Reviews Archives

Law & Order junkies, the jury is in!  The Law and Order :: Trial by Jury DVD has been released and it contains all 13 original episodes of the entire series, including one never broadcast on network TV!  It stars the late Jerry Orbach and Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers, Frasier) with guest-star performances from Lorraine Bracco, Peter Coyote and Candice Bergen.  You definitely don’t want to miss the landmark Law and Order: SVU cross-over episode starring Chris Meloni and Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay!!

HOW TO WIN A FREE COPY ::  To win a Law & Order :: Trial By Jury DVD, simply leave a comment in this entry with a valid email address (not published) by May 5 @ 7PM EST and a winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck!

UPDATE:: Congratulations Kim on winning the L&O DVDs!  Thanks to everyone else who entered –

GO FOR :: English accents! A farcical French brothel scene! Dominic Cooper as the dreamy Dakin! Samuel Barnett as the uncomfortably homosexual Posner! Two actors from the Harry Potter movies! A smattering of song and dance (accompanied by the very talented Jamie Parker-as-Scripps on the piano)! Unusually perceptive (yet still hilarious) one-liners!

THE GIST :: 8 smart (and smart-assed) boys at grammar school in the North of England return to school for extra cramming and classes to prep themselves for the rigorous entrance exam that will get them accepted at Oxford and Cambridge. They’re guided in this by Hector (played by Harry Potter’s Uncle Vernon, Richard Griffiths), who is filled with deep appreciation of literature, culture, and motorbiking (among other things); Irwin, a young teacher hired because he knows just how to twist history into a standout essay; the Headmaster who’s only interested in the bottom-line; and Frances De La Tour (HP6’s Madame Maxine) as the sensible female voice.

THE TAKEAWAY :: Well-acted (and well-staged if you do not sit in the first 20 rows on the far-right), History Boys shouldn’t be missed while it’s on Broadway with its current cast. It’s a really wonderful play that illuminates what our views on culture have become in a way that is both perceptive and witty, heartbreaking and hopeful.  And no, you don’t have to go see the play twice like I did! 

Dominic Cooper makes his Broadway debut as the dreamy Dakin.
Many more pictures of The History Boys in the gallery!

The Wedding Singer opens on Broadway tonight!  I was lucky enough to see it earlier this month while it was still in previews and I definitely had a blast, especially with all of the 80’s references. Rita Gardner, who plays Robbie’s grandmother, gives a standout performance in a knee-slapping rap called "Move That Thang".  Watch for that. I was on the floor the whole time!  I wouldn’t go as far to say that The Wedding Singer is the new Hairspray but it comes close. Great set and costumes, memorable music and a good cast make it a solid show.  I really enjoyed the songs "It’s Your Wedding Day", "Get Out Of The Dumpster", "Saturday Night In The City" and "Grow Old With You."  You can’t go wrong with 80’s-pop, can you?  The Wedding Singer soundtrack hasn’t been released yet but for now, you can sample two of the songs –

DOWNLOAD :: The Wedding Singer - Wedding Day [ mp3]
DOWNLOAD :: The Wedding Singer - Grow Old With You [ mp3]

Stephen Lynch plays the lead as rockstar wanna-be
 Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler in the film version).

Synopsis :: The new season of American Dreamz, the wildly popular television singing contest, has captured the country’s attention, as the competition looks to be between young Midwestern gal Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) and  showtunes-loving young man Omer from Orange County (Sam Golzari). Recently awakened President Staton (Dennis Quaid) even wants in on the craze, as he signs up for the potential explosive season finale.

I had very low expectations going in to watch American Dreamz earlier this week since reviews were pretty bad.  Fortunately enough, I was able to enjoy myself thanks to this hilarious pair — Sam Golzari as Omer and Tony Yalda as Omer’s flaming cousin Iqbal Riza. (Iqbal has aspirations of winning American Dreamz but in the end winds up as Omer’s manager.)  American Dreamz is not Paul Weitz’s best work but hey, it still works. And on a sidenote, I can’t wait for Americanizing Shelley where Yalda will star as Happy Singh!!!  American Dreamz opens in theaters nationwide TODAY!

HOW TO WIN A FREE PRIZE PACK :: To win an American Dreamz poster, t-shirt (it says "Are You Sure That’s Dignified?" on it ) and hat, simply leave a comment in this entry with a valid email address (not published) by April 24 @ 7PM EST and a winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck!

UPDATE :: Congratulations, Katie!  Your prize pack is on the way!

