The Two Maria Von Trapps

The Two Maria Von TrappsTwenty-five years ago today the real Maria Von Trapp passed away or, shall we say, climbed that last every mountain. I recently tried to find footage of her with the other real "Maria Von Trapp" Julie Andrews -- The Sound of Music is so embedded in culture that it's one of those movies that's as real as fiction gets, yes?  YouTube has a bit from the Julie Andrews Variety Hour from the early 70s but it's hard to watch due to the loud buzzing sound on the recording. Pity that because it looks fun.

I've been thinking about The Sound of Music a lot recently since the Captain himself, Christopher Plummer won the Oscar just last month. I want to watch it again right now. Or at least "The Lonely Goatherd" or something.

How many times have you seen it?

Standby

FYI that tonights episode of 'Hit Me' featuring the Depression Era Barrow gang (Warren and Faye and Gene and Estelle!) will be up really late - in the wee hours. Have a last minute chance to see Audra McDonald in Porgy & Bess on Broadway and can't miss.

In the meantime... What's on your mind? Share.

Smash: "The Coup"

I don't really have the heart to review this week's new Smash episode at length because it was surprisingly terrible and I don't want to pee on the news that Smash has been renewed for a second season. That's good news even if we're getting kind of worried about the show's absolute refusal to let Megan Hilty be the star because they want it to be Katharine McPhee. McPhee is decent enough as an actress but too bland to carry the show. What's more the writers decided that Karen "couldn't 'play the sex' " as an actress and yet in every single number McPhee performs she's all seductress beauty-posing. Weird.

The schizo episode even had room for a Grease 2 like number

Grace Gummer -- one of Streep's two doppelganger actress daughters -- guest starred as Eileen's do-gooder daughter but the plotlines were so all over the place (and the scenes so short) that it felt like twenty episodes in one. Or like it didn't even happen since the ending was basically like hitting a reset button!

Set List: For the first time there were no good numbers and surprisingly few of them, too.
Best Moment: Liked Derek and Tom's showdown. Loved Julia's exasperation that she can't escape Ellis, the annoying assistant.
Gay Gay Gay: That moment when Ellis kissed his girlfriend.
Anjelica Awesomeness: Not really.
Curtain Call: Did this episode happen at all?
Grade: D

Previously on Smash
1 Pilot 2-3 The Callback, Enter Joe DiMaggio 4-6 The Cost of Art, Let's Be Bad, Chemistry, 7 The Workshop

Stupid News of the Decade: Chloe Moretz as "Carrie"

Sigh.

Breaking news: Chloe Moretz has accepted the lead role in the remake of Carrie. The news broke. It broke all the goodness in the world.

Not that a remake of Carrie wasn't a uniquely terrible idea all on its own without a hand from Chloe! The original is bloody perfect and Sissy Spacek's fragile overwhelmed and finally furiously catatonic performance is unimproveable. Frankly it's the stupidest casting I've heard since that time decades ago when Nicolas Cage was going to play Superman. This is like asking George Clooney to play an ugly unsophisticated charmless schlub virgin or asking Tilda Swinton to be uninteresting. Some things are just impossible.

No matter what one thinks of Chloe as an actress there is this fact: she exudes confidence. She's like a teflon teen. Not one atom in her body seems fragile or confused or meek. Yes, yes, she's an actress and you can play things other than yourself. But. But. Everything about her persona / aura / being reads wrong for this. She'd be more convincing remaking Aliens as Ripley or remaking No Country for Old Men as Anton Chigurh. Or maybe The Silence of the Lambs as both Clarice and Hannibal. This is what happens when Hollywood bases their casting on "who's hot" and does it without imagination.

Executive: "Hey, we've seen her bloodsplattered (Let Me In) and killing (Kick Ass) already. She can do that. ZOMG she's perfect for it!!!"

Kimberly Peirce is directing. She started off strong with Boys Don't Cry (1999). Her second feature Stop Loss (2008) had its moments but barely caused a blip. This third outing can't end well. And I don't mean for the kids at the prom.

I'm trying to be nice but JA gave this the most apt funny headline... "Chloe Moretz Burns in Hell"

Just Say Link

The Guardian Jane Fonda will be playing Nancy Reagan for Lee Daniels' as yet untitled feature about a White House butler. That's the one he'll follow The Paperboy with.
Towleroad first official look at Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean (though we have already seen pap shots) in Les Misérables.
Movie|Line can you guess what the most rented DVD of 2011?
AMC Film Critic Thelma Adams on what mothers and daughters can learn from The Hunger Games

IFC Fix Actor Toby Kebbell on the troubled adaptation of Akira. He was up for the Tetsuo role but he didn't like what they were doing with the project. I admire his honesty/fandom but I don't like that he's even up for the role. Asian actors please... it's not like Asian American actors don't exist.
Movie|Line can you guess what the most rented DVD of 2011?
AMC Film Critic Thelma Adams on what mothers and daughters can learn from The Hunger Games
In Contention Woody Harrelson's mirror characters in The Hunger Games and Game Change
Rope of Silicon a look at Michael Shannon as a ruthless killer in The Iceman.
After Elton remembers the gayest moments in Mad Men history.
EW five ways to fix Smash which has been renewed for a second season (yay!)

for fun...
Gizmodo Great Simpsons humor. The apps on Mr. Burns' iPad.
world of wonder Atheist Barbie. Hee.