Musicals have been a genre that many have stated has died repeatedly throughout its life, but it is an adaptable medium that is able to connect with a large group of people and different music styles.
I have been watching Glee like many others, and have found that it bears striking similarities to a previous musical show- Fame. A generation apart perhaps, but with the advent of DVD I have been able to compare the two shows and have found some things that might make me less than popular.
Fame the Television Series was sort of a filler for what happened in between the various stages in the film- however compared to the film it is much lighter in tone. Some of the great aspects of this are as follows;
- Albert Hague who was great as Mr Shorofsky in the film continues to play off of Lee Curreri (Bruno Martelli) to great affect, and their relationship is explored to greater detail.
- Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy is once again a focal point of the series, and his stand off with Miss Sherwood continues into the television series. Though Miss Sherwood is played as a much more light hearted character in the television series.
- They are able to bring new songs to each episode, and although some have dated; mostly the synth heavy numbers- others are still nostalgically pleasing.
- The character of Julie Miller by a young (Lori Singer) is a nice addition to the cast, and is even the character that we follow on the premier episode into the school.
There were some concerns however;
* Different actors for Cocco, Montgomery, Ralph, and Doris.
- Erica Gimpel looks similar to Irene Cara who played Cocco in the film, however the character of Cocco does seem to rub me the wrong way, as she is often used as a plot device.
Cocco will attack or condescend or do another action to rub one of the characters the wrong way, thus propelling the story of the episode along- whereas Cocco herself is left with only her 'passion' as a redeeming point.
This is probably why the character is basically written out of the second half of the first season- or she might have had other work- either case we do not miss her for that time.
It is nice how she is given a little room to explore the astrology which was mentioned in the film.
- P.R. Paul is a much more outgoing and happy Montgomery in contrast to the quiet and repressed quality that Paul McCrane brought to the character in the film. Nothing is mentioned about his homosexuality in the series which was one of his causes of loneliness in the film. Also instead of Drama focus he seems to take the role of stage managing in the production of the series- and on other occasions as a side kick to the Doris character.
- Doris Finsecker (Maureen Teefy) was a tall, quiet and terrified character searching for her place in the world, and the school. In contrast again Doris Schwartz (Valerie Landsburg) is a short, plumper character that takes the role of sarcastic friend and problem solver. I am not sure it is supposed to be the same character because the only characteristics they share are their first name, they both sing and do drama and that they are both Jewish. You get used to her, but I always had it in the back of my mind whether it was supposed to be the same character.
- Ralph (Barry Miller) was arguably the most interesting character in the film version, but it seems they did not know how to implement him into the television series. He appears in the first few episodes as a more stereotypical comic character- reminding me of the character of Fez from 'That 70s Show'. Soon after he is replaced by a less ethnic comic in the Character of Danny Amatullo (Carlo Imperato), who is entertaining in his role of dumb but lovable comic...but he is not Ralph.
- Debbie Allen as Miss Grant- also the shows choreographer- seems to have been given a piece in her contract stating that she gets to have or feature in a dance segment in every episode. It gets slightly annoying. I know that dance teachers might show their students the steps but they wouldn't then get to be, or draw themselves into every opportunity to dance with their students. Maybe it is a problem with context, especially given the amount of hugging and so on that these students do with their teachers in every episode- so should not happen in today's 'can't touch hurt kid' world- I hope you are hearing me Glee.
The show features many high profile celebrities of the time- I would recommend you looking out for the episode featuring Richard Simmons- the guy just has so much energy and he is able to calm down the often dog headed character of Miss Grant.
Like Glee the show had its own Albums released- The Kids from Fame; check out this page to see more details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kids_from_%22Fame%22. The songs were original, with Curreri working on the actual writing of the songs, it follows the more traditional musical formula of original songs to express their personal emotions- a feature that has been sadly lacking from Glee- and I am starting to get slightly annoyed about the similarity of the Glee songs- especially Amber Riley who needs to have the high notes- and stereotyped coloured vocal gymnastics in each song. I especially hated how this was done on the Rocky Horror Episode.
However the characters on Glee are given a lot more room to grow. They are not slotted into the need to give a refreshing youth message this week, but need to slot into the overall Season story arch- which aids the show greatly. This was a downfall of Fame, especially with the Season One closer basically saying we would have one teacher coming back, and by the beginning of next season he was replaced anyway- and no mention of it.
