Pic of the Week: Hidden Mickey

So You Think You Can Dance is Back!

So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite reality competition television shows.

I love seeing what the choreographers will come up with next. And I love seeing which dancers I get attached to. Since no season DVDs have been released, I like to keep recordings of my favorite routines. Last season had some good dancers, but there weren't many routines that I wanted to keep. I have big hopes for this season, and I look forward to routines that blow me away enough to want to keep them.

And let me tell you that I've been waiting to say, Cat Deeley is back! She is the best reality TV host on television. She is so spontaneous and has such genuine warmth. And she's so likable, you just want her to be your best friend.

After Wednesday's episode that revealed the top 20, I have some favorite dancers. I like Will (contemporary), Lindsay (ballroom), Eliana (ballet), and Chehon (ballet). We'll see if my favorites change as the weeks go by.

My favorite routine of the night was performed by Brandon the stepper, Cyrus the animator, and Cole the martial artist, choreographed by Christopher Scott. It was a great routine that played to the strengths of all three different styles and dancers. This is a keeper. It will be interesting to see how they do with other styles of dancing.



Each week I will include a favorite routine from the week's episode and a favorite from season's past. I'm going to start with what I would consider my favorite routine of all time: "Bleeding Love" with Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura, choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. Perfection.



And I will tell you now that Mark is my favorite dancer from all the seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.

Ricky Gervais: Critics are Bullies

I read the following article today about Ricky Gervais.

I like Ricky sometimes, but it seems that he has the same attitude many comedians have, "I'm a comedian, so I can say anything I want regardless, even if it's offensive, but don't ridicule what I say because I'll be offended." It's so true when he says that comedy is subjective, and so is offense. All artists hope that everyone will like the art they present to the public, but when someone doesn't, it doesn't make them a "bully," it makes them an honest critic.

I like this quote from Stephen Sondheim: “If you believe the good reviews, you also have to believe the bad reviews. So I don’t read any reviews.”

Utah Shakespeare Festival is the Place to Be

The Utah Shakespeare Festival's 51st season opens this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing the plays. I have attended the Utah Shakespeare Festival every year since 1996. It has been a highlight of my summer for 16 years, and I've never been disappointed in spending the time or money.

This year on the Adams stage, which is an outdoor replica of Shakespeare's Globe theatre, three plays will be performed in repertory. Two of the plays, Titus Andronicus and The Merry Wives of Windsor, were written by William Shakespeare, and the last play, Mary Stuart, was written by a German playwright, Friedrich Schiller.

I have never seen Titus Andronicus, but many festival-goers still talk about the last time the play was produced at the festival. They say it was one of the best productions they've seen of any play there. It is Shakespeare's bloodiest and most violent play, written in a time when the Elizabethans loved to see gore on stage and off. One of the Elizabethan's form of entertainment was public executions. They were used to seeing real beheadings, hangings, drawings and quarterings, and wanted to see that kind of violence portrayed onstage as well. Shakespeare gave the theatre-goers what they wanted in spades with Titus Andronicus. It will be interesting to see how the production is staged this year at the festival.

Mary Stuart, which was not written by Shakespeare of course, is the story of the rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. We know how the story ends, but it will be interesting to see how the playwright portrays both women at a very turbulent time in English history. I am fascinated by the history of British Kings and Queens, and I'm excited to see the play and see how historically correct it is.

On the Randall stage, two classic plays, To Kill a Mockingbird and Moliere's comedy Scapin, as well as the popular musical Les Miserables will be staged in repertory. I'm sure Les Miserables will be very popular for the majority of festival-goers. I have seen it many times, and would have preferred that the festival had chosen another musical, especially since the movie musical will be coming out soon, but I have no doubt it will be very good.

The festival's 52nd season has also been announced. They are starting two new initiatives. One is to produce every play in the canon in the next 12 years. The second initiative is called the "History Cycle." This initiative is to perform the history plays in order, starting with King John in the 2013 summer season, and Richard II in the fall. I am excited to see both of these plays next year because I loved the festival's last production of King John, and I have never seen Richard II. There are only four Shakespeare plays I haven't seen live (five if you count Two Noble Kinsmen): Titus Andronicus, Timon of Athens, Henry VIII and Richard II. After next fall there will only be two Shakespeare play I haven't seen. Thanks to the Utah Shakespearean Festival's "Complete the Canon," I will have seen all of his plays by at least 2024. That seems like a long time from now, but really isn't.