O-M-G. P-U. Tarzan stuuuuuuuuuuuuuunk!!!!!!!  Unlucky me watched the musical Tarzan earlier this week while it was still in previews at the Richard Rodgers Theater. Worst. Musical. Ever. The set was horrendously ugly (neon green ropes acted as vines).  The costumes were vile (the gorilla costumes literally looked like bodysuits with dangling yarn attached to it).  And the choreography was uninspiring (maybe five more weeks at "aerial lab" would have helped).   With a $15-$20 million budget, I expected much much more.   The weakness of the show is that it’s trying to smoosh De La Guarda and an overextended Disney-fied plot together into a whole that has too much going on. Broadway doomsday, aka opening night, is May 10. Check out the Tarzan article in this Sunday’s edition of the NYT that has Broadway message boards buzzing –

• When the Times invests three pages on set design rather than music, book, or cast, you know you ‘re in trouble.
• Sorry, maybe its just the picture, but he looks NOTHING like Tarzan should. He looks more like a skinny emo kid rather that an ape-man. Here’s hoping thats just a really bad picture…
• He looks, um, dainty.

UPDATE :: Tarzan Broadway cast pictures added!

22-year-old Josh Strickland, an American Idol finalist
 from the second season, plays the title role of Tarzan.
 Jenn Gambatese plays young explorer Jane Porter.

REVIEW! I had the opportunity to watch The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre last week and it made me one happy theatregoer.  The premise? A musical theatre addict ("Man in Chair" played by Bob Martin) listens to his favorite record — 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone — and the show comes to life.  The cast brings all the dancing and singing you could ever hope for in a musical, especially Tony-winning star Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie), who bursts to life on stage as the show-off-y bride-to-be Janet. The night I went, the crowd was roaring with laughter, so I can only imagine it getting even better before opening night (May 1). Catch the sneak peek video here [wmv].  More pictures in the gallery!

MUSIC! The cast album will be recorded this Sunday, April 16 and the original Broadway cast recording will be released of The Drowsy Chaperone on Tuesday, June 13, 2006. Check it out and chase those blues awaaaaaaaay!

TICKETS! Purchase them at the official website — The Drowsy Chaperone. If you simply can’t afford the regular Broadway ticket price tag, don’t fret my pets!  Every performance of The Drowsy Chaperone holds a lottery giving away a limited number of $25 orchestra seats. Theatregoers can enter the lottery 90 minutes before showtime. One hour before curtain, winners will be chosen at random. There’s a two tickets per person and the winner must pay with cash.  Now go get Drowsy!

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall has Chinese heritage, was raised in Scotland, went double platinum in the U.K. and is on her way to conquer the U.S. music charts.  KT’s debut album "Eye To the Telescope" is slowly creeping its way into the hearts and ears of unsuspecting listeners across America with its thoughtful lyrics and gorgeous melodies. "Eye To the Telescope" is filled with different musical flavors, but its the simple acoustic guitar rhythms and KT’s powerful raspy vocals that enchant her album with raw emotions. Preview and pick up KT Tunstall’s "Eye To The Telescope" from Amazon today!  Watch KT Tunstall perform her infectious hit single "Suddenly I See" in the video below.  More pictures in the gallery!

HOW TO WIN A FREE COPY :: Simply leave a comment in this entry with a valid email address (not published) before Wednesday, March 15 @ 7PM EST and two winners will be chosen at random this time to win autographed copies of KT Tunstall’s "Eye To The Telescope". G’luck!

From paper to pixels, mischievous monkey Curious George makes his way to the silver screen in a children’s full-length animated feature film. To preserve the retro spirit of the book series created by Margret and H.A. Rey in 1941, George’s world is rendered with 2-D animation. 

Celebrities lend their voice talents to Curious George — Will Ferrell plays Ted, The Man With the Yellow Hat, Drew Barrymore plays a school teacher and Ted’s love interest and Dick Van Dyke plays a museum curator.  In a banana-split-second, the plot revolves around Ted and George attempting to save the financially struggling museum that Ted works at.

Curious George is a fun little flick that stays true to the classic books and will be a treat for the tots.  After the jump is the music video for Jack Johnson’s single "Upside Down" featured in Curious George, which combines live action shots of Jack within the animated world of the mischievous monkey. Catch Curious George in theaters today! 

WIN A CURIOUS GEORGE PRIZE PACK!  This prize pack includes a kid’s t-shirt, hat and soundtrack.  To win, simply comment in this entry with a valid email address before tomorrow, February 23 @ 7PM.  A winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.