Shane Life

Alli has been wanting to see Nine ever since she heard of it and it seemed like a can’t miss film: a musical based on a Fellini movie that was directed by the guy who directed Chicago and starred Daniel Day-Lewis and like, a bajillion other Oscar winners. Oh, and it was also put out by perennial Oscar hoarder, Harvey Weinstein.

It really had the pedigree to be something special.

Yeah…not so much.

It wasn’t that it was bad…it had moments of brilliance, particularly the choreographed numbers with the Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie “Be Italian” and Kate Hudson’s “Cinema Italiano”. And Daniel Day-Lewis…well, that guy is just phenomenal. Even faced with sub-par writing and a flimsy plot, he really delivers as Guido “The Maestro” Contini, the famed Italian film director with writer’s block. He brings life to a completely unlikable character who is tortured because of the 7 women of his past and present: his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his muse (Nicole Kidman), his makeup artist (Dame Judi Dench), an American journalist (Hudson), a prostitute from his childhood (Fergie), and his enigmatic, canonized mother (Sophia Loren).

Honestly, if this movie is about anything, it can be found in the 3-minute “Cinema Italiano” number with Kate Hudson, in which she actually sings that style is more important than substance and that’s why Contini’s movies are so great.

It seems like Rob Marshall took this nugget a little too close to heart because while the film is absolutely gorgeous (one of my favorite scenes was the opening one where we meet Guido for the first time in his sound stage…that shot is amazing), but it completely falls apart because it can’t deliver on any semblance of a story.

Without Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard, this movie would be a complete travesty, but they manage to save it in their unique ways. Cotillard is so charming as Conini’s tortured wife who knows that he’s a scoundrel, but sticks with him “for the film”. I didn’t particularly like her in Public Enemies and was really bummed when she beat out Ellen Page’s Juno for Best Actress in the 2008 Oscars, but she is really likable in this movie, despite its many flaws.

Like I said, Nine has some moments and is buoyed by two very good performances, but it can’t overcome the terrible script and just didn’t deliver as the Oscar bait that Harvey Weinstein wanted us to believe that it was.

Rarely does a show come along that is heartfelt, funny, witty and just makes you smile every single time you watch it (when it isn’t pulling at your heartstrings and making you tear up).

Glee is that show.

Tonight was the “fall finale” of this new series that has taken much of the country by storm. While it hasn’t really broken through in the ratings, it scores strong, coming in second in its time slot to NBC’s “Law and Order: SVU” on a few occasions and never out of the top 5.

I watched the original pilot episode back when it first aired in May and got Alli hooked on it this fall.

The show captures the awfulness that is high school, allows the glee kid in all of us to sing along with the soundtrack, and makes us happy. It makes me look forward to Wednesday nights (not that I didn’t already…TOP CHEF is on Wednesday nights) because it is a smart, fun show. Also, JANE LYNCH.

The series was actually intended to be a full-length feature film by creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. From Wikipedia: “Murphy selects all music featured within the series himself, and intends to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits.”

And let’s face it: it’s all about the music.

Glee songs are consistently leading the download charts on iTunes for their unique, choral take on modern music or new renditions of show tunes.

I was kind of hoping that the second half of the season would bring more ratings with possible lead-ins from the new season of American Idol (and what moron didn’t think that was a good idea?), but I just found out that we won’t get any new episodes until APRIL????? What kind of garbage is that? Way to take advantage of that momentum, Fox!

So since no one at Fox seems to understand what to do with a good show, I beg of the few readers I have out there…WATCH GLEE.

PLEASE.

What if the internet had existed in its current state when Kurt Cobain committed suicide?

This question was brought up as I was listening to Rob Sheffield’s Love Is a Mix Tape on the way home from work tonight. Sheffield is a music writer and his book — the concept at least — is really smart. Can our lives be told through mix tapes?

Do we even know what mix tapes are anymore?

I got to thinking about Kurt Cobain and his suicide because Sheffield talks about it in his book (SPOILER ALERT! Cobain kills himself!) and how when he died, how all they did all weekend was watch MTV for the news…something…anything about Kurt.

It reminded me of when the King of Pop died in June. Because his death occurred under such strange circumstances and he was a curious, quirky guy, the reaction on the web was weird. Some were quick to remind us of his questionable relationships or the way he burned through money and others did their best to remember him as the genius he was.

