Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Pogo Treats "UP" and Returns to "Wonderland"

Well it appears that my would-be Australian lover, Pogo, has been a busy lad as of late!

He has most recently put his magic touch to use on a track entitled "Upular" composed using chords, bass notes, and vocal samples from the smash hit Disney-Pixar film UP. The video to accompany this track is featured below!

While working on that project, he also returned to Wonderland with the tracks "Bread and Butterflies", "Lost", and "Unbirthday". These are of course branches off of his initial success which was a track simply entitled "Alice". You can listen to all of Pogo's amazing work by going to his LastFM page where there are also a wealth of free downloads!

Here is the video for his latest track "Upular"! Enjoy!


Pee-Wee Returns

Comedic actor Paul Reubens has resurrected his wacky, childlike alter ego and will be unleashing him full force in 2010!

Pee-Wee Herman, a character Reubens first developed as a routine with The Groundlings, is back! Herman was catapulted to national fame in the 1980s with performances across the U.S. as well as multiple appearances on late night shows. The character's vast success was taken even further by films such as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Big Top Pee-Wee as well as the smash hit series "Pee-Wee's Playhouse".

The Pee-Wee Herman Show will officially begin its four week run at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater on January 12th, 2010.

Director Alex Timbers states that this is not just a comedy show, but a "90 minute theatrical extravaganza." An extravaganza, no less! Timbers went on to state that the show is based on the five-season run of "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" and will feature "eleven actors, 20 puppets, 7 puppeteers, and Broadway scale production values throughout."

There has already been talk surrounding this project in regards to a tour of the show and a new Pee-Wee's Playhouse film is already in pre-production.

Sign me up!


Sunday, December 20, 2009

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy

Born: November 10, 1977
Died: December 20, 2009

5'5" actress Brittany Anne Murphy died today in her West Hollywood home just a little over a month after her 32nd birthday.

Thus far authorities and reports state that Murphy died of "cardiac arrest" and even "natural causes". Natural causes at age 32? I find that hard to believe. A good friend of mine summarized my thoughts pretty concisely: "Anyone ever hear of Karen Carpenter?"

Time will tell what the official cause of death was. An autopsy is scheduled for the next couple days.

However, what is official is that audiences have lost a great entertainer with a lot of talent, energy, and charm. Another great talent lost far too soon.

Moving with her mother to California, Murphy started her career in the early 1990s appearing on shows such as "Blossom", "Murphy Brown", "Kids Incorporated", "Frasier", and "Party of Five".

Her major breakthrough came with the role as Tai in the hit comedy Clueless alongside Alicia Silverstone. From there, Murphy went on to gain major audience and critical acclaim with her appearances in films such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Riding in Cars With Boys, Just Married, 8 Mile, and Uptown Girls, among many others.

Two of my personal favorite film appearances of Brittany Murphy's were as Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted and as Shellie in Sin City.

Murphy also had a busy voice over career having voiced Luane Platter in 231 episodes of "King of the Hill", for which she won an Annie Award in 2005. She also provided voice over work for Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs and Happy Feet.

This well-loved actress who stated that "home is where my Mom is" will be greatly missed by many.

Below is a scene with Brittany, Angelina Jolie, and Winona Ryder from Girl, Interrupted.


Sunday, November 8, 2009

Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking"

Anyone living in NYC should do all they can to see Carrie Fisher in the Broadway run of her one woman show (based on her book) entitled Wishful Drinking. The woman is a riot and I am amazed at not only her fantastic stage presence, but also her unabashed honesty and willingness to laugh at herself. Not to mention her memory! The woman dishes out for two hours on that stage! And nearly every moment is dynamite. She is, at heart, a true entertainer and enviously intelligent.

I had the great fortune of being taken to this show (which is playing at the iconic Studio 54) by a dear friend of mine. I was completely elated from the first moment, when Fisher saunters out on stage in pajamas and a silk robe, singing "Happy Days Are Here Again", while pelting front row audience members with confetti.

The woman is crazy. And I love her all the more for it!

I have long been a fan of Fisher's, not just for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy (which she talks about in depth on stage), but also for her fantastic comedic performances in films such as The 'burbs, When Harry Met Sally, and Soap Dish. She was also recently nominated for an Emmy for her memorable guest appearance on Tina Fey's "30 Rock".

Her show is endlessly entertaining. Go see it!

