LEGO PORN!!!

The producers of the upcoming Wolverine solo film have decided, in light of the negative critical and fan reaction to the third X-Men film, to high-light Hugh Jackman’s musical theater abilities and the gay subtext of the X-franchise:

Yet this terrifies me.

One of the points raised the other day in my post about Sweeney Todd was that the play is actually very funny, something not on display in the trailer. So, to get the Cult of Burton off my back (like the Cult of Joss, only with better clothes), I’ll make you a deal. If Depp and Bonham Carter can pull off this scene, I’ll be charitably inclined towards the film.

This brief snippet of Sweeney Todd pretty much confirms many of my misgivings. Talk-singing? Helena Bonham Carter looking woefully miscast as Mrs. Lovett? A more ridiculous wig on Johnny Depp than he’s ever worn before? A seeming reluctance to let the audience know it’s a musical?
Oh, dear…

While you all mull over whether you want to see Phantom Lady or my non-pull list, here’s some wholesome, family friendly Archies songs.

On an unrelated note, if any of you found yourself frustrated by the lack of resolution to the blatant homoeroticism of Hot Fuzz, be sure to check out the bonus materials on the new DVD..

Rouge Traders, “Voodoo Child”; I loved the use of this song in The Sound of Drums. A lot of Doctor Who fans seem to think it was somehow blasphemous to use an electro-rock tune with a good beat to score an alien invasion. Never mind that the song is actually used diegetically; it’s actually being played in the scene by one of the characters. It’s a deliberate sick joke on the part of the villain. He’s planned his end of the world scenario down to the last detail, including choosing theme music for it.
Now, that’s dedication to evil.

Britney Spears, “Toxic”; Now, if you want to complain about the use of pop music in the show, take this piece of garbage. Lousy, lousy song. Granted, in the episode The End of the World the song is explicitly used as a joke. And at the time, the world thought little Brit-Brit was just a marginally talented teen starlet, using her sexuality as a cover for her lack of singing ability. We didn’t know at the time that she was batshit fucking nuts.
Still…horrible, horrible song.

Gary Williams, “Song for Ten”; One of the features that has developed in the Christmas specials for Doctor Who is the use of an original song. Of the two we’ve heard so far, I prefer the song from The Christmas Invasion. Lyrically it resonates with me more. This live version was from a charity concert where Murray Gold’s music for the show was performed live.

KLF, “Doctorin’ the Tardis”; I was the only person in my school who had any clue what this song was about.

And, just for fun, here’s a rather nice mix of the various title segments and variations on what a lot of people consider one of the all time best television themes.

Via Mr. Dan Kelly, the infamous “punk rock” episode of Quincy:

Yes, contemporary television shows and their “goths/emos are scary” storylines will look just as dated and ridiculous in twenty years…sorry C.S.I. fans.

Attempts to contemporize Archie comics ruining the jokes:

Does anyone use commercial collect calling anymore? Does anyone use payphones anymore?

Batman being a hypocrite:

Man, was that series awful. I think the “armor” the heroes wore is easily in the top five of “Stupidest Things I’ve Ever Seen In A Comic.” I’m glad Alex Ross really liked the Super Friends when he was a kid, but that was no excuse for DC to put this out.

Oh, and in regards to the big spoiler news from comics today, I only have four words to say: status quo successfully maintained!

My friends always seem very surprised by my taste in music. I don’t know what it is, my musical interests are diverse enough that I hardly think I could even be said to have a specific taste in music. And yet, I hear “You like Dolly Parton? Really?” or “I would never have guessed that you’d ever even have heard of The Cows” or “I’ve never even heard of Scared of Chaka” to get the impression that if my musical likes and dislikes confound people so, I must be doing something right.
As a result of this, bands I’ve never heard, or heard of, get talked up to me periodically. And with the invention of the internet, it’s become fairly easy for me to sample songs from those recommended groups.

Kings of Leon, “On Call”: I know folks who absolutely adore this band, and actually arrange their vacation and travel schedules to see them whenever and as many times as possible. I just don’t have that level of devotion to any band. And, you know, they’re not bad, but I can’t say I’m too taken with this song. It’s rather droney indie-rock sounding, and honestly, that sound doesn’t really do it for me anymore.
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