The other Shakespeare plays included in the 2013 summer season are The Tempest and Love's Labour's Lost. Cole Porter's frothy musical, Anything Goes, Twelve Angry Men, and the acclaimed Broadway play, Peter and the Starcatcher (which will run into the fall season as well ), and round out the summer season. In the fall season you will be able to see the musical, The Marvelous Wonderettes, as well as the aforementioned Richard II and Peter and the Starcatcher.

Not all of William Shakespeare's plays are masterpieces, in fact I don't feel the need to see Troilus and Cressida ever again, but there is no doubt that he is the greatest writer in the English language. I would call myself a Shakespeare-freak as well as a theatre-geek, and I am grateful that there is a Tony Award-winning Shakespeare festival three and a half hours from my home that I can escape to every summer and fall. I can't think of a better vacation than watching six plays in three days in scenic Cedar City, Utah.

Forbidden Broadway is Coming Back!

Forbidden Broadway had been an Off-Broadway staple for 27 years when it closed in 2009. It will open again Off-Broadway in September after a month of previews starting July 24th.

Forbidden Broadway spoofs Broadway musicals and plays in a cabaret-style format. It has mocked shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Rent, and Wicked. It also makes fun of theatre personalities including Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, Carol Channing, Michael Crawford, Mandy Patinkin, Stephen Sondheim, Patti LuPone, Kristen Chenoweth, Andrew Lloyd Webber, just to name a few.

I saw Forbidden Broadway in 2005 when I went to NYC with my friend, Colene. I loved it. I am a theatre geek, but I don’t find the theatre too sacred that I feel you can’t make fun of it and of all of us theatre geeks. I hope to go back to New York soon, and I'm excited go to Broadway. But I'm also excited to go Off-Broadway again and see Forbidden Broadway and see what they do to the likes of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Newsies, Ghost, and some of the oldies too.

First Picture of Angelina as Maleficent

Filming of Maleficent, a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story from the point of view of the evil fairy, has begun. The film tells the story of how Maleficent became evil.

Get a load of those horns. It's interesting how the Disney versions of fairy tale characters become so iconic that you just can't get away from them.

Pic of the Week: We Have Right, Left and Down Covered

Singers You Should Listen To: Gavin Mikhail

I was introduced to one of my now favorite singers/songwriters on a Broadway podcast.

Gavin Mikhail isn't a Broadway singer, but no matter. He has his own style of songwriting and has a very unique voice.

"Go On" is the song I heard first on the podcast.



Go on, check him out.

TV Review: Drop Dead Diva

How do I love thee, Drop Dead Diva? Let me count the ways.

1) Brooke Elliott: Brooke is the center of the show, and you couldn't ask for a more perfect, non-typical leading lady. It's nice to have a leading lady who is not a size 4, or even size 6 or 8. We need more women like her on TV.

2) Original premise: I don't like most court room dramas, but this is more than a court room drama. Drop Dead Diva is the story of a model who dies, and because of a "computer glitch" in heaven, her soul goes back to earth in the body of Jane, a size 16 genius lawyer.

3) Great supporting cast: A show can't depend only on the leading character to carry it. Without great supporting characters, a show can't last into its fourth season. My two favorite characters are Grayson (Jackson Hurst), Deb's boyfriend, who doesn't know that Deb's soul is in Jane, although he is starting to have his suspicious; and Stacey (April Bowlby), Deb's best friend, who does know that Jane is really Deb. The rest of the cast is great too.

4) Dream sequences: Many episodes begin with dream sequences and some are musical production numbers. I love that the writers take advantage of Brooke's other talents. She was on Broadway and has a great voice.

5) Cases: The cases may not be steeped in reality, but at least they are clever and interesting.

6) Guest stars: There have been many guest stars in the first three seasons, including: Paula Abdul, Clay Aiken, Louis Van Amstel, Delta Burke, Vivica A. Fox, Tony Goldwyn, Elliott Gould, Tim Gunn, Deidre Hall, Valerie Harper, Gregory Harrison, Howard Hesseman, Kim Kardashian, Ricki Lake, Mario Lopez, Chad Lowe, Liza Minnelli, Kathy Najimy, O'Donnell, Jake Pavelka, Teri Polo, Faith Prince, LeAnn Rimes, Cybill Shepherd, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Wanda Sykes, Jennifer Tilly, Gina Torres, Nia Vardalos, Wendy Williams, and Chuck Woolery. It's great to know that these actors/performers see the worth of this show.