Then I thought about the demographics of the people who use the web — punk kids with blogs, hipsters in skinny jeans with Tumblogs, Twitterers — and I got the feeling that they’d be all over Cobain’s suicide. Not only would it have broken Twitter into a Fail Whale loop, I think it might have brought internet giants like Google and Facebook to their knees. I get the feeling that even YouTube would have struggled to support the onslaught of streaming and embed requests.

This is not a post about how Kurt Cobain was a better artist than Michael Jackson or that one of them contributed more to music than the other. I was just thinking that while the reaction to Michael’s death was huge, I get the feeling that Cobain’s might have been even bigger, given the demographics of those who are most active on the web.

What do you think?

There are plenty of reasons not to see Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

I went in with an open mind. Despite his questionable legal history and lifestyle choices, you cannot deny his musical genius and I was interested in seeing the behind-the-scenes look as he prepared for what would be his swan song, a 50-night engagement at the O2 in London, completely sold out.

My dad was lucky enough to see Michael Jackson in Wembley Stadium during the Bad tour. I remember him bringing back the official program, glossy in red and black and white with Jackson in black leather and looking as tough as he could look with that crazy perm.

When I was eight years old, my brother and our close friends Gabe and Shannan put on a breakdancing show with The Jacksons Victory album as our soundtrack. Ridiculous, I know. But we were kids.

The footage that makes up This Is It was intended for Michael’s personal use only; with his passing, it’s the last glimpse we get of a brilliant performer, a quintessential entertainer and a musical talent we are unlikely to see again in our lifetime. We see him rehearsing the iconic songs he became known for over a career that spanned four decades.

Personally, I was always a fan of Michael’s music, but not like with other artists. Michael’s music was just always there, a part of the thread of our culture, and just about everything he did was totally brilliant.

Watching this 50-year-old man sing and dance and prepare to perform a 50-night engagement was fascinating. He was lucid and involved and inspiring to those surrounding him — dancers, backup singers, band, crew. In fact, watching the reactions of those around him as he rehearsed was one of my favorite parts of the movie. Hearing the dancers explain that they had no idea where their careers could go. This was the pinnacle for them. How could it get better?

The thing that really bummed me out was that this tour never happened. It looked EPIC in rehearsals. They also showed many of the extras filmed just for the concert — a new 3-D intro to “Thriller”, an awesome multiplying green screen effect for “They Don’t Really Care About Us” and others. But I left the theater feeling a bit unsatisfied if only that I couldn’t see the finished product. Michael Jackson was a rare combination of accomplished musician and enthralling entertainer.

While this is a nice documentary and great insight into what it was like to collaborate with such a genius, it really just left me wanting more.

I was extremely lucky to win tickets from Lost In Reviews to the opening night of the Spring Awakening tour in Kansas City this evening. (Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review.)

Alli and I were really excited to have a night out (on a Tuesday!) to see the 2007 Tony Award-winning musical with music by one of my favorite musical artists, Duncan Sheik.

The musical is based on a controversial German play by Frank Wedekind and focuses on the themes of sexuality and violence. The original play was banned in Germany because of its racy themes, but an amazing thing about the play is that many of the themes still ring true over 100 years later.

The show is staged very uniquely, with a simple, straight-forward set containing seating for audience member on the stage and several movable chairs that can be configured to portray a schoolhouse, a study, an oak tree (trust me on that one). There is also one minor moving part to the stage, but it’s almost unnoticeable. The lighting design for the show won a well-deserved Tony and is phenomenal. It was yet another part of the show that was unique…unlike anything I’ve seen.

The band is at the back of the stage — a piano, acoustic and electric guitars, upright bass, drums, maybe 1 or 2 other instruments. It’s an interesting choice because you notice them, but you don’t at the same time because many of the songs are performed directly to the audience, giving them more of a rock concert feel than the musicals that you’re used to.

And while we’re on the topic of the music, I have to talk about Duncan Sheik’s brilliant score and Steven Sater’s great lyrics. Somehow, they manage to take 1890′s German kids, have them sing indie rock songs with titles like “The Bitch of Living” and it all works. The performances by the actors at our show were phenomenal. I was particularly impressed by Taylor Trensch, who plays Moritz (arguably the third lead in the show). He was raw and his singing was on point. He really was the stand-out.

