Flashback: Olivia & Travolta

Happy 62nd birthday to Olivia Newton-John. Rather than celebrate with the usual Xanadu (1980) fixation or the more universally beloved Grease (1978) how about a duet with John Travolta from their flop reunion Two of a Kind (1983)? The third of her movie soundtracks is largely forgotten. I can't remember anything about the film other than that there was some divine romantic comedy intervention involving heaven and resurrection. Heaven Can Wait was a big hit the year that Grease was the biggest hit of all, so maybe it was still in the atmosphere to influence Two of a Kind's dumb story.

The only scene I remember is one in which Olivia was in acting class and her acting teacher thought she was a terrible actress (uhhh....) but then all of sudden while playing a scene she saw a criminal in the theater -- context? -- and started screaming and the teacher marvelled at how genuine her emotions felt! My point is that it was a terrible movie.

Here's the love theme / duet for the movie. Why isn't it one of the schmaltz classics of the 1980s? Even if you don't know the song, marvel at the sheer volume of PINK everywhere you look. There's only one color in this rainbow. Travolta is so very breathy... was it all those fumes from Olivia's hairspray? They look so contagiously happy together.




Though Two of a Kind justly flopped, the movie did give ONJ her one last big hit after a whole slew of them in the 70s and early 80s. It was "Twist of Fate." Madonna was about to change the whole pop landscape and Olivia would suddenly be of the past.



I have a lot of issues with John Travolta as a celebrity but one thing I think is cool about him: even with the gazillions of dollars and the inexplicably enduring bankability, he doesn't shun his past. Here he is with Olivia just a couple of years ago singing "You're The One That I Want" for a Grease DVD party. So here's to longevity and loyalty to one's friends.



When was the last time you watched Grease? How many times have you seen it?

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Xanadu Your Neon Lights Will Shine...

So I started that 10|25|50|75|100 series a month or two ago because I like a wide variety of years in my film blogging, but you have to restrain yourself somehow. You can't focus on all 100+ years of cinema at once! But yesterday on twitter WonderRobbie reminded me that it was the 30th anniversary of Xanadu today. Since y'all know I love the movie like crazy I figured a quick mention was in order. I've already written extensively about the movie, so let's just take a quick look at a few random progeny. It's had 30 years now to sink deep down into the DNA of pop culture.


Have you seen this parody which mixes the rollerskating musical with ... wait for it... Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby ? That's right. It definitely has its moments though video parodies that stretch over a few minutes, rarely go viral. It's gotta be short, don'cha know? There's an even longer parody staring peeps but... brevity is key for good movie humor. (Perfect example: Kill Bill in 1 minute.)



Now that YouTube has expanded the allowable upload length, even fewer people will restrain themselves. Ah well.

More? Here is sexgod Cheyenne Jackson, former Woody Allen regular Tony Roberts and the hilarious Kerry Butler doing "Don't Walk Away" from the excellent Broadway spoof.



Ms. Butler has actually made a habit of movie characters on stage. She was one of many replacement "Belle"s in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. She nailed "Penny Pingleton" in the original cast of Hairspray and was totally robbed of a Tony nomination. She then struggled a bit with Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (but then, Ellen Greene owns that role so thoroughly one can only feel pity for anyone who dares approach it now). Finally, she was pure heaven when she essentially sent up Olivia Newton-John as "Kira" in the stage version of Xanadu. She won her first and very deserved Tony nomination for stretching out all those Aussie vowels to ridiculous length and singing her sparkly heart out.

You'd think more people would have covered the songs from the Xanadu soundtrack over the years given that the original screen musical, starring mostly the sounds of Olivia and Electric Light Orchestra spawned so many hit singles. But mostly I could only find evidence of the title song becoming a regular again a few years ago.



To your left is Sarah Blasko doing a gorgeous reworking of the tune for bonus tracks for "As Day Follows Night". To your right is Sharleen Spiteri doing a more traditional cover for her CD, "The Movie Songbook".

Xanadu. Xanadu-oooh-oooh. Now we are here. In Xanadu.

And we can't let this go without ONJ's heavenly presence for exit music.



Can you rollerskate like a Greek muse... or do you fall flat on your ass like me?
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Michael Jackson 1958-2009 (RIP)

I don't know what to say... two pop culture icons lost in one day. I was leaving for the movies when I first heard the news (then but a rumor) so I'm just catching up now. Like many pop stars Michael Jackson wanted to be in movies and the Peter Pan obsession in particular was one he never shied away from expressing. His Steven Spielberg / Peter Pan project never happened -- well it did but without songs and without Michael Jackson and in a different form altogether -- and neither did the movies. But, like Madonna, he was a mammoth small screen star by way of the music video.