7) Jane's flashes of intelligence: Deb doesn't have any of Jane's memories of her past life, but she does get flashes of Jane's intelligence when she needs it. It's so funny to see how it hurts her brain when those flashes happen, and her shock and excitement when it happens.

8) Great lines: The scripts are wonderful, and there are plenty of great lines. The following is just one:

Fred: I've heard about physical attraction before, chemically I understand it but I've never experienced it.
Jane Bingum: What, you've never had a crush?
Fred: Up there all I meet are dead people.
Jane Bingum: Well, forget it, okay? Stacey's out of your league. You'll be setting yourself up for a world of hurt.
Fred: No no, you don't understand! I look at this Stacey, and I, and I can't help it. I wanna, I wanna do her grocery shopping, wanna, wanna re-roof her house. I wanna hunt animals and bring her the meat.

There are more reasons I love Drop Dead Diva, but the reason listed above give you a good idea of why I think it's one of the best shows on television. You can discover the many merits of Drop Dead Diva for yourself on Lifetime on Sunday nights. And the first three seasons are on DVD.

TV Review: Zen: Vendetta

Thanks to Ruth from Booktalk & More for introducing me to Zen.

I love Rufus Sewell, and I'm surprised that I've never seen Zen before now. Oh, what I've been missing! Just to see this man in his Armani suits is a big enough treat, but can I just talk about his eyes? The first time I saw Rufus was in Cold Comfort Farm, and the first thing I noticed about him was his gorgeous eyes. I was so looking forward to seeing those eyes in Zen, and I couldn't believe that in the first shot of him he's wearing sunglasses. Noooo! But then he took them off. Thank you.

Okay, enough about his eyes.

If you aren't familiar with Zen, the following is from the Masterpiece Mystery website:

Meet Zen. He has an unusual (Venetian) name and, in the shark tank of Roman politics, has an even more unusual reputation — as an honest detective. Aurelio Zen, the sometimes cool, sometimes bumbling, but always impeccably stylish murder squad detective is saddled with an "unfortunate" reputation for integrity, and it hasn't exactly helped his career. Nor is his personal life thriving. In spite of advances from female suspects as and colleagues alike, he is pushing 40 and living with his doting mother after a failed marriage.

A judge is murdered at the top of the first episode, Vendetta, and at first I thought the show would be like Columbo where we, the audience, know who the murderer is, and we'll watch the detective solve the crime. But while Zen is working on another murder case, the man who murdered the judge is out for revenge, and Zen is one of his targets. It's great storytelling to have these separate plot lines going on, and watch how they intersect at the end.

It's interesting how Zen is trying to prove the innocence of a man accused of murder while he has a man who was wrongly accused of murder trying to kill him because Zen helped put him behind bars.

Rufus is the perfect actor to play the dashing Aurelio Zen. Many of the roles I have seen him play have been the villain, and I love to see him as this honest detective. Rufus has a cool, laid-back air about him. And he is so very handsome.

The supporting cast is excellent, and has a few familiar faces. Ben Miles (Lark Rise to Candleford) plays Amedeo. Ed Stoppard (Upstairs, Downstairs) plays Zen's fellow detective, Vincenzo. Facelloni, the man whose innocence he's trying prove, is played by Greg Wise (Sense and Sensibility and Cranford).

The scenery is wonderful. I've missed the European location shots from the series Missed, so it's nice to see another series with beautiful scenery.

I was caught up in the story and in Zen's character. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, and how Zen was going to handle each situation. Was he going to find out who killed the billionaire and his "guests"? How would he escape from the murderer who wanted to kill him? Could he protect the ones he loves? And how was he going to get out of that cave?

I loved the last scene with Zen and Tania in the elevator. When the elevator doors open and Vincenzo is standing there - Zen and Tania's looks are classic!

Quotes:

Zen: At the time of the killings he was with the local policeman. We call that an alibi.

Moscati: I need a cigarette.
Zen: You've given them up. I'll have one for you.

Angelo: If ever you need anything in return...
Zen: Will you marry my mother?
Angelo: What?
Zen: Never mind.

Tania: They say you are too honest for your own good. And you live at home with your mother.
Zen: It sounds so glamorous.

Jeremy Jordan joins the cast of Smash

Another Broadway performer will join the cast of Smash. Jeremy Jordan will play a singer from Brooklyn.

Jeremy has appeared on Broadway in West Side Story, Rock of Ages, and most recently as Clyde Barrow in Frank Wildhorn's Bonnie & Clyde. He is currently playing Jack Kelly in Newsies. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role his Newisies.