I really enjoyed this show as did Alli. I was amazed that something with its subject matter in a play over 100 years old could still be so relevant and meaningful. The singing was powerful, the music was eclectic and modern, yet fit the pervading themes of the show.

Glee fans (like me) will recognize Lea Michelle (who plays the diva Rachel) from the commercials since she was the original Wendla, the female lead in Spring Awakening. I think this kind of goes without saying (what with her being on a regular TV show and all), but don’t expect to see her.

For those theater-goers who might be interested in seeing the show, I highly recommend it, but that recommendation comes with a caveat: if you are easily offended, stay away. The musical embraces the same theme that Wedekind focused on in the play: sex. There are references and portrayals of masturbation, allusions to teenage sex and abuse, as well as homosexuality and abortion. As I was reading up on the background of the musical, I was absolutely floored that Wedekind’s original themes were still so relevant (and controversial) today.

There is actually a Parents’ Guide on the Spring Awakening website that may give you some idea as to whether you can handle it.

Understand, I definitely don’t want to discourage anyone from going to see it. I hope that people take the opportunity to go see this show while it is in town. Kansas City gets a small share of good touring Broadway musicals and this is one that you should not miss. That is, if you can handle it.

He’s watching you, Kanye.

Is anyone else sick of the Michael Jackson coverage?

Look, the guy was a musical genius. There’s no doubt about it. Sure, he was eccentric (to put it nicely) in his personal life, but let’s be honest: his crazy was just an elevation of the musical phenoms that came before him. Elvis. The Beatles. Kurt Cobain. All of these musicians are considered to some of the Greatest of All-Time. And every single one of them was at one point surrounded by an entourage that only fueled their madness.

• Elvis had Colonel Tom Parker and Priscilla.
• The Beatles had Yoko Ono and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
• Kurt Cobain had Courtney Love.

I’d say that these folks are lightweights compared to the crazies I’ve seen trotted out daily to comment on Michael Jackson’s estate. His lawyer. His other lawyer. His previous lawyer. His “close friend”. His spiritual advisor. His nanny. It’s an unending stream of people who have done nothing but suckle at the teat of his fame and exploit his insecurities to make themselves rich.

What is it about the ridiculously talented that keeps them from finding stable and normal people to help them with their careers? Is there a service where famous people can send out for their “advisers”? 1-888-NUT4HIRE?

I just don’t get it.

I hate you.

Signed,
Shane

P.S. Thanks for the fundraising money. 

P.S. Really? Korn as your headliner? That’s the best you can do for “the midwest’s best rock festival!”??? Horrible.

P.S. My favorite part of the whole day was the giant pile of trash that I got to clean up because instead of taking five steps and throwing things in the trash can next to our tent, they found it fun to build a pile of trash on the other side. On the ground. At my feet. How lazy and disgusting are you people?

P.S. It was hot today giving out wristbands and checking IDs for the first four hours of the festival in the blazing sun. Could have done without that.

Several months ago, my friend Suzanne changed her Google Talk status to the title of this post: Listen to Greg Laswell. 

I thought it was a little strange and didn’t really think anything of it.

A few months later, I posted this status update to Facebook:

Shane is looking for some new music.

Once again, Suzanne came back with the same message: Listen to Greg Laswell.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally took her advice and listened to Greg Laswell. I finally realized what she’d been talking about all along.

You see, Suzanne is married to one of my good friends who is extremely into electronic and house music, particularly a guy named Bill Laswell. I had mistakingly believed that the two were either related or the same guy. And I’m not so down with the house trance music. It’s OK in certain situations (read: never when I’m around), but I’m much more up with sad bastard music like Elliott Smith, Coldplay and Iron & Wine.

When I finally got around to listening to Greg Laswell, I found that he fit perfectly into my wheelhouse of sad bastards. I started with his rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” from the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack. Then I bought his latest album, three flights from alto nido (iTunes link). Then I bought everything else that was available.

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve listened to his albums on repeat and I just can’t stop. Combine Laswell with Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes (which I really just discovered a month ago) and I’ve hit the sad bastard musical trifecta.

So seriously. Take Suzanne’s advice and listen to Greg Laswell.