And a mammoth star in general.

I can't say that I was ever a big fan and the sordid tabloid problems turned me off as much as anyone but it was hard to live through the 70s or 80s without having some connection to his work. Here are four of my favorites from his oeuvre. I'm not claiming they're necessarily his best but they're four that mean something to me personally or bring back vivid good memories.

And finally Liberian Girl and Leave Me Alone. I include these not because they have special significance to me but because they perfectly illustrate Michael Jackson's obsession with celebrity in general and the family he found in other celebrities. There are tons of stars in the first video (including Olivia Newton John & John Travolta "acting" together!) and it's dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor, the lone Jackson obsession to which I can fully relate. She's one of the true immortals. La Liz also factors heavily into the second video.

Madonna's statement...


Well said.

Suggested reads
Towleroad have you heard Jay Brannan's sung tribute? It's beautiful
Arjan Writes is shocked
Roger Ebert has a great piece
The Disney Blog remembers Captain Eo
fourfour Rich is as readable as ever

If all the shit that he went through couldn't knock Thriller, Off the Wall, Bad and, to whatever degree, Dangerous and HIStory out of our hearts, minds and asses, a little thing like death isn't going to, either.

Scanners investigates the mask and the problems with adult stardom
IFC Daily collects the web obits
Gawker collects the headlines. God, the NY Post is an embarrasment
A Socialite's Life collects the celebrity reactions

I Dream of Celebrity

In slumberland I was at an exclusive celebrity shindig directly following a mega budget photo shoot by David LaChapelle that I had starred in (Thank you id! Be silent superego). Details are fuzzy but I saw/spoke with Jackie Beat, Judy Davis, Tahmoh Penikett, Rufus Wainwright, Terence Stamp and Marisa Tomei. One can't imagine the filofax that would contain each and all of them but it surely belongs to an oneirologist.

I shared a table with Olivia Newton-John and Cyndi Lauper who both smiled at me simultaneously. For a split second I was 10 and unimaginably happy but then I became my jaded adult self again. I tried not to mention that the dream would have been better if Madonna had been seated between them. The last thing I remember was chatting up Reese Witherspoon. I told her that her drink looked like a candy cane and she laughed. Her civilian guest glared at me, angry to see her meal ticket's attention temporarily diverted.

I didn't want to wake up.

Who is the last celebrity to make an appearance in your dreams?
(Not the daydream variety. We'd be here all day!)

October's Musical: Cabin in the Sky

It's the "Musical of the Month"

On the 6th of each month I'm writing about one hand-picked musical. Anybody who loves the genre is invited to join in by screening, commenting, or publishing their own take on it. I started the series with three goals in mind: reacquaint myself with films I haven't seen in a long time, promote rental ideas for readers, enjoy films I've never seen (there are many) from within my favorite genre. Cabin in the Sky (1943), Vincent Minelli's first full directorial effort and a rare all-black musical from Hollywood's early days, falls into the latter camp. I am so pleased that you chose it from the list offered. It's a delight.

The story of gambler Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) and his ever-praying wife Petunia (Ethel Waters) is a riff on the classic Faust tale. It's one in a long line of literary and filmed entertainments that deal with Heaven and Hell's eternal battle for our souls. Some are heavy dramas but often they're comedies. The premise lends itself to goofy sets, outre performances and good triumphs over evil uplifts. Early in the film Joe nearly dies and the forces of Heaven & Hell agree to give him six more months on earth: repentance and good behavior wins him that dreamy 'cabin in the sky', more of the same wicked lifestyle will trap him in "H-E-double toothpick" as me mum used to say.

The last movie I personally remember seeing with this out-of-fashion premise was that awful Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta flop from 1983 Two of a Kind though I know there've been others since then. Anyone remember that film? It gave the world Olivia Newton-John's last big hit "Twist of Fate" and not much else worth mentioning.


Anywayyyyy.... Little Joe is a sinner who can't resist the dice or one of the devil's favorite gals "Georgia Brown" (the legendary Lena Horne). His wife Petunia prays and prays and prays for him to change and renounce both gambling and Georgia. And then she prays some more. Early in the film, Joe is shot in the local club Jim Henry's Paradise by a ne'er do wells he owes money. As he lay dying, the battle-lines for his soul are drawn (that six month contest) between Lucifer Jr's squad and some rather uptight angels. While convalescing Joe expresses bewilderment that Petunia is so confident that he won't stray again.

Little Joe when you're good, something in here [*points to heart*] starts singing.

