WooHoo!

There is a God.

We found Maryanne.

I can get my hair cut tomorrow.



NOW, I go to work.

Long time, no blog

I just realized how much I miss Blogger. And Liz's entertaining news. But, I've been super busy with everything.

New stuff:

I'm the Mad Hatter in my school's production of Alice in Wonderland. It was the part that I wanted, so I'm really excited. The cast looks really good. Every one has British accents - it's great.

I bought an iPod. Yes. I saved up for about a month and I now have my own portable music miniGod.

I now LOVE Eisley.

The trimester from HELL is over in two weeks. No more Chemistry, AP History, Honors Geometry. I'll just have Honors English, Spanish 3, Advanced Drama, Advanced Computer Apps., and Contemporary Artmaking. Easy classes. Easy, easy, easy. I can't wait. I just have exams to get through first.

A week ago, I had to banish a very angry squirrel from my home. Frightening experience.

Oh, and Cortnie and I got Wicked tickets. Granted, they're probably worth $30 each and we spent $100, but we get to... DEFY GRAAAVITY! And Julia Murney is playing Elphaba. That's JULIA MURNEY of The Wild Party. Woo!

And that's about all.

An Update

Since I haven't updated in forever:

School's been fine. Just keeping me busy. Working 20 hours a week. The Prowl. Drama Club starting. Busy. But I've been on break and will be until... the day after tomorrow (wow, didn't realize it was so soon) and it's been calm, for the most part.

Drama club will be doing A Midsummer Night's Dream. Eh, I say to that. We'll see, though. Hopefully auditions will be soon.




On other things: I'm just going with it all - flying by the seat of my pants. If I have power, I don't know it. I'm confused, too. I'm trying.

Rent Review

I haven't blogged in a long time - I've been too busy. I now have school (the harderst trimester ever - Honors English, Honors Geometry, AP History, Spanish 3, and Chemistry B), work, homework, editing the paper, and an attampt to have a social life on my plate. I'm survivin' though, so I's all good.

Now, here by popular demand (of Alice) I shall post the Rent movie review I wrote for The Prowl (but changed a little bit). It was one of the hardest articles I've had to write, probably because I'm so close to it's subject matter. If you notice and grammerical errors, tell me. Thanks.

I Don't Own Emotion, I Rent: A Movie Review
By Cole Wood****

The highly anticipated movie version of Jonathan Larson’s stage musical, Rent has at last blasted its way into theaters, with new life and a new sound.
Rent follows a year in the life of eight friends who are living the bohemian life as starving artists in the East Village of New York City. Six of movie’s eight stars reprise the roles that they played on stage in Rent when it opened almost a decade ago in 1996. Original cast member Anthony Rapp plays Mark, a filmmaker and roommate of Adam Pascal’s character, HIV-positive singer/songwriter Roger. Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who won a Tony for his stage performance as Angel in Rent jumps back into his Christmas drag to play the AIDS-infected, street performing character. Jesse L. Martin, of Law & Order fame, comes back as Tom Collins a gay anarchist and old friend of Mark and Roger. Taye Diggs, who had his own television show, Kevin Hill, is Mark and Roger’s landlord and ex-roommate. Also back is Broadway star Idina Menzel, who most recently donning green make-up to star as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba in Wicked. Menzel reprises Maureen, a larger-than-life performer. They are joined by Rosario Dawson, who plays Mimi, an exotic dancer and Tracie Thoms, who plays Joanne, the lawyer girlfriend of Menzel’s character, Maureen.
Though the movie was advertised more as fun and a celebration of friendship, it deals with much heavier themes. That is not to say that Rent is not a happy movie; lighter moments like Maureen’s hilarious performance piece, “Over the Moon” and the amazing song, “La Vie Boheme”, a musical celebration of the Bohemian lifestyle, bring fun to the movie. Still, the themes of poverty, death, and AIDS (which was more of a death sentence that a medical diagnosis, since the movie takes place in 1989) give the movie a slightly gloomy feel. These themes do not hurt the movie, however. If anything, the film’s sadder parts, like Jesse L. Martin’s tear-jerking performance of I’ll Cover You (Reprise), make it more real and Rent’s essential message of living each day as your last, more poignant.
The music which makes up 85% of the movie is mainly of the pop/rock genre. The voices of the actors are incredibly pure and moving, clearly demonstrating that art of acting through song. Songs like the “Out Tonight” and the title track, “Rent” blast through the speakers, heavy on guitar and percussion, while ballads like “One Song Glory” and “Without You” are much more toned down and emotional. This variety of music makes the soundtrack much more interesting.
The acting in the movie is fantastic. Perhaps the best performance is that of Jesse L. Martin. Martin’s Collins is funny, heartbreaking, and strong. The best vocal performance is, in my opinion, Tracie Thoms’. It would be a difficult task to match the vocal power of Idina Menzel in “Take Me or Leave Me”, a confrontational duet between the lovers, but Thoms more than does so. In “Seasons of Love”, the song played in most of the movie’s advertisements, she hits an amazing high “C” note seemingly effortlessly. Anthony Rapp’s Mark is just as lovable and Adam Pascal does an excellent job portraying the heights and depths or Roger. Always incredible, Idina Menzel gives a stand-out performance. Angel is made such a loveable character by Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Taye Diggs’ Benny is just as unlikable as he should be.
After listening to the original Broadway cast recording It’s hard to say that they music is better in the movie. But the voices and the music are stronger. “Tango: Maureen”, for instance, is made so much larger than in the OBCR (this is also helped by the huge and amazing dance sequence the scene contains). The voices are different, also (both between the new and old actresses and between the originals now in 1996). Rosario Dawson’s voice is much purer, but not quite as feisty as original Mimi, Daphne Rubin Vega’s and Tracie Thoms is just as brilliant as Fredi Walker, but maybe a little bit more professional-sounding. Taye Diggs also has a more finished sound than he did. Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, and Jesse L. Martin all sound older, a possible effect that smoking has taken on their voices. Anthony Rapp and Wilson Jermaine Heredia sound about the same, though they, especially Rapp, have a harder edge. Overall I think that the music is possibly better, but more different than anything else. The new recording will defiantly not cancel out the OBCR in the hearts and ears of fans of the Broadway show.
The musical that has become an obsession of most of its fans, nicknamed RENTheads, since it’s beginning in 1996, has finally been pushed into the spotlight of major motion picture. Hopefully its amazing message will be able to touch and change as many lives as a film as it did as a stage musical.