The story arch allows for more interaction between the various characters and we can come to know them more- making Glee, for lack of a better word a more adult oriented show- where we do not need to learn specific stories, within a non-canonical session, but one that requires you to watch and remember back to previous episodes.
The voices of the cast of Glee sound better, but that only makes me feel, especially with Amber that their voices are edited too much. While watching Fame we could tell that the characters could sing, but they had human problems with it, and you could hear that certain characters were better singers- because they were studying it.
I like them both in different ways, but if I had to choose one I would suggest Fame- only if you liked the original movie, and do not mind the slightly different story style of the time. I just seem to gain more from their originals then having previously loved songs, possibly turned into a slightly different monster that follows the Glee formula.
I will be looking forward to the possible Glee feature film that is upcoming though. Hopefully it will be more like Fame (the original) and not Fame the remake- because after watching that I could not remember one character's name, and for some reason it was afraid to explore the darker territories of the original.
Let the flaming start.
Dale Stam
You might also be interested in the following articles from this blog;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/spider-man-turn-off-dark-soundtrack.html
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/bloody-jackson-review.html
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/strange-bedfellow-new-review.html
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/livid-productions-presents-monty.html
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/awtc-pirates-of-penzance.html
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Writing
Dear Readers,
Sorry for the delay I have been away, but I have been doing a chapter outline for a possible novel which will feature/tie in with some of my short stories.
I am up to chapter 68 and still have some more to go. It will be more action based than the majority of my stories and will deal with an apocalytic scenario and how human kind will react to the situation. Filled with my usual focus on off beat characters and details. It should be a fine read.
So in preparation I suggest that many of you try to get your hands on some of my short stories and inform me of anything in particular you might like highlighted.
Dale
Sorry for the delay I have been away, but I have been doing a chapter outline for a possible novel which will feature/tie in with some of my short stories.
I am up to chapter 68 and still have some more to go. It will be more action based than the majority of my stories and will deal with an apocalytic scenario and how human kind will react to the situation. Filled with my usual focus on off beat characters and details. It should be a fine read.
So in preparation I suggest that many of you try to get your hands on some of my short stories and inform me of anything in particular you might like highlighted.
Dale
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Dawn of War: Space Marines
These are the basic starting team- they are the simplest race for new players to learn, but are able to become increasingly devastating in the hands of a master.
Those familiar with other RTS games will find that the Space Marines are the typical human fighting race - until you get any of the expansions. You are the genetically altered humans of the future sworn to follow the words of the God Emperor of Man.
Early on in the game you will have your builder unit- The Servitor, and you can quickly build your lowest tier unit- the Scouts. Now the Servitor is a one unit group, and they are decently strong enough, and fast enough to run away from any attacks that might be made on them- if you are observant enough to keep them out of harms way- or protect them so they can build your buildings- like listening posts, torrents and your higher tier level buildings. They might not have an attack, but you still need the guy.
Scouts are not fully trained marines but they are relatively fast units, can hold their own against other tier one level units, and can build up to four within the group. Once your 'tactical' building is built, your will be able to upgrade two of your scouts with either sniper rifles or flamers.
Flamers work upon the morale system, and are most affective against units that engage in melee battle- early on the team that will most likely be going melee against your scouts are the Orks- but personally I always prefer the sniper rifle. It takes a little while for them to line up, but then they are able to instantly kill tier one units that do not have upgrades- also counting their long range, allows you to minimise certain threats, or even the odds a little.
The Force Commander is a very strong melee commander unit- you will want him to engage the enemy in combat, while your scouts are snipping away. He does not have any abilities until later tiers, but his high HP, and his attack will fulfil the distracting fire of your CP enemies.
The Space Marine squad is a great unit, they have decent morale, health, speed and they like real marines are extremely adaptable. After you have built the 'tactical' centre and moved up a tier you are able to upgrade your marines with a variety of different options- flame thrower (morale), bolter (infantry), meta (heavy infantry), missiles (vehicles, buildings). You can mix up groups, or you can have each squad specialise in a type of weapon.
The Assault Marine squad are your melee fighters, and with their jet packs they are able to quickly close the gap, and keep your opponent on their feet. You can eventually upgrade them with a grenade that is effective against buildings and vehicles.
The Librarian is your support unit that has various abilities to devastate enemy squads and eventually protect your units from harm. From the same building are the Apothecary units which can be attached to ground based squads to heal at a faster rate- an ability that is rare in this game.
The Space Marines have a variety of vehicles, transport, speedster and tanks, and they are all effective for the price you pay for them, and are the simplest to understand of the races.