And the lord seems to say, 'All my angels are playing beautiful music because they feel so happy for you. Can you hear it down there?' And I listen and sho' nuff I hear it as plain as if I was up in heaven myself. They were teaching me their prettiest tunes. Then I realized that's the Lord's way of telling me to be happy.

She then sings Joe this musical's gorgeous title song, beaming with both romantic and spiritual love all the while. Ethel's voice is expressive, nuanced and mature. Here's the way I see it/hear it: Musicals make the world beautiful. I hear them as plain as if I was up in heaven myself. They've got the prettiest tunes. Musicals are the Cinema's way of telling me to be happy.

There's a lot to enjoy in the film: Ethel Waters voice and performance were rich, the songs --many of them famous -- were quite good and Eddie Anderson's comic timing and inimitable screech in the song "Consequence" provided much amusement as he tries to ward off the advances of Georgia Brown. Though the film was obviously difficult to finance due to its risky all-black status in a racist era (many theaters wouldn't show the film in the 40s), there's still a bit of variety and ingenuity in the limited sets that are utilized. I loved the freezer burn detail on the air conditioned devil's office. Funny. For a musical it's skimpy on costume changes as well, but once Georgia and Petunia face off at Jim Henry's Paradise it's a feathery, glittery event that you wish you could see in full color. For film buffs there's some amusement to be had in the recycling of cast members from Gone With the Wind (1939) and sets and special effects direct from The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Yes Cabin in the Sky made me happy despite the odd warning or "disclaimer" that ran before the movie started.


That warning indicates "films" as in this is a stamp that's been placed on other films too? But unless I missed something (which is possible as a white boy) there wasn't all that much to be offended by on the race front. More troubling was the sexism but you'd never see a warning placed on a film from this era about that, now would you? And, what's more, the kind of sexism that Cabin in the Sky trades in --very popular in 40s movies, especially noirs, with seductive women painted as dangerous destroyers -- isn't all that dated, cinematically speaking. Both of the female characters are blamed for Joe's sins. Georgia Brown is blamed for seducing him (Men have NO CHOICE about who they sleep with, don't you know?! He says sarcastically) And later even Joe's devout patient wife is blamed for his tailspin when she fails to 'stand by her man' at one crucial point. Little Joe somehow wins points for Petunia's good deeds but she loses some for his free fall??? Heaven Can Wait ...for feminism apparently.

I leave you with the lovely Lena Horne's cut song "Ain't it the truth" which was deemed too scandalous what with Lena singing gleefully whilst enveloped in a decadent bubble bath.



Isn't she a honey?

Musical of the Month'ers
Movies Kick Ass 'Heaven... I'm in Heaven'
StinkyBits - finds this movie "fascinating, strange, well worth watching."
Criticlasm thinks Ethel Waters rules the piece
StinkyLulu -profiles Lena Horne's famous role as "Georgia Brown"
If you write about it, send me the link...

Next Episodes
November 11th (delayed) -Nov 6th marks the exact 10th anniversary of the release of Todd Hayne's glam rock oddity Velvet Goldmine (1998). It was a big moment in the careers of Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Lots of angles to be explored by any willing bloggers.
Dec 6th ~'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' with Judy Garland in the classic Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

Link Attack

Before we get started, let me first wish my childhood sweetheart Olivia Newton-John congratulations on her recent wedding.


Olivia has only appeared in two motion pictures since retiring from attempted movie stardom in Two of a Kind waaaay back in 1983 --curiously, both were gay-ish indies: the cult comedy Sordid Lives (2000) and AIDS drama It's My Party (2006) which was directed by Randal Kleiser who sewed her into those famous hotpants @ the end of Grease (1978). Not literally. But he directed it so, you know, eternal credit to him. The universe thanks him. "Tell me about it... stud"

If you only knew what you're linking me to
It feels like a link attack
You're giving me a link attack
Link attack
You're giving me a link attack

Links
<--- Correct Opinion would like to know what's going on with this Joker-like cover of Maggie Gyllenhaal. Seriously Tatler!
Black20 really cool Batman vs. Batman mashup
Burbanked "I am a walking movie cliché"
The Big Picture More on Spike Jonze and the troubled Where the Wild Things Are production
Rob Scheer on Hellboy II "it's hard to be anything besides appreciative."
Star East Zhang Ziyi is making it official with her man (sorry J.D.)
Dear Jesus and Hell on Frisco Bay attend the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
NY Times "Virginal Goth Girl" on the Twilight phenomenon. I'll have much more to say about this later when I finish the book. But I can already see the Mormon influenced desexualized unrealistic everything in it.
Anne Thompson on Twilight and The Spirit at the upcoming Comic-Con in San Diego

Tony Award Nominations (For Movie Fans)

The TONY Award Nominations for Broadway were announced today. Here's a look at the more celluloid friendly entries...

