Something next to normal, that's the thing I'd like to try

Because some of these links are already kind of old and I don't want to sit on them until I can make a full post, lol.

* Two characters will be sitting out the next season of Game of Thrones, because they ran out of book.

* Drunk Benedict Cumberbatch is really the only acceptable Benedict Cumberbatch.

* First picture of Allison Williams as Peter Pan.

* Interview with my bb Aaron Tveit.

* Another reason to look forward to Agent Carter: it will be employing Enver Gjokaj.

* Captain Marvel may or may not be making a cameo in Age of Ultron, but the fact that she's expected to be a big part of Phase 3 is a good sign.

* The Russo brothers talk about preparing for Captain America 3. (Also, this is the first I've heard that Jeremy Renner was supposed to be in Winter Soldier. Did I miss when that went around the rumor mill?)

* Promos for The Good Wife, Agents of SHIELD, Downton Abbey, The Librarians, and Homeland. Anything you're excited about?

When the linkspamming gets out of control. Between the TCA press tour and Comic-Con, there's a TON of TV and movie news and related fun stuff coming out.

( Under a cut because it's so damn long )

* We now have more details about Better Call Saul, which will begin "before Saul was even Saul." Here's the full TCA press tour live-blog of the Better Call Saul panel.

* Emmy Award nominees were announced yesterday. They are ridiculous, as usual. Also, why the nomination process is so screwy.

* RDJ announced the impending arrival of a baby girl Downey in classic RDJ style.

* Here's a long interview with James Gunn about Guardians of the Galaxy.

* Orphan Black has been renewed for a third season.

* Here's the first trailer for Gone Girl. And here is the second.

* Aaron Tveit talks about Graceland and wears ridiculous sweaters, and answers some hilarious fan questions on the Broadway.com show. And because I will take any excuse to link this again, here's his amazing Taylor Swift cover from 54 Below.

* Apparently How I Met Your Dad is getting retooled for the 2015-16 TV season, because the universe hates us.

* There's another Mockingjay teaser clip. I have to say, I love the meta things they can do with viral marketing in this series.

So, like, AGES AGO, I used to do a weekly post highlighting a musical I loved or was in or had recently seen... and then I got distracted by other, shinier things and stopped doing them. Which is a shame, because musical theater is my first and truest love. But I've had a very musical week, so I figured I'd bring it back, even if I immediately get distracted again (OMG Iron Man 3 screencaps muuuuuuuuust iconnnnnnnnnn, also I have a half-finished Gone with the Wind meta I should do something with).

If you live in the DC area, you really should check out the Signature Theater in Shirlington, because it is awesome. Seriously, (1) they love Sondheim, (2) my girl Heidi Blickenstaff comes there a bunch, and (3) it is basically in my backyard. I actually just saw Heidi on Friday, since she did a solo concert, which was lovely as ever, and I want to steal her gorgeous voice in an Ursula and Ariel kind of way I MEAN OMG. How does she not have a solo album yet? Say the word, Heidi, and I will Kickstarter the hell out of it.

Earlier this week, I also saw Signature's main show right now, Miss Saigon. ( cut for blathering that got long and turned into meta )

And finally, my Broadway bb, Aaron Tveit, has released an album! It's a live recording of his 54 Below concert, and if nothing else, it is worth the price of admission to hear his TRULY EPIC cover of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Teen!girl!Aaron is my new favorite Aaron. "No, like. Like, EVER." Laughed so hard I CRIED. Go buy it.

[1-62] Orange is the New Black
[63-82] Graceland
[83-89] Zachary Levi (with Krysta Rodriguez)
[90-95] iconthat (Luther, Mad Men, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, True Blood)
[96] Lost
[97-98] The Avengers

Preview:



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[1-3] The Americans
[4-11] Breaking Bad
[12-14] Buffy the Vampire Slayer
[15-17] Friday Night Lights
[18-19] Game of Thrones
[20-50] Graceland
[51] Shameless
[52-56] iconthat (Burn Notice, My Mad Fat Diary, Hannibal, Teen Wolf)

Preview:



( Read more... )

* Following the success of the movie, Les Miserables is, unsuprisingly, coming back to Broadway. Has anyone seen the "reimagined" show? I am torn - I am kind of curious to see what's been changed, but I also don't want to be disappointed if it's TOO reimagined, lol. Speaking of Broadway, I'm going up to New York next weekend with my mom. We're taking our chances at the TKTS booth, but if anyone has recommendations, I'm open. Right now, I'm leaning toward either The Mystery of Edwin Drood or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

* My bb Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in a movie version of The Last Five Years! First of all, I am shocked this is happening, because TLFY is not a very well-known show, so I'm not sure what kind of movie audience they'd get (surely not the blockbuster of Les Miserables) although maybe they're counting on the new off-Broadway production to drum up attention? Second, I am curious how they plan to adapt it, given the structure of the show. But mostly: YAY.