Jeremy was also seen on the big screen in Joyful Noise, which starred Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. I wasn't that impressed with the film, but boy can that guy sing!



I'm excited to see him in Smash.

TV Review: Bunheads

Sutton Foster has won me over.

However, she isn't the only thing in Bunheads that has won me over. I'm hooked on the show itself.

When the show starts we meet Michelle (Sutton Foster), a dancer in Las Vegas who wants a better life. A life where she's 25 again, and dancing in the chorus of Chicago, and not in the chorus of a Vegas show. Hubbell is a not so secret admirer, which almost borders on stalking. He brings Michelle flowers and gifts, and in a moment of desperate drunkenness after not getting the Chicago audition, Michelle agrees to marry Hubbell. And he takes her to Paradise. Paradise, California. Michelle finds out that Hubbell lives with his mother (or his mother lives with him, to be exact), and she runs a dance school. Michelle does not fit in in Paradise, but she's made her choice and she wants to make the best of it.

I wanted to see this show because of Sutton Foster. I know she's had a great career so far on Broadway. I wanted to see how she would do on television. Yes, she was great, but I'll keep watching because it's a great show. I thoroughly enjoyed this premiere episode. First, Sutton is priceless. She is a great comedian and can deliver her lines with perfect timing. Her facial expressions are wonderful, without being over the top. The show is extremely witty. It is not full of stereotypes, but has characters who are well written and actors who fill their parts well. The script is great. As an example, the following is the exchange between Hubbell and Michelle when asks her to marry him:

Michelle: No, you don't understand. I suck at relationships. I'm like Godzilla. Men run from me. They flee. Not just Japanese men. All nationalities flee.
Hubbell: I won't flee.
Michelle: Buy some comfortable shoes.
Hubbell: I promise you I won't flee. I'll be the one scientist who understands you. The one who knows that you're not burning the city down because you're evil. You're burning the city down to protect the giant lizard eggs you just laid in a cave no one knows is there but me.

This first episode ends with a shock, and suddenly we know what direction the show is not going in. Which leads to the question of where the show will go. I am excited to find out. I think it will be a hit, for Sutton Foster and for ABC Family.

Observations:

I believe the pianist in the ballet class is the piano guy from Glee. He really gets around.

Quotes (just a few, but this show is full of great lines):

Michelle: I have to be perfect tomorrow, perfect and glowing and 25 by 10 o'clock.

Hubbell: I let my mother decorate the place.
Michelle: How very Graceland of you.

Michelle: You live with your mother like a serial killer?

Sam: It's a manufactured pretty. It's a kit. A pretty kit.

Michelle: All right ladies, welcome to the auditions for the sequel to Cats, working title - Dogs.

Sasha: You have to slow it down.
Michelle: Do I? I have a job.

Pic of the Week: Chapel Bridge, Lucerne Switzerland

Another Pic of the Doctor and his New Companion

Another treat for Doctor Who fans - a second picture of the Doctor (Matt Smith) and the new companion we will meet on Christmas day (Jenna-Louise Coleman).

She looks like she has a bit of sass. I like that.

Word on the street is that her character's name is Clara.

Additional Doctor Who-related news:

James Corden, who appear in last season's episodes "The Lodger" and "Closing Time," won the Tony Award for best actor in a leading role. He won for his performance in One Man, Two Guvnors. The other nominees in his category seemed hard to beat: James Earl Jones, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frank Langella and John Lithgow.

Congratulations, James!

2012 Tony Awards: Broadway's Big Night

Observations:

Neil Patrick Harris is the perfect host for the Tony Awards. It's great when you have a host who loves the theatre so much, and is funny, and can sing and dance. Not that past hosts didn't have those abilities, but Neil has all of these in spades. It's so perfect when he asks "What If Life Were More Like Theatre."



I really want to see Newsies.



It was hilarious to see Neil Patrick Harris come down on a rig upside down like Spider-Man, and then see Andrew Garfield's face in the audience. Andrew was nominated for a Tony for his performance as Biff in Death of a Salesman, and will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in movie theaters.


Audra McDonald has such an incredible voice, and combine it with Norm Lewis in Porgy and Bess - what a treat!

The production number from Once was great.



Ricky Martin can dance.

The dancer from Godspell must have been over the moon to dance with Hugh Jackman. She's going to talk about that one for a long time.

Fun to see Hairspray live on a cruise ship. It's cool that Royal Caribbean has Broadway at Sea. I wonder how old the girl was who played Tracy. Certainly not in her teens or even early twenties.