Plays & Revivals
As you may or may not have heard, the classically cruel French aristocracy play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (familiar to moviegoers from the Oscar nominated classic Dangerous Liaisons) is back on Broadway. It received a nomination for Best Revival (the other nominees are Boeing-Boeing, The Homecoming, and Macbeth with Patrick Stewart who, clearly, was also nominated).

But, quelle dommage!, The Lovely Laura Linney was passed over for Best Actress in a Play. She plays the Merquise de Merteuil. We rarely get to see Linney with claws out but it's usually a treat --she's awesome in a malevolent supporting role in The House of Mirth (2000). But apparently the TONY voters didn't think so. The only acting nominee is Ben Daniels (as Valmont) which makes these TONY nods the flipside of the Oscar nods back in 1988 when Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close where honored but their Valmont (John Malkovich) was snubbed.

When it comes to the Original Plays, the winner is already locked up. It will be impossible to beat the sensation that is August: Osage County. It's a dysfunctional family drama from the writer of Bug (I've raved about Tracy Letts work before) that people can't get enough of. Remember how enthused Famke Janssen was about it in her recent interview with The Film Experience? That reaction is common here in NYC. The hot play received seven Tony nominations in total including three for its actresses. When the movie version happens (you know it will) expect an all out war amongst Hollywood A-listers for the roles.

I should also note that Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, a play about an employment agency in the 90s, which stars wonderful actresses like Elizabeth Marvel, Mary Beth Hurt, Martha Plimpton and Marisa Tomei (who talked about this role on the TFE podcast) didn't do so well. Only Plimpton was nominated. Here's a little opening night video from Broadway.com

Musicals & Revivals
Broadway's "Best Musical" category continues to become "Best Original Musical Adapted From a Movie" as the transferring continues en masse. This year, two of them were lucky enough to get nominated: Cry Baby (adapted from John Waters' 1990 film which starred Johnny Depp) and the über gay and brilliantly campy Xanadu (adapted from the infamous Olivia Newton John 1980 rollerskating movie musical which I love to the ends of earth, through brick walls and on to neon'ed Mt Olympus). Neither is the frontrunner. That'd be In the Heights which leads all nominated entries with an incredible 13 honors.

Two blockbusters movie transfers got the stink eye from voters. Mel Brooks' adaptation of his own 1974 Young Frankenstein, which has been plagued by 'it's not all that' reviews and bad press resulting from Brook's greed (ridiculous ticket prices and everyone knows that greed from all sides is destroying Broadway), received only three nominations including one for featured actress Andrea Martin (Mel Brooks deemed Cloris Leachman's too old to reprise her "Frau Blücher" role which also contributed to the bad press). Disney's movie-to-stage transfer The Little Mermaid, which was filleted by most critics was an even bigger bomb with voters, receiving only two nominations (Score and Lighting). On the bright side: that's still one more nomination than their last cartoon to live-theater disaster, Tarzan (see previous posts).

In other movie-familiarized stage musical news, the 7,426th revival of Gypsy (this one stars Patti Lupone) won 7 nominations and will be singing out Louise for the main trophy... but chances are South Pacific will carry the night with its big haul of 11 nominations. Stephen Sondheim's brilliant (well... 2/3rds of it) Sunday in the Park with George, which has never been made into a movie and shouldn't be, could be a dark horse.

ONJ ~ unofficial mascot of the 2008 TONYs

In more horrific news the 1,002nd revival of Grease --yeah, the one that had its own idiotic reality show to pollute your airwaves --was also nominated in the revival category.I hate stage versions of Grease but I love this Olivia Newton-John theme that the TONYs have going on. She better be invited to host or present or something. So, let's go back to Xanadu to wrap up.

TFE favorite's theatrical hunk Cheyenne Jackson was passed over for lead actor which was no great surprise. He's game for those short shorts and his voice is super (as always) but "Sonny" has never been much of a role. Kerry Butler (pictured right), previously TONY snubbed for funny work as Penny Pinkleton in Hairspray a few years back, was justly honored though with a Best Actress nod for her gut-busting Aussie accent and Olivia Newton John send-up.

I smiled and laughed so much watching Xanadu on Broadway (seriously) that I can't recommend it highly enough. It's deeply deeply silly. If you love silly, go immediately. If you don't, avoid at all costs.

The TONY Awards will air on CBS on Sunday, June 15th.

