just maryse

NaBloPoMo Day 29

thank god for carole and her "ten on tuesday" series because otherwise i would have had nothing to blog about. this tuesday's topic:  10 favorite musicals.

so you may not know this about me, but i'm a sucker for old movie musicals. LOVE THEM. the costumes, the cheesy stories (because the plots are always a little cheesy), the spontaenous breaking out into song. when i was a kid, i thought that's how life should be.  me getting ready for school, and walking and singing to pick up my friend judy, where we would sing and dance our way to school... YES, THAT'S HOW LIFE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!

anyway, in no particular order, unless i tell you, some of my favorite musicals.

1. The Sound of Music.  A classic. And the first movie I remember seeing in the theater.  I was maybe 6. I went with my mom. I've seen it a bazillion times.  Christopher Plummer as the captain is dreamy.

2. Another classic that I've also see a bazillion times:  The Wizard of Oz.  I was pretty young the first time I saw this movie too. I was afraid of the flying monkeys. I'm not afraid of them anymore. Heh.

3.  An American In Paris.  This is probably my favorite musical of all. Set in Paris, Gene Kelly plays an American (duh) artist who meets a beautiful, young woman (Leslie Caron) and they fall in love. And dancing ensues. The music is great. The costumes, the dancing, everything is just awesome.

4. Gigi.  Another musical with the gorgeous Leslie Caron. In this movie, she plays a teenager at the turn of the 20th century being groomed as a courtesan.  She falls in love with a family friend and singing ensues. This is the movie where Maurice Chevalier is famous for singing Thank Heaven for Little Girls.  This song is not as creepy as one would think. 

6. The Young Girls of Rochefort.  this is a french musical that I saw the first time when I was a kid. it stars a charmingly young and gorgeous catherine deneuve and her real life sister (who would tragically die a few years later).  It also stars gene kelly who does his best to speak french (not to0 badly).  it is colorful like candy. the music is fantastic. it explores themes that an american movie for it's time would never have even touched. and it is ridiculous. a few years ago, it was playing in it's original version in a local theater and i talked two friends to come and see it with me.  since i hadn't seen it since i was a kid, i never realized how truly bad and ridiculous it was so i was so embarrassed. but i was also enchanted all over again.  i would watch it over and over again for the colors alone.

7. West Side Story. The Sharks. The Jets. Natalie Wood. Rita Moreno. "I feel pretty" and "Tonight."  So tragic. So sad.

8. Fame.  The modern musical.  Modern themes. Less ridiculous premise. A movie where singing and dancing actually makes sense in the plot. I love this movie. "Macaroni and baloney
Tuna fish, our favorite dish  Hot lunch, hey If it's yellow, then it's jello If it's blue it could be stew oo, oo."

9. The Producers.  The Producers is one of the few musicals that I've actually seen in person.  I'm not a huge fan of live theater mostly because I find that I'm easily distracted.  J's parents gave us a pair of tickets because they couldn't go and although I really enjoyed it, our seats were to the side and there were sections of the stage I couldn't see and that kind of bummed me out and took away from the experience.  And also, we didn't get to see the original cast, so that was disappointing. But still fun and funny.   

10. Rent.  Another musical I saw in person. I've added it to the list not because I loved it or it's a favorite but because I saw it.  And I enjoyed it. As much as someone knocked out on cold medicine could enjoy something. 

So that's my list. There are others I could have added.  Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand.  Anything with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Dick Van Dyke,  Fred Astaire.  The list goes on. 

Yes, I'm a big dork.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 26

thanksgiving is over. over the past 2 days, the neighbors have been putting up their christmas lights and decorations. so it's time for one of my favorite christmas songs.

 i heard it on the radio driving back from the store earlier this evening and i actually got a little excited!

 

Whatever I Want Wednesday

last night, as i drove to have cake with my nieces and the family in celebration of their birthday (they were 13 yesterday) the christmas spirit finally got me. 

because on the radio, on three different station but not at the same time, one of my favorite christmas songs came on.  it's quite possible that i cranked up the volume and loudly sang along.

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day 229 -- you can take the girl out of the 80's but you can't take the 80's out of the girl.

The Spoils

about 10 days ago, cathi and i were engaged in a little wager ... well she paid up.  look what she sent me...she said she would...and i didn't believe her.

STEELER FUN FUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ha!  i'm only kidding.  i'll show you what she sent later on when i'm not quite so lazy and feel up to taking a picture.

cathi also tagged me.  thank god for that because i was having flashbacks from 7th grade (oh please cool girls... pick me....).  anyway, cathi was hoping for some fun french music.  i do have some old patrick bruel, julien clerc,  but other than that i haven't listened or paid attention to what those crazy french kids are listening to in years.

Total amount of music files on your computer:    Approximately 1.5GB   mostly what i nabbed on napster.  yeah, i know that's stealing but i really did end up buying more CDs, especially of artists that i wouldn't have normally gone for.  so there metallica.  happy?  i might have bought some of your music...but now forget it.  never going to happen.

The last CD you bought was:  Beyond the Sea -- the soundtrack from the movie of the same name starring kevin spacey.  kevin spacey sings all of music in this movie too.  and sounds great.

What is the song you last listened to before reading this message? Mack the Knife from Beyond the Sea, while cruising home in the mini.   this retro swinging stuff sounds really great in the mini, and i can't help but dance.  yeah, i dance in my car, don't you?  i listen to a lot of music from the 60's and 70's in this car.  it seems to fit. 

The 5 songs you often listen to or mean a lot to you:  the songs i'm going to list aren't necessarily ones that i listen to a lot, but they are ones that take me to  particular time and/or place when i hear them.

1.  Super Freak by Rick James -- fall of my freshman year ... i was young, vulnerable, and scared shitless.  i bonded with the girls on my floor to this song.  MC Hammer can't touch this.

2.  West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys -- i don't particularly care for this song but whenever i hear it i'm taken right back to the spring of 1986 when i moved to boston.  i spent several weeks looking for a permanent place to live and spent a lot of time hoofing it through JP with this song playing on my walkman.  it got a  lot of radio air play that spring.

3.  Piano Man by Billy Joel -- i dare anyone not to start swaying to and fro when you hear this song.

4.  Let's Groove Tonight by Earth Wind and Fire -- i love dancing to this song.  that's my reason for putting this song on the list. 

5. Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn - when j and i were dating, he would quote lines from this song to me.  we danced our last dance at our wedding to this song.    i do not remember what we danced to for our first song.  i had asked the dj to pick something from frank sinatra.

Yeah, I love my baby, heart and soul
Love like ours won't never grow old
She's my sweet little thing
She's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby, I'm her little lover boy

Who are you going to pass this stick to, and why?  I'm going international...

anna -- because maybe she's got an "in" on what those crazy french kids are listening to these days.

kim -- because maybe she's got an "in" on what those crazy canadian kids are listening to these days (she's got a new issue of crochetme up by the way, check it out).

and more locally ...

elisa -- i can't tell if you've been tagged ... so if you have already, then you don't have to do it again.  well you don't really have to do it at all....

ooh and amy from seattle.  just because i like her blog and she's new around here (and she drives a mini too)..

and anyone else who wants to play ... just throw me a comment ...