* The Americans has been renewed for a second season already. After only four episodes have aired. That's how good it is, people.

* Nifty Catching Fire posters.

* Men and women apparently tweet differently. Women are more frequent users of "emoticons, ellipses (…), expressive lengthening (nooo waaay), repeated exclamation marks, puzzled punctuation (combinations of ? and !), the abbreviation omg, and transcriptions of backchannels like ah, hmm, ugh, and grr." As a frequent offender in allllllllll of those categories, this piqued my interest. I haven't read through the entire study, but the first thing that pops into my head is whether Twitter-speak might be influenced by the culture of more gendered spaces on the internet (compare the predominately female LJ/DW to the predominately male Reddit). We tend to adopt the speech patterns of our social group, and I know that I at least have been very influenced by my fandom experience. (I NEVER USED TO CAPSLOCK SO MUCH. NOW I HAVE ALL THE FEELINGS.)

And now, top fives:

From ever_neutral:

( Top Five Dudes You Would Bang )

This will probably be of interest to no one but me, but whatever. I'm having fun. Anyway, there's a movie version of my favorite musical ever, Into the Woods, being made, and it's now confirmed that Meryl Streep will play the Witch. Earlier, there was a screenplay reading with lots of big names, some of whom may end up in the movie, but Meryl wasn't involved so obviously none of them are sure things.

Because I am me, I decided to do my own cast, since I know this musical better than anyone else ever, with the possible exception of Stephen Sondheim. (Literally, I cannot remember a time when I had not seen Into the Woods, because I started watching it at such an early age. Which was probably bad parenting on my mother's part, but most of the sex jokes went over my head.) I was going to make a picspam, like my genderswaps, but caps of the original Broadway production are nigh-impossible to find and what's out there is pretty poor quality (granted, the thing was filmed in, like, 1987, so what do you expect?).

To give myself a bit more of a challenge, I made an arbitrary requirement that, for the movie, everyone must have some prior film or television experience, otherwise I could just cast the whole thing with Broadway stars and be done with it. I also tried to inject a little diversity since, much as I love the Broadway cast, that is a very white show. Here we go!

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Been somewhat out of commission this week. My parents were here this weekend, and if it seems like that's really soon for them to visit after I just spent a whole week there over Christmas, you'd be right. But I had a colonoscopy on Monday, and so they came down so that I'd have someone to drive me home while I was loopy from the anesthesia. (Which I actually got this time. SO MUCH BETTER. Last time they gave me fucking extra strength Tylenol and I was awake the whole time and felt EVERYTHING. WHAT THE FUCK. I think that actually qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. And the doctor was all, "You can watch on that screen if you want!" Like I'm Katie Couric or something.)

Anyway. Links:

* It's really a shame this post is in all-caps, because it's really a fascinating and insightful take on cinematography and pins down exactly what I disliked about Les Miserables but couldn't quite put into words.

* Speaking of which, there may possible be an extended director's cut version of Les Miserables? GOOD GOD HOW MUCH LONGER COULD THAT MOVIE POSSIBLY BE?

* Aaron Tveit continues to be my favorite, giving pronunciation lessons, talking about Les Miserables and his new show, Graceland, and why he's not on Twitter.

* Sarah Michelle Gellar is trying again with TV, this time on a sitcom. To be fair, I've always thought SMG's comedic talent was vastly underrated. She was great at the comic material on Buffy.

* Downton Abbey and Entourage are pretty much the same show. I can't actually speak to that, having never seen Entourage, but the criticisms of Downton are spot-on. Having just rewatched the first two eps of season 3 while my mom was here, this in particular resonated with me: "Downton Abbey is full of tension heightened by the fact that these people have nothing better to do than sit around and worry about nothing."

* Community could totes possibly get a fifth season. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath on that one.

* Jon Stewart says what we've all been thinking about the gun control debate.

* This oral history of Good Will Hunting made me all nostalgic. Remember when Matt and Ben were nobodies from Boston? LOL Matt: "Ben’s still the youngest writer to ever win an Oscar for screenwriting. I’d be the youngest if it weren’t for Ben. Fucking asshole."

And it is good. Mostly. Full review forthcoming. For now, links:

* Samantha Barks as Eponine, singing "On My Own."

* Aaron Tveit talks about playing Enjolras, plus a clip of "Red and Black." I am also very excited to hear that he's been filming a TV pilot for USA Network. (I was wondering why he wasn't at the premieres!)

* This AV Club review is actually pretty spot-on, IMO.

In non-Les Miserables news:

* The sire bond plot is one of The Vampire Diaries' best ideas ever? Well, I don't know if I'd go THAT far, but there are some valid points which semele made, like, two weeks ago, but who's counting?

* Dan Stevens talks about a thing that happened on Downton Abbey that I don't know about because I haven't watched the Christmas special yet, but I kinda figured it was happening? Major spoilers, I imagine.