Thank you, Jonathan Larson.

Another idea stolen from Liz

Liz, who takes the best ideas from people so that I can, in turn, steal them from her, recently made a quiz about herself. So I did, too (even though my quiz isn't cool like hers with rhyming words and such). Take it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Meme of Threes

Goodness, it's been a long time since I've posted. I finally have my computer back and I'm ready to go.

I was catching up on Liz's blog and I saw my name under the people who she would like to see post this. Of course, I immediately came back here to get postin'.


Meme of Threes

Three names I go by:
Cole
Colester
Denver

Three screen names I have had:
SpikeyTango2Hell
Spikeyone45777
Spikeyone4577

Three physical things I like about myself:
Eyes
Hair
Erm... feet?

Three physical things I don't like about myself:
My lips chap very easily
Pale
I could use a bit more muscle tone

Three parts of my heritage:
Swedish
German
English
(yeah, I'm white)

Three things that scare me:
Death
Bad drivers
Seeing people mess up in plays

Three of my everyday essentials:
My watch
Chapstick brand All Natural lip balm
Music

Three of my favorite musical artists:
Jonathan Larson
The Ditty Bops
Idina Menzel

Three of my favorite songs:

Okay. I'm listing more than three.

Never Tear Us Apart (INXS)
La Vie Boheme (RENT)
Rent (RENT)
Out Tonight (RENT)
Tango:Maureen (RENT)
Oh La La (The Ditty Bops)
My Humps (The Black Eyed Peas)
Sentimental Journey (Renee Olstead)
Over at the Frankenstein Place (Rocky Horror)
Pray for the Band Latoya (Juliette and the Licks)
Head Over Heals (Tears For Fears)
Catch My Fall (Katy Rose)

Three things I want in a relationship:
Fun
Humor
Attraction

Three lies and truths in no particular order:
My eyes are blue
I own two dogs
I have an autographed Katy Rose CD

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to me:
Glasses
A unique look
Pretty eyes/teeth

Three of my favorite hobbies:
Acting
Reading
Singing

Three things I want to do really badly right now:
Eat sushi
Act on stage
Sleep

Three Places I want to vacation:
Paris
New York City
London

Three kid's names I like:
Gabrielle
Roxie
Beatrix

Three things I want to do before I die:
Write a novel/play/screenplay
Love
Act/sing professionally

Three ways that I am stereotypically a boy:
Competitive when it comes to video games
Messy
Tall

Three ways that I am stereotypically a girl:
Like to shop (if I've money to spend)
Like to dress nice
Wouldn't physically fight someone (unless completely necessary)

Three celeb crushes:
Rosario Dawson
Uma Thurman
Claire Danes

Two people I would like to see post this meme:
Cortnie
Ashley

?

Seemed so good in theory.