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Back to the main blog if you're done with the stage: the movies await. Or dance on over to further reading if you're a Broadway nut: ModFab gets into the nitty gritty of the snubs and surprises * TONY's official site for the complete nomination list *
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It's ONJ Day

Today is the birthday of my childhood icon Olivia Newton-John. One of my dearest friends argues in utmost seriousness that Olivia's voice is what we'll hear the angels sing with in heaven. Who am I to argue? Maybe it's because she was the first celebrity I ever truly loved but she still sends me.

I really don't know why she isn't more celebrated these days --even if it would be in a shallow nostalgia way. At the very least she deserves her own theme night on American Idol given that far less famous singers have had them and her discography is loaded with #1 hits.

Since this is a film site here are five movie related goodies for you. Clockwise from top left for these first four: "Suspended in Time" from Xanadu (1980) one of my all time fav flicks and Olivia songs; "Take a Chance" with John Travolta (check out the hairspray'ed 80s 'dos) from their unfortunate attempt to rekindle the Grease magic with Two of a Kind (1983); "Those Summer Nights" with Travolta again from Grease (1978); and a comedic number with Gene Kelly from a TV special where they adapt "Makin' Whoopee" (yes, the song that makes us all think of my beloved) into "Makin' Movies"





And this schmaltz fest you just gotta take in... It's ONJ with Bette Midler, Meryl Streep, Cher and Goldie Hawn singing "What a Wonderful World". Put that many film divas (+ Olivia) in the same room and it sure is. The angels are already singing



AND JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THIS POST WAS OVER...
I'm also noticing on IMDB that Olivia is in talks to reprise her last film role for a television series. That'd be Bitsy Mae Harling an ex-con lesbian biker (I'm not making this up) from the strange, countrified, and intermittently funny Sordid Lives. The movie has developed a mini cult of sorts, due in large part to its fun cast which also includes Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges and Leslie Jordan

Now Playing (08/24)

L I M I T E D
Closing Escrow comedy about real estate agents and home buying. Aren't there a million reality shows on TV now on the same topic?
<---Dedication Billy Crudup is an eccentric children's book author (is there any other kind?) who has lost his illustrating partner (Tom Wilkinson). He resists the new artist in his life (Mandy Moore)...at first. Directed by Justin Theroux (mmm, Justin)
Deep Water a doc about an infamous boat race in '68
Eye of the Dolphin A young girl befriends a dolphin in the Bahamas. I think we're all asking the same question here: Do they play Olivia Newton-Johns' immortal "Promise (Dolphin Song)" on the soundtrack. If not, I'm boycotting
Hannah Takes the Stairs (love the title) a new entry in the growing "mumblecore" movement. Hannah has already won admirers in cinephile heavy corners of the blogosphere
The Hottest State Ethan Hawke directs Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Laura Linney, Sonia Braga, Michelle Willliams and himself in this romantic... dramedy?
Right at Your Door A terrorism thriller. It's using a comparison to 24 as a pull quote so, er, pass...

W I D E
Illegal Tender "always protect the family"
Mr Bean's Holiday I love him in shorts but I'm scared of feature length Bean
The Nanny Diaries our girl Scarjo takes on The Linney. Even if its bad, so what?
Resurrecting the Champ Josh Hartnett is now playing dads. I feel so old. In other news: Samuel L Jackson plays a homeless man called "The Champ" Life lessons / redemption sure to follow
September Dawn Jon Voight plays mormon prophet Brigham Young in this reenactment of the massacre of September 11th, 1857, which the movie posits as the first act of religous terrorism on US soil. I bet they aren't happy about this in Salt Lake
War Jet Li vs. Jason Statham. Why does it even need a trailer? or a title for that matter? Shouldn't "action star vs action star" be enough to get asses in seats?

I N _T H E A T E R S _ A N D _ R E V I E W E D
Death at a Funeral (pictured, right) this is my latest review in which I get frustrated with strenuous Brit comedy and do some hair pulling about distribution schedules for both Indie & Hollywood fare. Also: Becoming Jane, Hairspray, La Vie En Rose, Once, Ratatouille, Stardust, and Transformers

Happy Birthday to My Dear Friend

Today is the birthday of one of my nearest and dearest friends. You might know him from the comments as "Kristoferrobbin" so in honor of the first person with whom I regularly and obsessively consumed pop culture, a collage of ten of his favorite movie things:


Our tastes have diverged from the day we met in high school --he likes to needle me about that -- but we'll always have Olivia Newton-John. She brought us together (!true story!) in the mid 80s (just as her career was about to flame out *sniffle*). You have to believe she is magic.

Has a pop culture moment or a particular shared movie love delivered an enduring friendship to you? And do your friends share your movie tastes? It's apparently all about sharing today. You know what to do...