Click Here for tickets!

Pogo: Bangarang!

So a while back I had posted regarding the apparent battle that was sprung over Pogo's latest track, entitled "Bangarang", which was made using sound clips from the classic Steven Spielberg film Hook.

It would seem that the battle between my Aussie boyfriend and Sony has been resolved since the video is, to my delight, back online!

So for those of you who haven't already seen it, here is the video for this fantastically fun track!

My talented love has left some hints on his MySpace Music page as to what we might expect from him next and it would appear that his magic touch will soon be put on Disney's Winnie the Pooh. Be still my heart.


Who Is That: Henry Gibson

Name: Henry Gibson
Occupation: Actor
Born: September 21, 1935
Died: September 14, 2009

I had been meaning to write an article about one of my all-time favorite actors and comedians, Henry Gibson, for quite some time. Sadly, I now write this as a memorial since he passed away just a few months ago. I was greatly bereaved to hear of his death. The tremendous talents and versatility of this outstanding man, best remembered for his work on the TV show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and for films such as Nashville, The 'burbs, and The Blues Brothers, will be long remembered.

Born James Bateman in Germantown, Pennsylvania, the actor donned the name Henry Gibson as a take on the famed playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen. Though he began performing on stage and in films as early as 1963 (in Jerry Lewis' The Nutty Professor), Gibson first gained major national success and a Golden Globe nomination for the hit television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" which featured other rising stars such as Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnston, Ruth Buzzi, and Goldie Hawn. Gibson's famously simplistic poetry recitations on the show have been much quoted and often imitated over the decades.

He set one of his poems, "Keep a Goin'", to music which he performed in Robert Altman's film Nashville, one of his most highly acclaimed film roles (Golden Globe nomination and National Society of Film Critics Award). He also appeared in the Altman films The Long Goodbye, HealtH, and A Perfect Couple.

My initial admiration for Gibson came along with his performance as the polite and subtly crazed serial killer Dr. Werner Klopek in Joe Dante's The 'burbs, in which he starred along Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, and Bruce Dern. His performance alone put this movie toward the top of my favorites list.

Gibson's talents and versatility were also utilized by director John Landis who cast him as the leader of the "Illinois Nazis" in the iconic film The Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, a role many still remember him for.

He has also been seen in the films Inner Space, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, The Luck of the Irish, and Tune in Tomorrow...(an under-appreciated comedy alongside Peter Falk and Keanu Reeves). More recently, he made memorable appearances in films such as Magnolia (as eccentric barfly Thurston Howell, another favorite of mine), Teddy Bears' Picnic, and Wedding Crashers.

The actor also put in a wealth of television appearances including shows such as the "The Dick van Dyke Show", "Bewitched", "Tales from the Crypt", "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", "The Dukes of Hazzard", "Fantasy Island", "Magnum P.I.", "Malcolm in the Middle", "Charmed", and many others. As recently as last year, Gibson appeared in a total of 24 episodes of the hit series "Boston Legal" as Judge Clark Brown.

In addition to this vast body of work, Gibson also put in a slew of voice over work for such hit cartoons as "The Wuzzles", "The Wild Thornberrys", "King of the Hill", "Smurfs", "Rugrats", "Hey Arnold!", "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy", etc. He also did some of his most famous voice work for the hit animated movie Charlotte's Web in which he provided the voice of Wilbur.

Henry Gibson's wide range of roles and performances in almost every genre imaginable have allowed him to reach audiences of all ages the world over. I will never forget this man who stood a mere 5'3" but whose talent dwarfed many in his field.

Below is a fan-made video collection of Gibson reciting his poems on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". The collection includes appearances by Sammy Davis Jr., John Wayne, and Ruth Buzzi. R.I.P. Henry!


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

When Two Passions Collide: Disney and Underwear


So according to sources, these images have been around for quite a while. I, however, just came across them earlier today. I have to say, I might be more entertained by these than is considered healthy.

Everyone should be aware by now that I underwear. And everyone should know that I Disney. Did someone say Aladdin in a jockstrap? Sign me up!

Apparently an imaginative individual at Deviant Art named David Kawena decided it was a good idea to torment me with some original artwork depicting a collection of Disney men posing in nothing but their skivvies and some interesting accessories.

I find these images hilarious... But am also a little turned on by them. And to think I had a therapist tell me he didn't feel I was in need of therapy!

What say you now, doc?