No sarcasm intended but I’m very impressed by this. That’s Amy Winehouse. My guess is she’s high, or both drunk and high. She doesn’t know what she’s singing but it sounds pitch-perfect to me.
That’s incredible.
I caught We Will Rock You today with some friends. It’s a musical based on some of Queen’s better-known songs and we managed to get pretty good seats a few rows away from the front. We didn’t get the original cast playing here (I googled) but rather the Australasia crew where the lead actor, MiG Ayesa was the second runner-up of Rock Star: INXS, this reality show contest where the winner got to play for INXS. Which explained the in-joke where an actor quipped that that guy sucked so much INXS didn’t want him.
I did think he sounded quite whiny initially but the songs were done pretty well considering that he had huge shoes to fill. The story was very touch-and-go - it didn’t stick and it’s not particularly brilliant but you’d attend the show just to hear Queen songs anyway.
Here’s We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody as done on RockStar.
I’m getting quite fond of The White Stripes recently and just acquired their latest album, Icky Thump. What I appreciate most about their music is the wry sense of humor exhibited in the lyrics. Jack White has a great sense of humor.
In particular, the song that makes me smile most is this track called Conquest.
Conquest-
He was out to make a conquest
Didn’t care what harm was done
Just as long as he won
the prize
Conquest-
She was just another conquest
Didn’t care whose heart was broke
Love to him was a joke
’til he looked into her eyes
And then in the strange way things happen
The roles were reversed from that day
The hunted became the huntress
The hunter became the prey
Conquest-
Now you know who made the conquest
She, with all her female guile
Led him helpless down the aisle
She had finally made a conquest
ahh ahh ahh ahhhhh (x4)
oooh oooooohh oohhhh
And then in the strange way things happen
The roles were reversed from that day
The hunted became the huntress
The hunter became the prey
Conquest-
Now you know who made the conquest
She, with all her female guile
Led him helpless down the aisle
She had finally made a conquest
Trailer.
After hearing someone butcher this particular movie called 881 and having just caught it the week before with my mom, I thought I’d talk a bit about why I feel this is a pretty decent local movie.
Before anything more is said, you have to first understand that the Singaporean film industry is very small (and for that matter, the whole entertainment/media industry is ridiculously tiny). There is no vibrant theatre community here (come on, let’s be honest) and if you’re in theatre, you’re really in it for passion - misguided or otherwise. The same goes for the film industry. If you’ve starred in a local movie, that hardly means you’re a movie star nor would it make you more hireable. Perhaps, the TV people would take notice of you and get you to star in a few more drama serials but that’s it. The more popular local movies to date capitalize on either the star power of its cast (ie. popular TV actors with their own fan base) or the promised comical value (appeals to the common denomination).
What’s interesting about 881 is that it’s as cliched as the movies I mentioned. People will watch it because there’s quite a bit of buzz about the subject matter, getai, and that it’s purportedly funny. It features culture-specific humor that foreigners will probably not understand (this is a very common feature of most local productions) but its presentation as a musical is unconventional enough for people to either sit up and be mesmerized or squirm in their seats. In all honesty, the story is not great; in fact, it’s not even coherent at times, possibly emulating the rather over-the-top, extravagant nature of musicals (think Moulin Rouge and Singin’ in the Rain). Popular getai songs are used to narrate the story and I think the fantastical and loud aspect of getai was captured pretty well.
This is one of those shows you’ll sit through and be rewarded with a story at the end of it all; it’s rather, a show that you’d sit through to enjoy the spectacle. I think that’s what most people misunderstand about the show.
You probably haven’t heard of the band and neither have I until a few weeks ago when I got another CD of theirs and got hooked. That’s hardly the point of this post though.
It’s 1am, I’m listening through this album, specifically, this song called Railroad. And I keep hearing this recurring chorus that goes
I’m singing to the worksong
With mammaries in mind
I’m pretty damn sure that’s NOT what they’re singing.
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