Sonseed Gets GLEEked

Just when I thought we saw the last of the Sonseed revival that sprung forth from this very blog, I received word from Sal that the song "Jesus is a Friend of Mine" was to be featured in this week's episode of GLEE.

This was followed by emails, phone calls and texts about it - and now even another blogger has blogged about it. How meta is that? Of course they credit the person who stole the video from me for starting the phenom, but what can you do?

Congrats to Sal and the folks from Sonseed!

THE DOUGLAS MICHAEL SHOW with Terri Simmons

Regular readers of this here blog may be aware that I'm one of the producers of a little web sensation called PRETTY. PRETTY is the continuing story of the Champagne family and their quest for the crown in the Miss Star Eyes Pageant - a child beauty pageant. Their daughter Annette is five years old, but due to a sudden growth spurt, she looks about 29+. Episode two premiered earlier this week and introduced us to pageant director Parker Kensington Parker, played by today's guest: the lovely Terri Simmons.

Doug: Howdy Terri! First of all how could you NOT laugh when saying your character’s name?

Terri Simmons: I LOVE saying Parker’s name. I can’t even THINK her name without feeling like I am in control of the world. It gives me a huge sense of power.

D: Yes - she's pure power. I love the character of Parker because she’s such a “soap opera diva.” Her name, her clothing, her hair – she could be at home at Pine Valley, Port Charles or even Salem. Did that dawn on you at all when you were playing her?

TS: Oh, absolutely! I was left alone a lot as a child, and I watched soap operas constantly. I was a very literal child and thought that the characters were real people, that Pine Valley was a real town. I cried in my room for two days when Jenny died in a jetski accident on ALL MY CHILDREN.

D: Poor Jenny. I don't think she's ever came back from the dead. I may be wrong though. Back to Parker. Have you ever met anyone like Parker? Did you base your performance on anyone you know?

TS: Well, I was raised in a small East Texas town, so OF COURSE I know people like Parker and I love them! My family is full of Parker Kensington Parkers (feel the power)! I think Parker is a cross between my mother (“Babes”), my fifth grade teacher Mrs. Cash (kept me after school to tell me I was fat like I didn’t know that already) and Jane Lynch from GLEE.

D: I've worked with Jane. She's a wonderful person and actress and I am so happy for her success. Back to Parker. I also love that Parker is an avid scrap booker, because when I was purchasing art department supplies at the local scrapbook store for PRETTY, the woman who ran it told me that SHE was a former child beauty pageant contestant! Have you ever scrapbooked?

TS: I am a horrible scrapbooker! I have an obsessive compulsive personality and I’m very detail-oriented, so it takes me 8 hours to do one page! I’d rather be outside hiking, water skiing, riding a Harley or building something with tools.

D: I may have to tutor you in scrapbooking for season 2. Speaking of season 2, I would like to see a flashback of Parker from her pageant days. How do you imagine that would look?

TS: Funny you should ask! I actually have pictures of myself from when I was in the Miss Nacogdoches pageant back in my college days, and I’m thinking that’s what Parker would have looked like back then. I did it on a dare, and when it was over the judge pulled me aside and told me to drop some weight, take a drama class and come back next year. I’m thinking Parker would have punched him in the nose and then taken all of the other loser contestants out for beer.

D: That's hysterical! Miss Nacogdoches - LOVE it! I ask these questions of most of my interview guests. If you could be on any comedy show (from all of TV history) which would it be? And who are your comedy heroes?

TS: I love the classics. I would love to have been on MARY TYLER MOORE, BOB NEWHART, or THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW. My comedy heroes are Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, Tina Fey, Ellen DeGeneres…so many.

D: I love 'em all too. I get CAROL BURNETT SHOW cravings every once in a while. Thank heaven for YouTube! So after PRETTY, what’s up next for Terri?

TS: Oh wow! I’m having so much fun being PRETTY, that I can’t imagine what’s next!!

D: Well, maybe the casting director from GLEE will see PRETTY and cast you as Jane's sister?
How cool would that be?

D: Thanks for the chat Terri, see ya soon!

TS: Thanks very much, Doug!! xoxo

You want FAME? ... Well, FAME costs.

In a world full of disposable entertainment about the trials and tribulations of being a talented teen, i.e. AMERICAN IDOL, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL and now GLEE, it's nice to see where this genre got it's start.
FAME (1980, directed by Alan Parker) was a gritty, realistic, R-rated Academy Award-winning film about a group of young entertainers struggling to make it through four years of New York's High School of the Performing Arts. The film was well written, expertly directed, wonderfully acted and featured some great music. I'll never forget Irene Cara's brave performance as Coco. Parker also directed powerful and poignant films like MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, SHOOT THE MOON, THE WALL, BIRDY, ANGEL HEART, MISSISSIPPI BURNING and ANGELA'S ASHES.
FAME (2009, directed by Kevin Tancharoen), on the other hand, is a weak blinged-out PG-rated re-imagining about a group of mostly annoying pretty people struggling to make us give a shit about them as they are berated by former sitcom stars over how talented or untalented they are. The hip-hop drenched soundtrack is joyless with the only good songs being the few swiped from the original film (and the enjoyable Black & Gold by Sam Sparro) Oh, and Tancharoen also directed a Britney Spears tour.
In between the two FAME films came a well-made weekly TV series that ran for six seasons (1982-87) and a short-lived spin-off/revival called FAME L.A. (1997-98). FAME also became a reality show (2003) and has been the basis for several stage musicals (FAME: THE MUSICAL, FAME ON 42ND STREET and FAME FOREVER).

Getting back to the current film version–which a saw this weekend as part of a birthday celebration for my good friend Dennis Hensley–it does have some merits. The opening titles were cool. It was good to see Debbie Allen included in the cast and the sampling of her famous inspirational mantra ("You want fame? ... Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying. With sweat.") was a nice touch, as too was the brief nod to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. I also think that Naturi Naughton (she plays Denise Dupree) has true star quality. Every time she is on screen, she shines.
But thanks to FAME (2009) I now know...
•....hand-held camera work doesn't guarantee grittiness - only nauseousness
•...there are no openly gay kids enrolled in the High School of the Performing Arts, unless you count the asexual boy who wants to be a ballet dancer.
• ...that it is always winter in New York City.
• ...where former sitcom stars (Charles S. Dutton of ROC, Megan Mullally of WILL & GRACE, Kelsey Grammer of FRAISER and Bebe Neuwirth of CHEERS) go to die.
• ...I will never request Ms. Mullally to sing "You Took Advantage of Me" when we go to karaoke together.
• ...every record producer, film producer and successful teen actor are out to take advantage of students from the High School of the Performing Arts.• ...all African American parents don't want their kids to be stars.
• ...it takes exactly four years to resolve things that arise on your first day of class as an incoming freshman.• ...the loser kid who is told he'll never be a star and should return home to the farm in Iowa can be featured front & center in the big finale.
• ...a tribute to THE LION KING is no replacement for running and jumping and dancing through the streets of New York City.

Did I hate FAME? No. Would I recommend it? Hell no. But if you are a big fan of the original and/or the TV series you should check it out at some point.