tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post2648418793024072..comments2023-09-07T22:24:51.654-05:00Comments on League of Melbotis: Academy AwardsThe Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-63426544368100520212007-02-28T16:29:00.000-06:002007-02-28T16:29:00.000-06:00One last Morricone tidbit:Today I was viewing some...One last Morricone tidbit:<BR/><BR/>Today I was viewing some of the "press room video" from the Oscar night and Ennio Morricone said that although he did not choose Celine Dion to sing that song, he "was very moved" by her performance.<BR/><BR/>Whaddya know...<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-45884327308663090972007-02-28T15:17:00.000-06:002007-02-28T15:17:00.000-06:00Also, Little Children will start playing at Dobie ...Also, Little Children will start playing at Dobie March 2. :)Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09695942895837595923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-84113650214994116322007-02-28T15:10:00.000-06:002007-02-28T15:10:00.000-06:00Nathan, I was a casting assistant on it (so not my...Nathan, I was a casting assistant on it (so not my biggest project personally, but one of the best projects I've ever worked on). Jennifer, Kate, and Patrick were attached already, but I helped find the children and May and well, all the other roles. I spent a few days at skate parks looking for the skateboarders. I met Jackie Earle briefly when he came up to New York to read with Kate and sat behind him at the cast and crew screening. I remember the day his tape came in and watching it for the first time. He's a genuinely nice guy and I'm happy for all his success.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09695942895837595923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-43864244290069346902007-02-27T18:48:00.000-06:002007-02-27T18:48:00.000-06:00I am sorry to say that I never saw Little Children...I am sorry to say that I never saw Little Children listed as playing here. Of course, Maxwell, as I understand it, there's no monkeys, robots or people with flaming skull heads, so it may have come and gone already and nobody saw fit to tell me.<BR/><BR/>I will look and see if it is still here for weekend viewing.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-67788136185319533842007-02-27T17:23:00.000-06:002007-02-27T17:23:00.000-06:00Maxwell! You worked on Little Children? What did...Maxwell! You worked on Little Children? What did you do on the film?<BR/><BR/>I loved it, and interviewed Jackie Earle Haley in late January for air on KSTX, since he lives in San Antonio. Here is a link to the full interview: http://www.tpr.org/audio/texasmatters/txm333a.asxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-15287930928681654022007-02-27T16:49:00.000-06:002007-02-27T16:49:00.000-06:00Instead of commenting on anything you have discuss...Instead of commenting on anything you have discussed I will again urge you to go see Little Children, because I worked on it damn it, and it seems to be one of the nominated films (or films with nominations) that nobody saw.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09695942895837595923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-39802562502524028122007-02-27T13:06:00.000-06:002007-02-27T13:06:00.000-06:00Now THAT I agree on!!!:)Now THAT I agree on!!!<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-72017378884813253022007-02-27T11:12:00.000-06:002007-02-27T11:12:00.000-06:00And, no, I do not consider Dion an amateur, but I ...And, no, I do not consider Dion an amateur, but I do feel that there's certainly a vast gulf in skill sets and levels between a composer like Morricone and someone with a good set of pipes like Dion.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-3935799175589014272007-02-27T11:10:00.000-06:002007-02-27T11:10:00.000-06:00Well said.Well said.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-55861335783235540382007-02-27T09:08:00.000-06:002007-02-27T09:08:00.000-06:00I wasn't trying to suggest that the other track on...I wasn't trying to suggest that the other track on this new CD make C.Dion's tune any less awful (or better), but I gotta say the Metallica arrangement of "The Ecstasy of Gold" doesn't float my boat, either.<BR/><BR/>Whether adding lyrics to a tune dilutes the original work should be taken on a case-by-case basis.<BR/><BR/>It may be your opinion that C.Dion rendition of a tune is the same as an amateur's, but I do admit she is a professional, although not to my taste.<BR/><BR/>For the general audience that this program ("The Academy Awards") was playing to, it was an okay choice. The majority of the viewing audience aren't movie or music nerds like us, and as I grow older, I've come to accept that. I guess I've just mellowed out.<BR/><BR/>I also realize that people use music in very different ways, completely disregarding the context in which it first belonged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-80208505334113014122007-02-26T21:43:00.000-06:002007-02-26T21:43:00.000-06:00I don't think throwing a laundry list of bad ideas...I don't think throwing a laundry list of bad ideas at me makes me feel any better. It's one thing for a CD to exist, but quite another to butcher one of his songs during a tribute to the man. Believe me when I say that unless Metallica is simply playing one of his tunes and leaving hetfield's vocals off the track, my eyes are going to roll just as much. <BR/><BR/>My point regarding Celine is that most people DON'T know Morricone aside from the "G,B & U" theme. And maybe hearing "The Mission" in Yoga class. How does it celebrate his work to have a soft-rock version played with Celine Dion singing over the top? Quincy Jones deserves his rep, but i can't keep him from producing saccharine Celine Dion tunes. I can only not pay for them and state that it's a bad idea.