Linkadu

"Is it a crime to look at Lange?"


You guys... All That Jazz is kicking my ass. I have all this guilt about how far behind I am on those fundraiser movie requests (still have 10 to go) and every single time I sit down to write about this Bob Fosse spectacular I feel like Jessica Lange is mocking me, all serene but flirtatious with confrontation. Damn you Lange! The movie has so much going on that it's maddening to write about if quite awesome to watch. When I saw this for the first time many years ago I thought a solid B/B+ but on a second and third spin these past two weeks we're obviously in A territory. More later... if it ever stops distracting me with mental loops and structural leaps.

Anyway: LINKS
Big Screen Little Screen "(Re)Visualize Blade Runner and I'm Not There"
Michael Moore "An Open Letter to CNN"
Empire Online And When Did You Last See Your Father (trailer starring Jim "Zidler" Broadbent)

What's Good... "Heaven on Roller Skates, Indeed" Xanadu is now open on Broadway and Cheyenne Jackson will pick up many new fans. Wheeee. Kerry Butler in Olivia Newton-John's role is looking very Sarah Michelle Gellar, isn't she? My mind reels ~ too many popculture associations at once. But won't critics please stop dissing the movie version in every review? It's sooo obvious. Be a little more creative in your angle please. (y'all know I love the silly oft incompetent movie)

Also: Kenneth in the (212) has photos of ONJ herself at the premiere. God I love that woman.

20.07 ("you have to believe we are magic")

Each morning a screenshot from the 20th minute and 7th second of a movie

Kira: Sounds like you don't believe it.
Michael: Well, with all that's happened to me today, to tell you the truth I don't.
Kira: You're right. It's too coincidental. Someone must be setting us up

Every time I watch this movie I wish I could roller skate. Not that anyone does that anymore... but in retrospect, don'cha know. But, like Olivia herself, I was never much of a skater. I had to run into people or things to actually stop. The same is unfortunately true for my ice skating skills which is more of a shame because ice skating is classic.

related article: personal canon #96 Xanadu
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#96 XANADU

This post is for the Trashy Movie Blog-a-Thon hosted @ The Bleeding Tree as well as a new entry in my personal canon: "100 movies i think about when i think about the movies"


A stage version of this 1980 classic is about to open on Broadway but before it does --surely ushering in yet another jokey acknowledgement of Xanadu's kitsch value-- I think it's time to rediscover the film in all of its enduring time-capsule glory. For Xanadu, you see, is not the tongue-in-cheek comedy that it will be reworked as. It's a completely sincere endeavor and, I'd argue, endearingly so. It's not one of those films that are so intentionally bad that it's subversively excellent (see: Showgirls). No, Xanadu is the real deal: a straight-faced musical. It just had the terrible misfortune to celebrate a number of things that would be out of style almost immediately thereafter: roller rinks, disco, legwarmers, greek mythology, album covers … and Olivia Newton-John.

It's easy to dismiss Xanadu for the very things it shamelessly loves but it's a shame to dismiss the shameless if they're also compulsively watchable. What other movie gives you a glimpse into the lost profession of album cover illustration? None that I know of. In what other movie will you see Greek muses come to life from a painting on a brick wall? Even Clash of the Titans didn't have that. What other movie has the wacky chutzpah to give you a pop star as A list as Olivia Newton-John (she is strangely disregarded now but don't be fooled: she was an enormous star with dozens of hits) and put her on rollerskates and in only one baggy outfit for almost an entire film?

Xanadu, like many great musicals of yore, tells a rather silly story. The tale it spins is of a Greek muse with an Australian accent named Kira (Olivia) who inspires a young artist (Michael Beck, the whiniest male lead since Luke Skywalker complained about those power converters at the Toschi Station) to open a nightclub with an retired musician (Gene Kelly). This 1980 musical had the nerve to be Olivia Newton-John's follow up to the monster success of Grease and its subsequent box office failure insured that it wouldn't be spoken of nicely. And it is an easy target, don't get me wrong: what with the rollerskating, the new wave hairdos, and the visual tourettes (more on that in a minute)...

Continue reading for more XANADU

Blogosphere Multiplex: six things

Now that I'm a month into my journey through famed / admired / interesting bloggers in this Multiplex series, I thought I'd take a week out of interoggating total strangers and turn to a web friend. We haven't met in real life (He lives in Australia. I fear Kangaroos.) but we've enjoyed a healthy blog friendship for some time now. Meet par3182 who writes six things.


