense. And, I think we all know sometimes Oscars don’t make sense. Is it too early for Oscar discussion? Possibly. But, what hunches do you have?

Musicals to My Ears

An expansion of a previous post.

           

Musicals are in the air. Again. The recent news that Hugh Jackman is in talks to star in a purported musical adaptation of Les Miserables has us lowly bloggers ruminating on the musical renaissance that wasn’t this past decade. Circa 2001/2002 everyone was anticipating the rebirth of the musical genre but that’s where my issues with the perception towards musicals arise because I’m reticent to call the musical a film genre.                       

             

Okay, fine the word genre points to artistic compositions with similarity in style, form or subject matter and the concept of telling stories through music and lyrics make all musicals similar. But the concept of the musical being genre in that context is different from the concept of the word “drama” as a genre. Annie Hall, Bringing Up Baby and Sideways are all comedies. In terms of story, you expect them all to tell their story with humour as a significant tool. Now, ostensibly you’d say in the same way comedies use humour musicals use music but therein lies the crux of my problem. Humour makes you laugh, whether laugh uproariously or laugh and think – it’s rooted in laughter. Music is different; all music doesn’t elicit a single response which is why I think of musicals not as a genre but as a form. Let me explain.

                     

Musicals are like black-and-white films, or better yet silent movies. They all are made in the same way in that they look the same (for black-and-white) or “sound” the same (silent films) but you could tell gamut of stories through that single form. Musicals could vary from comedy (Singin’ in the Rain) to drama (New York, New York) to fantasy (Xanadu) or even pseudo-horror (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). I think the concept of musicals of the roaring twenties has sort of lulled us into this false belief of musicals being some sort of fantastical form of escapism, but for me I look to the Great White Way as veritable proof of the musical. The Tony’s divide their laurels in terms of musical and plays. And just like plays vary in genre, so do musicals. Maybe I am being unnecessarily fixated about this, but it always annoys me when the musical “genre” comes in for more criticism than necessary when people seem unwilling to realise that other than a story told through song a “musical” owes them nothing.

            

What do you think?

Random: Lindsay Lohan

Did anyone watch Lindsay on Jay Leno this week? I'm such a ridiculous sentimentalist I still feel a little misty when I see Lindsay Lohan movie pre-Herbie Fully Loaded (and Bobby). I still stand by belief that Lindsay could be a great actor if she tried, but with all the terrible publicity recently that seems incredibly unlikely. Of course, though, she was on talking about her plans to turn her life around what and it does seem sincere, but I guess I can't be blamed for being less than certain about where that's going to go. Hopefully she gets back on track and in the next few years she can actually turn out a great performance.
        
For now, I'll placate myself with Lindsay back in the day.
         

poll by twiigs.com

Random Oscar Related Trivia: Actress

This is my final round of Oscar related retrospective ruminations...and, of course, I saved the best for last. The leading women. This is what my own winners would look like over the last eleven years.

              

            

2010: Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole (Oscar Nominated)

2009: Carey Mulligan in An Education (Oscar Nominated)

2008: Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (SAG Nomination, Golden Globe Win)

2007: Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart (SAG Nomination, Golden Globe Nomination)

2006: Annette Bening in Running With Scissors (Golden Globe Nomination)

2005: Joan Allen in The Upside of Anger

2004: Annette Bening in Being Julia (Oscar Nominated)

2003: Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give (Oscar Nominated)

2002: Nicole Kidman in The Hours (Won Oscar)

2001: Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge (Oscar Nominated)

2000: Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (Won Oscar)

I am still puzzled when people say Nicole Kidman is a poor actor, for the life of me I can’t imagine why. In addition to being my favourite thrice in the last eleven years she’s been in contention for brilliant work in 2007, 2004, 2003 and 2001. I had a four year streak of picking those that Oscar snubbed (05-08). Incidentally, I consider those four as some of the best work of the last decade – just look at that streak of characters Terry, Deirdre, Marianne, April. Ah, well. Go figure. On to Oscars’ decisions.

2010: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

2009: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

2008: Kate Winslet in The Reader favourite in Supporting Actress)

2007: Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (top 5)

2006: Helen Mirren in The Queen (top 10)

2005: Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line (top 5)

2004: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

2003: Charlize Theron in Monster (runner up to Keaton)

2002: Nicole Kidman in The Hours (favourite)

2001: Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball (top 10)

2000: Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (favourite)

Other than the abominable Blind Side mention I’m okay with the Academy’s pick. Other than Bullock, my least favourite citation is Hilary Swank. And, though I do hold Swank in meagre estimation (especially since I believe she was the worst of the five) – the performance is more than passable – and I’m not just saying because two of my blogging buddies love it. And then there are some great ones like Roberts and Kidman – my two favourite wins of the last decade; and outstanding transformations like Winslet and Cotillard and Theron (though I’m more fond of Kate and Marion than Charlize). It really is some kind of awful that the greatest performances of Angelina Jolie AND Joan Allen were never even nominated, but I’m generally okay with this category. Even if, unlike Oscar, I’ve actually cited four comedic performances as favourites: I feel proud. They’ve cited zero.

(Previous Ruminations on Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor)

Where do you stand with Oscar and their Actresses?

More Random (Vaguely) Oscar Related Trivia: The Supporting Actor & Me

So, continuing my on my retrospective look at the relationship I’ve had with the Academy’s acting decisions over the last decade or so, I turn to the least celebrated of categories – the supporting men. I’ll credit the supporting actor category with being the one where the oddest of nominees turn up (for good or bad) – nominees like Matt Damon in Invictus or Jon Voight in Ali have that air of dubiousness shrouding them....even some of the winners seem a little more than a little circumspect.