<BR/><BR/>And I would argue that, depending on the performer, how the music was arranged and if they altered the intention of the music... yes, absolutely those performers diluted the original work of Duke Ellington. Especially if the song then became associated with the vocalist rather than Ellington in the zeitgeist (as we all know from teenybopper covers of once decent songs).<BR/><BR/>I sincerely doubt 5% of Americans knew the name Morricone before last night. And I guarantee you, a goodly chunk of them now think he wrote a Celine Dion tune.<BR/><BR/>I do own the "Yo-Yo Ma Plays Morricone" CD from about three years ago. It's okay, but I wasn't nuts about it. And that was fairly straight interpretations.<BR/><BR/>It's film music, and in Morricone's case, it's as important to the film making process as the editing, the lighting and dialogue. He's one of the the rare exceptions that's been able to rise above creating incidental riffs and give music fans and movie fans something to appreciate. Adding new words adds new meaning that dilutes not just the music, but the narrative of the film. And, in the case of "Once Upon a Time in America" and Celine, has the potential to taint the film for those who enjoy it, while most likely NOT drawing in a new audience for the film (I once could not sell a copy of the soundtrack to a woman who claimed to be a HUGE Zamphir fan as she thought the movie was icky. She just came in to the store to see if anyone knew what "The gangster movie was with Zamphir music". It was her good fortune I was on duty that day.)<BR/><BR/>To me, this is no different than celebrating, say, a Picasso work and when handing him an award, you show a college student's work inspired by Picasso instead of his own work. What's the point?The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-26688172617134352302007-02-26T21:03:00.000-06:002007-02-26T21:03:00.000-06:00Your comparison arrangements (O'Hara replaced by L...Your comparison arrangements (O'Hara replaced by Lohan) don't really hold up the same...<BR/><BR/>It wasn't that C.Dion was trying to replace any past work of Morricone's, it's just that a voice and lyrics were added to a melody. It's been done for decades with music.<BR/><BR/>I'm not comparing C.Dion to Duke Ellington now, but there are many Duke Ellington songs that had lyrics added to them much later. Does that dilute them?<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, C.Dion was probably not the Academy's choice only --- why was Quincy Jones in the balcony? He's one of the producers of the new album "We All Love Ennio Morricone" featuring Celine Dion singing "I Knew I Loved You" as track #1.<BR/><BR/>(we received it as a promo CD at KPAC).<BR/><BR/>Other artists on the disc include Metallica, Yo-Yo Ma, Roger Waters, and Bruce Springsteen, whose rendition of "Once Upon a Time in the West" is even more awful than Celine Dion's tune, because he replaces the soprano part in the main theme with a badly arranged electric guitar part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-78604508165922374262007-02-26T18:10:00.000-06:002007-02-26T18:10:00.000-06:00Their heart was in the right place. It's when your...Their heart was in the right place. It's when your 4 year old gives you the ceramic ashtray/flowerpot/hat. Just pat them on the head and say thank you. At least the awkward gesture was directed at someone of exceptional quality.Sigmund Bloomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00485260283460266786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-58729329430560003202007-02-26T16:50:00.000-06:002007-02-26T16:50:00.000-06:00The Eastwood thing, while certainly awful, was not...The Eastwood thing, while certainly awful, was not pre-meditated. It was awkward, and it made a live broadcast embarassing for everyone. But, while I can forgive an old guy his vanity, I can't forgive the Academy for thinking the right way to honor someone is to dilute their work. Why not honor John Ford by showing clips of his movies with Maureen O'Hara digitally removed and inserted with Lindsay Lohan in her place so today's girls would find Ford's movies relevant? Or insert Three-Six Mafia rapping over Sophie's Choice to get the kids into the movie? Or, if you really want that Dion crowd, put Katie Couric into reaction shots in "Once Upon a Time in America". Make her part of the gang. Why not? <BR/><BR/>Celine Dion? For @#$%'s sake. You couldn't get further from the spirit of Morricone's work than getting that trained poodle to yodel over his stuff.<BR/><BR/>That said, I know Celine Dion is supposed to be, like, crazy nice, and meant no harm. So whose decision was this?The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-41658139828454017892007-02-26T16:00:00.000-06:002007-02-26T16:00:00.000-06:00I have plenty of comments about the Academy Awards...I have plenty of comments about the Academy Awards last night, but I'll not get into it. Overall, I thought the show was pretty good. I liked that they played film clips (albeit short ones) of even the nominated short and live action films.<BR/><BR/>As for Morricone... believe it or not, instead of Celene Dion, I thought it a far worse tragedy that Clint Eastwood fogot his specs and looked and sounded like he was fumbling everything he said about Morricone. A pity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com