"six things" happens to be --no exaggeration-- my favorite minimalist blog in the world. For list-maniacs like myself it doesn't get any more addictive than starting your day with "reasons I won't be attending nicole kidman's wedding" or (an old favorite) "movie acting techniques you don't see anymore" or (my recent favorite) "things i thought i'd be doing in 2006 when i was a kid in the 70s"

10 questions with par3182
In which par3182 uses capital letters, puncuation, and actual sentences!

Nathaniel: How often do you go the movies?

par3182: Very rarely. I used to go once a week up until a couple of years ago, but the audiences got too noisy for me. I'm a strict no talking/no eating/no drinking moviegoer and can't understand why people can't abide by my rules. It all came to a head when I yelled at a woman who talked all the way through Almost Famous. I decided I was better off watching DVDs at home.

Nathaniel: Another reason for me to hate Almost Famous! Chatterboxes aside...how do you stand the wait?

par3182: Once upon a time we'd have to wait ages for films to be released down here, (not so much anymore, although we're still waiting on Junebug) so maybe I got used to it by default.

Sometimes I can't wait. I had to see Brokeback Mountain the week it came out (with a totally silent audience - I was so relieved) and I'll make a special trip if Laura Linney turns up in something. This week I might even go see Wah Wah as I do love Julie Walters, Emily Watson and Celia Imrie.

Nathaniel: What's your favorite cinematic Linney moment?

par3182: Oh, that's hard, I love the lovely Laura Linney in everything she does. I guess if I had to pick a moment I'm going to have to cheat a little and go for the one-two punch she delivers in You Can Count On Me, when she spots Mark Ruffalo through the window and she's does this two handed wave because so excited to see him, which is followed by the scene in the restaurant when she discovers he's not staying and is only here to ask her for money and you see the excitement drain away and the disappointment flood in. And the way she goes all businesslike and it's clear that this has happened many times before. Such a great scene for Ruffy too.

Nathaniel: Yes. GREAT scene. OK. A list I've always wanted to see from you: Favorite costumes in the movies.

par3182: You're asking a guy currently slobbing around the house in a moth-
eaten jumper and trackpants about costumes? I'm all over dialogue and performances in films but costumes...? Off the top of my head I'm going to go with (in no particular order) -

1. Jesus Christ Superstar - for the whole anachronistic hippies in biblical times thing (and the white jumpsuit at the end)
2. Annie Hall - for defining Annie so perfectly
3. Excalibur - because the costumes are all I remember about the movie
4. The Royal Tenenbaums - tracksuits / fur coats / headbands never seem to go out of style
5. A Streetcar Named Desire - Brando in a tight sweaty tee. Genius..
6. Cabaret - because I love every single thing about that movie

Nathaniel: Well, how was i to know about the slobbering? and the trackpants? You live in Australia... speaking of which. The secret movie star birthing factory. I know it's there --don't feign ignorance! Where exactly is it located? You Aussies just don't quit with the mega-watt exports.

par3182: They don't call it the secret movie star birthing factory for nothing, otherwise I'd be hanging around there a lot more often. I think they do something to the future stars that make them burst into greatness sometime after I've had a a tiny little something to do with them. I would have paid a lot more attention that time I went nightclubbing with Naomi Watts, sold a ticket to Nicole Kidman, shared an elevator ride with Rachel Griffiths, or got gushy with Toni Collette had I known they were all going to go onto the sort of fame I would have been perfectly happy bathing in the reflection of. Unfortunately I never brushed up against Hugh Jackman or Eric Bana, so I have no idea how they got to be so successful.

Nathaniel: We both share a childhood-begun / enduring adult affinity for Olivia Newton-John so it will probably horrify you to know that I have actually met people who don't know who she is! What should we do about this social ill? What kind of punishment is called for?

par3182: Well, the first thing you should do is get away from those people. The second is help me up off the floor as I briefly passed out at the thought of such unfortunates. Their ignorance, I'm afraid, shall be punishment enough. It's impossible not to know who Olivia is down here: she's an Aussie icon. Plus she and I share a birthday, so I can't help but love her.

Nathaniel: Well, Happy B-Day on September 26th! (And no, dear readers, I did not have to look up the date. That's how much I love ONJ.) Which movie things would you like as birthday gifts?

par3182: Not memorabilia, that's for sure. That's always stuck me as a little odd (although i did see an excellent Brokeback Mountain diorama made from Lego on eBay not so long ago.) I'm not really the gift type. Unless you meant gifts for Livvy, in which case I'm all for it.

Nathaniel: Which movie stars would you switch teams for?

par3182: Oh my.....there's something I haven't spent much time pondering. Let's say.....
My beloved Laura, of course
Kate Winslet
Zooey Deschanel
Isabella Rossellini
and a special mention of Elisa Dushku - who's not a real movie star but damn that girl is hot.