        

Here’s what my own winners would look like:

2010: Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right (Oscar nominated)

2009: Paul Schneider in Bright Star

2008: Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading

2007: Ethan Hawke in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

2006: Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine

2005: Paul Giamati in Cinderella Man (Oscar Nominated)

2004: Clive Owen in Closer (Oscar Nominated)

2003: Tim Robbins in Mystic River (Won Oscar)

2002: Ed Harris in The Hours (Oscar Nominated)

2001: Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings I (Oscar Nominated)

2000: Willem Defoe in Shadow of a Vampire (Oscar Nominated)

So, Robbins is the only time I’ve actually agreed with the Academy’s winner here and looking back through the nineties, I’m not especially thrilled with any of their winners other Joe Pesci in 1990 (what with clunkers like Michael Caine in Cider House Rules Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive). I notice that my picks in the latter half of the decade are less Oscar-ish than the first half, which makes me wonder if I haven’t seen as many from 2000-2004 as I’d like. Three comedic performances turn up, so that’s nice. On to Oscar and their choices...

2010: Christian Bale in The Fighter (top 5)

2009: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (top ten)

2008: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (top 5)

2007: Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men (top 5)

2006: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine (top 10)

2005: George Clooney in Syriana

2004: Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby

2003: Tim Robbins in Mystic River (favourite)

2002: Chris Cooper in Adaptation

2001: Jim Broadbent in Iris (runner up)

2000: Benicio Del Toro in Traffic (runner up)

Oddly, this is the category where I’ve got the best batting average. Only three of the actual winners didn’t show up anywhere in my own top ten. I still can’t express appreciation for Clooney’s work in Syriana (he’s my least favourite winner of this and the last decade). I don’t care for Cooper in Adaptation, but there’s little I care for in it – and Freeman theoretically gets a free-pass because he’s a fine actor, but I still can’t fathom the possibility of voters earnestly believing his performance was the best of the year – though anything is a possibility. 

         

How do you and Oscar measure up with the Supporting Males?

Mirror Image

Above, Sarah Hyland and Mila Kunis. The resemblance is uncanny, no?

Random Oscar Trivia: Andrew & the Best Actor

Okay, time for some random trivia (and by random, I mean superfluous) via yours truly. I was thinking today how often I’m completely off when it comes to the Oscars’ choices – which I think we all can lay claim to, but I’m especially off with their Best Actor decisions. Take this year for instance, none of my top three Actors are nominated (Eckhart, Dorff, Gosling) but I’m all behind Firth’s inevitable Oscar win. Which made me wonder, how often has my favourite of the year actually been nominated for an Oscar – let alone won? I always end up feeling a profound dissonance with the Academy’s male decisions. Sure, the odd Joan Allen in The Upside of Anger or Annette Bening in RunniNg With Scissors (truly brilliant Actress performances that got no love) might turn up, but I’m way off more often with the men. Case in point: the last eleven years.

          

My Picks (highest major awards’ honour in brackets)

2010: Aaron Eckhart in Rabbit Hole

2009: Ben Whishaw in Bright Star

2008: Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road (Golden Globe Nomination)

2007: Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James

2006: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed (SAG Guild Nomination, Supporting Actor)

2005: Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence (Golden Globe Nomination)

2004: Jude Law in Closer (Golden Globe Nomination)

2003: Sean Penn in Mystic River (Oscar Win)

2002: Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York (Oscar Nomination)

2001: Ethan Hawke in Training Day (Oscar Nomination, Supporting Actor)

2000: Javier Bardem in Before Night Falls (Oscar Nomination)

            

And the Academy’s Picks (and where they placed in my awards)

2010: ? – Firth probably, for The King’s Speech (top 5, best of the nominees)

2009: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

2008: Sean Penn in Milk (top 10)

2007: Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood (top 5, best of the nominees)

2006: Forrest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (top 10)

2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (top 5, best of the nominees)

2004: Jamie Foxx in Ray (loathed this performance)

2003: Sean Penn in Mystic River (favourite of the year)

2002: Adrien Brodey in The Pianist (top 10)

2001: Denzel Washington in Training Day (top 5)

2000: Russell Crow in Gladiator (top 5)

         

I’m currently on a seven year streak of having my favourite Actor performances not turn up at the Academy. I’m sort of proud of that, though, in my twisted brain it just goes to show how much wiser than Oscar voters I am. Or, it’s just proof of how deliberately unusual (read: peculiar) my choices are. I feel sort of insular, though; like the Academy I haven’t chosen a comedic leading male in this category in a long time (FYI: I’d have given Joseph Fiennes a nomination AND win for Shakespeare in Love if I had the powers).

Despite my disagreement between the Academy and I there’s only one winner in the last decade that I absolutely hated – that was Foxx. He and Bridges are actually the one two winners who didn’t even crack my top ten. I don’t loathe Bridges work in Crazy Heart, and I don’t grudge him his Oscar – I just find the film and him in iT, ultimately tedious.

             

As far as excitability goes, this year’s actor race seems set to be a repeat of last year’s with nary a surprise in sight. But, I don’t grudge Colin his win – I’m rooting for him, even he’s not my personal pick. When was the last time your favourite matched with Oscar? Are you as unlucky as picking the Best Actors (as far as AMPAS is concerned) as I?