I wish Bonnie & Clyde had been nominated for best musical because I really wanted to see a musical number from the show.

And just because: Ghost, the Musical:

Tony Award Musical Performances

I have watched the Tony Awards every year for many, many years. For those who don't know, Tony Awards are given for the best of Broadway.

I started recording the musical numbers from the nominated musicals in 1987 when Les Miserables won for best musical.



The following are some of my favorite performances from past Tony Awards shows:

"Anything Goes" from Anything Goes (featuring Patti LaPone)



"Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and Dolls



"My New Philosophy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (featuring Kristen Chenowith)



And finally, "Don't Walk Away" from Xanadu (featuring Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler)



There are so many more I could include. I recommend that you go to YouTube and enter "Tony Award musical numbers" to see many more.

The 2012 Tony Awards show was broadcast last night, and there were some good production numbers from nomimated musicals. My favorite was "Sieze the Day" from Newsies, here is the reprise of "Sieze the Day" from the original movie (great choreography in just over one minute):



Tomorrow: Musical highlights from the 2012 Tony Awards.

First Picture of The Doctor and his New Companion

The first picture of the Doctor and his new companion has been released.

I love Matt's vest and jacket, and I love that he still has his signature bow tie.

How exciting it must be for Jenna-Louise to be on the set of Doctor Who, and as the Doctor's companion! Not many actors get that distinction.

The Real Housewives of Shakespeare

Thanks Miss Megan!

This is where the drama truly is.



I love Titania!

The end says it all: "Big Drama. Better Writing."

TV Review: Breaking Pointe

ABC Family has their new series, Bunheads, that premieres next week. It's about aspiring ballet dancers. The CW also has their own series about ballerinas, Breaking Pointe, but its is a reality show about real ballet dancers with one of the top ballet companies in the country, Ballet West. It premiered last week.

I am interested in the series, not because it's about ballet, but because Ballet West is in my neck of the woods, Salt Lake City. It's fun to see landmarks that are so familiar.

The show isn't very compelling to me, but these kinds of reality TV shows are not my cup of tea. I'm not into reality shows where they just follow people around with cameras. I like competition reality TV shows such as So you Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, Top Chef, and yes, America's Next Top Model.

I would prefer to see the ballet dancers dance a full routine than watch their relationship problems, or see their dance wounds, or hear how some of the dancers don't like the 18 year old ballerina because she's moving up the ranks faster than they are.

Sidenote: Kathleen Martin (Katie) looks really familiar, and I can't figure out who she looks like. I don't know if it's because I've seen her somewhere else, or she she looks like someone I know or like someone famous. Anyone else think she looks familiar?

Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

I really don't have much to say about Snow White and the Huntsman. There were some things about I liked, but at the end of the movie I left the theater thinking, meh.

It felt to me that Charlize Theron played the wicked Queen in slow motion. Her movements were slow and her lines were slow. There didn't really feel like any urgency in her actions or motivation. I don't know if she felt like being evil meant making sure you spoke slowly enough so everyone understood your evil intent. Weird. All in all I didn't like her performance. However, she really is beautiful (definitely fairer than Kristen Stewart).

Kristen Stewart was all right. She still acted the same as she does as Bella from Twilight, a little reticent in everything she does. Except at least in this film she did do something. She fought for her rightful place and didn't just let the man fight for her.

For me, I felt the movie really started when we met the eight dwarfs. Yes, eight. They brought humor and warmth into the film, which was sorely lacking prior to their appearance.

Needless to say, my favorite character in the film was the Huntsman. I have liked Chris Hemsworth ever since I saw Thor, and was so glad to see him repeat that role in The Avengers (which I saw again on Monday- loved it just as much the second time). He was great as the Huntsman, and I would consider seeing Snow White and the Huntsman again just for him (and the dwarfs).

I was a bit disappointed in true love's kiss. I wanted something bigger to happen after it. It was quite anti-climactic. It's like the writers/director felt they had to put it in because it's in the story. I was happy with the twist, but come on, give me some romance. It is a fairy tale after all.

Visually, the movie is very stunning. Very different from Mirror, Mirror. There were some very cool CGI moments.

I guess I do have more to say about the film than I previously thought. I'll let you know if I like it better on the second viewing. Chris Hemsworth is worth a second look. *wink*

Pic of the Week: Buckingham Palace

Drop Dead Diva is Back!

The Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva is back for its fourth season, and if the new season can be judged by its first episode, it's going to be great.

Movie Review: Dark Shadows

I am a big fan of Dark Shadows. Not the original soap opera from the late sixties, early seventies; I'm not old enough to remember it when it was on TV. I am a fan of the 1991 series remake.