Nathaniel: That is only five (5!!!) things --I mean people. Five!?! Is this a sign
of the impending apocalypse?

par3182: I was watching the footy and was distracted by the sight of my pretend boyfriend Paul Licuria, so thinking about changing teams was nearly impossible.

Nathaniel: We've reached the end *sniffle*. Last question. They make a movie of your life. Who would play you? What's the title? What's the rating?

par3182: Already? I suspect the title might be six things: the motion picture. tagline: "you'll believe a man can type."

In the grand tradition of a whole lot of crappy Australian movies that were made in the 1980s that imported American stars of the calibre of Gregory Harrison, Christopher Atkins and Laura Brannigan, I'd like to be played by someone of middling talent that's hot right now but will be forgotten in ten years time. Brandon Routh, perhaps? Rating: straight to video

Nathaniel: Thank you to me Aussie pal par3182 for this delightful jaunt down under for this week's interview. Tune in next week when I interview... who?

Once again readers, check out par's beautifully brief "six things" each morning. It's as good as that energizing first cup of coffee and it doesn't stain your teeth or leave you jittery.


Previously at the Multiplex:
Gallery of the Absurd
How to Learn Swedish in 1000 Difficult Lessons
Ron L'Infirmier
Thomas & Co.

Tags: movies, cinema, Australia, Laura Linney, film, Olivia Newton-John, lists, Paul Licuria

Hopelessly Devoted to Her

Olivia Newton-John's longtime beau is missing. This has been a very bad news week for my favorite gals. First Madonna's accident...now this wrenching news regarding my first beloved celebrity obsession. I'm praying right now that all is well in the lives of the other ones: Julianne Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cyndi Lauper.

music makes the people come together

Similar to that Book thing a week ago--here's a music meme. Can you tell I'm procrastinating other things? (I started writing an actual film review but I'm so woefully out of practice.) For young music lovers out there: Please forgive the 80s intensity of the following list. They say the music from your adolescence is always more resonant for you and many of these questions are of the "life forming" variety.


1. Total Number of CDs/Albums I Own:
400ish I think. I still long for my missing vinyl though. It was lost somewhere in my frequently moving college years *sob*
2. Last Album I Bought:
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZAoriginal Broadway cast recording. It's just great. Adam Guettel is, sadly, never going to make the mark people think he will. He's too damn unprolific to be the next Sondheim or Hammerstein (as the case may be). The next purchase I'm definitely making is Missy Elliott THE COOK BOOK. I have everything else. As long as Missy keeps on dropping, I'm snatching them up.
3. Last Album I Listened To:
Antony and the Johnsons I AM A BIRD NOW --just weird and gorgeous. Rufus Wainwright and Boy George both have guest spots. That's how gay and theatrical it is, god bless.

4. Currently Listening To:
Gwen Stefani LOVE. ANGEL. MUSIC. BABY.
5. Lyrics or Beats?:
Lyrics. I'm all about the dialogue. even when that s*** is bananas. b-a-n-a-n-a-s
6. First Album You Fell in Love With:
That would be Olivia Newton John GREATEST HITS VOL. 2--many people are embarrassed by their first love. But not I. Do not be dissin' on Olivia anywhere near me. Ever. Not even under your breath while reading this blog.

7. Biggest Impact:
Madonna. period. All of 'em. She gives good soundtrack to life.
8. Favorite Album:
Kate Bush THE HOUNDS OF LOVE crazy, pretensious, spooky-girlie, and essential for any record collection
3 runners up in no particular order
George Michael LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE Vol. 1 a perfect pop record -too bad he lost it.
Yaz UPSTAIRS AT ERICSVince Clark also brought the world Erasure and Depeche Mode but Yaz has it all over any other new wave band because it's got the magic combo. Vince AND Alison Moyet.
Eurythmics SAVAGE this one is mine I loved it way before the rest of the world began to realize how awesome it is/was/will continue to be.
9. Most Listened To:
Probably Madonna's RAY OF LIGHTthough I never kept count ;)

10. Sexiest Album:
Björk VESPERTINE has to be way up there.
11. Biggest Disappointment:
Annie Lennox BARE I just can't get into it ~too monotonous. I weep that she takes so long between albums.
12. Five Albums That Mean the Most to You:
Other than those mentioned in the other 11 questions I have to go with...Rufus WainwrightPOSES , Cyndi LauperSHE'S SO UNUSUAL, John Cameron Mitchell & Stephen TraskHEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, Jason Robert BrownTHE LAST FIVE YEARSand Tori Amos BOYS FOR PELE