Beauty vs Beast: Any Way the Wind Blows

Jason from MNPP here, fresh from a weekend stuck on the sofa nursing a stomach flu, and that was even before Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody won top prizes at the Globes last night. On that sour note, I give you this week's "Beauty vs Beast" poll. Best to get these movies out of the way now, since I think (and hope and pray) that this might signify the peak of their awards run. As Nathaniel pointed out in his Globes take this morning...

"Both are films which have been accused of having their true stories of queer musicians diluted or significantly fictionalized by the people doing the telling (former bandmates in the case of Bohemian Rhapsody and the family of an employee in the case of Green Book)."

There exists in the ether of our imaginations two fascinating movies about Freddie Mercury and Dr. Don Shirley, full of sharp insights about race and sexuality in times and places that warped these men while simultaneously feeding off their talents, but those movies will have to, for the time, stay in our imagination. This is what we got.

panel management

PREVIOUSLY Way back before the holidays we faced down Dame Julie Andrews' two most iconic roles, and even though Mary Poppins can fly the saintly Maria took it to the mountain-top and spun herself up a win with 56% of your vote. Said Joel:

"Watching the precocious Maria makes me so happy that I want to yodel-lay-hee-hoo off a damn Alp." 

Beauty vs Beast: Dame Julie, If You're Nasty

Jason Adams of MNPP here with our last "Beauty vs Beast" until the New Year, and what better way to ring out an exhausting 2018 than with a spoonful full of sugar to make all that bitter medicine go down -- the according-to-me scrumdiddlyumptious Mary Poppins Returns is hitting theaters this week and so let's get our Dame Julie Andrews on with a show-down between her two top roles, a frisky Alpine nun and a nanny from the stars... 

survey software

PREVIOUSLY Never underestimate the power of poetry, yall -- in our re-match between Shakespease in Love and Saving Private Ryan once again twas the Bard who came out on top, with 70% of your vote. Said par:

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

Beauty Break: Happy Mother's Day!

Michelle Pfeiffer with her daughter Claudia Rose early onHappy Mothers Day to any of our readers who are mothers and Happy Mother's Day to all of your mothers, too. Herewith some of our favorite actresses with their first born...

Click to read more ...

Stage Door: "My Fair Lady" through the Years

by Nathaniel R

Tony season is (nearly) upon us so we're reviving the Stage Door column toward the end of March. But before we start reviewing shows, a history lesson.

Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Dolittle

My Fair Lady began its classic life in 1956 as a Broadway musical. No, that's not quite right. It began its life as George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, which premiered way back in 1913, over a century ago! That play inspired the stage musical by Lerner & Loewe. On March 15th previews will begin for the latest Broadway revival. Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) headlines as Eliza Dolittle, with Harry Hadden-Paton as Professor Henry Higgins, two time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (♥︎) as Eliza's father, and showbiz legend Dame Diana Rigg (The Avengers, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Game of Thrones, etc...) as Higgins' mother. 

This will be the sixth major incarnation of the hit musical. Let's recap...

Click to read more ...

RPDR All Stars 3: E2 - Divas Live!

by Chris Feil

After a phenomenal premiere last week, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars retuned with a nod to it’s new VH1 home for a lipsync tribute to VH1 Divas Live.

For the children who may not remember this landmark televised event of living legends sharing a stage and its subsequent installments, this was the thunderdome of vocal runs and balladry. Some helpful context: last week Aja’s jawdropping performance snuck up on formiddable competition and Céline-d a stage of Aretha’s and Mariah’s. Morgan McMichaels was Carole King and didn’t stick around. Valentina Whitney Houston-d because everyone wondered why she wasn’t there.

Seriously VH1, it’s the 20th Anniversary of the first Divas Live. Be good to us and start a revival. And true to Divas Live, this episode delivered as much on personality as it did performance.

Click to read more ...