The series only lasted one season, and it ended with one of the best cliffhangers, and because of that, even if I hadn't liked the show, I still would have wanted to see what happened in the second season. I was so disappointed when it was canceled.

So, I was excited when I heard that a movie version of the show was being made. When I saw the preview I thought it looked campy, and I loved that it was being set in the 70s. Well, I have to say that I was very disappointed in the film.

Oh, where do I start?

First, Let's talk about Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. The thing about Barnabas, is he's supposed to be an attractive, romantic character. That's why women loved the soap opera so much, and it was one of the reasons I loved the 90's series. I loved Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins. He was attractive, charismatic, romantic, and tormented by the life he led. I rooted for him, even though he was a vampire and killed a bunch of people. I watched the remake again this weekend, and yes, there's no doubt that it is very early 1991 soap opera. It's sometimes campy when it's supposed to be scary, but I still like it better than the movie.

The remake also had Michael T. Weiss and Adrian Paul. Plenty of eye candy. The new film only had a freaky looking Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp can be so handsome, but he was not attractive, romantic, or charismatic as Barnabas. His pale skin reminded me more of Twilight, which I do not like. His eye make-up was too much, and his hands were gross. I don't know who would be attracted to him. Before he became a vampire he was very handsome. If they could have kept him that way it would have worked for me.

I liked Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth. She has aged so gracefully, unlike other actresses in the business, and she has so much class. Jonny Lee Miller's character, Roger, was totally unnecessary. I didn't understand why they gave him the storyline they did. The twist with Carolyn at the end was ridiculous. Eva Green was a bit off to me as Angelique. Bella Heathcote was 2-dimensional as Victoria.

The story was terrible. If you're going to have a vampire in your midst, the plot should revolve around the havoc he causes because he's a vampire, not about the vampire trying to rebuild the family business. I was also disappointed in the Victoria/Josette storyline. Here is Victoria, who is the mirror image of the woman Barnabas loved almost 200 years ago, and pretty much the reason he became a vampire, and there is really no relationship that grows between Victoria and Barnabas. It's kind of an afterthought. So, the ending didn't ring true to me. And in the end I really didn't care about any of the characters at all.

They made the story all about Barnabas and Angelique. And why is Angelique still alive 200 years later anyway? She's a witch, not immortal. Why would she stick around Collinsport after the man she loved is buried alive in a coffin for eternity, and she's the reason he's in there? I didn't get it. If they had made it more like Angelique's story in the 90's series it would have made more sense.

I liked some of the campiness and the 70s jokes. I just wish the film had balanced the camp, horror, and drama better.

I expected much more from Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. I'm so disappointed that I was disappointed.

Smash: Season 2

I am already a little bummed about season 2 of Smash.

Raza Jaffrey, who played Dev, will not be coming back for season 2. He may be in a couple of episodes to close his storyline, but then he'll be gone. I liked the actor, and was very annoyed with what the writers did to his character.

Jaime Cepero (Ellis) will not be coming back either, which is good news. His character was so unlikable, I don't think any viewers will be sad to see the backside of Ellis. I do feel bad for the actor. It's hard to lose your job, and the writers never gave Ellis a chance to redeem himself in any way.

James d'Arcy James (Frank) will not be a featured player in the next season. That is disappointing, because I really want to hear him sing a decent song, but it also means that the episodes might focus more on backstage, and also not try to jam every character into every episode, which I think will be good for the focus of the show.

Will Chase is also pretty much out next season. I'm not sad about that. I will be happy to see his and Julia's storyline gone.

The creator of the show, Theresa Rebeck, will no longer be at the helm of Smash. She will still write and produce, but Josh Safran (Gossip Girl) will take Theresa's place as the showrunner (person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television series).

I'm excited to see what the second season will bring for Smash.

Bunheads: A Triple Threat Comes to ABC Family

Sutton Foster is the next Broaway star to make the jump to television. She stars in the new ABC Family series Bunheads, which premieres June 11.

Bunheads is the tale of a Las Vegas showgirl, who impulsively marries a man, moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law's dance school.



Sutton has starred on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Young Frankenstein, Shrek (which also starred the wonderful Brian d'Arcy James in the title role), and most recently the acclaimed revival of Anything Goes.

I have only seen Sutton in short scenes from her Broadway performances, but the one word I can say about her (other than talented) is likable. I'm excited to see another series about the performing arts, and I am looking forward to the pilot of Bunheads.