The Space Marines are a strong faction that can keep opponents on their toes because of their ability to adapt and that they are not weaker in certain areas as other races- and keep the middle ground through out the game. It will be up to you to determine the weaknesses of your opponents and to abuse it.
Look out for your Orbital Bombardment ability- it is one of the strongest affects in the game, but it can hurt your own units- though it is fun to watch a whole army fall from this affect.
I hope this brief overview has taught you a little bit about the Space Marines- now onward to victory- FOR THE EMPEROR!
Those familiar with other RTS games will find that the Space Marines are the typical human fighting race - until you get any of the expansions. You are the genetically altered humans of the future sworn to follow the words of the God Emperor of Man.
Early on in the game you will have your builder unit- The Servitor, and you can quickly build your lowest tier unit- the Scouts. Now the Servitor is a one unit group, and they are decently strong enough, and fast enough to run away from any attacks that might be made on them- if you are observant enough to keep them out of harms way- or protect them so they can build your buildings- like listening posts, torrents and your higher tier level buildings. They might not have an attack, but you still need the guy.
Scouts are not fully trained marines but they are relatively fast units, can hold their own against other tier one level units, and can build up to four within the group. Once your 'tactical' building is built, your will be able to upgrade two of your scouts with either sniper rifles or flamers.
Flamers work upon the morale system, and are most affective against units that engage in melee battle- early on the team that will most likely be going melee against your scouts are the Orks- but personally I always prefer the sniper rifle. It takes a little while for them to line up, but then they are able to instantly kill tier one units that do not have upgrades- also counting their long range, allows you to minimise certain threats, or even the odds a little.
The Force Commander is a very strong melee commander unit- you will want him to engage the enemy in combat, while your scouts are snipping away. He does not have any abilities until later tiers, but his high HP, and his attack will fulfil the distracting fire of your CP enemies.
The Space Marine squad is a great unit, they have decent morale, health, speed and they like real marines are extremely adaptable. After you have built the 'tactical' centre and moved up a tier you are able to upgrade your marines with a variety of different options- flame thrower (morale), bolter (infantry), meta (heavy infantry), missiles (vehicles, buildings). You can mix up groups, or you can have each squad specialise in a type of weapon.
The Assault Marine squad are your melee fighters, and with their jet packs they are able to quickly close the gap, and keep your opponent on their feet. You can eventually upgrade them with a grenade that is effective against buildings and vehicles.
The Librarian is your support unit that has various abilities to devastate enemy squads and eventually protect your units from harm. From the same building are the Apothecary units which can be attached to ground based squads to heal at a faster rate- an ability that is rare in this game.
The Space Marines have a variety of vehicles, transport, speedster and tanks, and they are all effective for the price you pay for them, and are the simplest to understand of the races.
The Space Marines are a strong faction that can keep opponents on their toes because of their ability to adapt and that they are not weaker in certain areas as other races- and keep the middle ground through out the game. It will be up to you to determine the weaknesses of your opponents and to abuse it.
Look out for your Orbital Bombardment ability- it is one of the strongest affects in the game, but it can hurt your own units- though it is fun to watch a whole army fall from this affect.
I hope this brief overview has taught you a little bit about the Space Marines- now onward to victory- FOR THE EMPEROR!
Heading West Part 4: Sydney and Concerns
I had only two concerns;
1. The choice of reading material and;
2. The pressure.
The choice of book was 'Cell' by Stephen King- a story of mayhem stemming from technology. Being on a flying piece of technology, unnatural fears started to develop (you succeeded once again Mr King). But I persisted because I frankly like Stephen King.
Nobody had given me any preparation on dealing with pressure- I knew about it of course, but still. Descent into Sydney had my eardrums expanding painfully inside my head. At least I was feeling some of the pain of the characters in the book- you should try it, it is really immersive.
Sydney airport was as you would expect- big. With lots of people, but oddly lax. People flowed and waited in line- everything was chaotically ordered. I reaffirmed that my bag was on its merry way to Perth, while I left to go through security. I managed to save a man's laptop as he walked away- a Dell no less. A brief thanks and a nod and he was off chatting on his phone again. Businessmen.
With time left, I sat down for a coffee from a spirit/cafe bar- it was satisfactory. It started to dawn on me that I may have reached a point where coffee was just coffee, and not the magic youth drink of community it was in university. Sighing I wished for a companion.
I lined up alone, sat in my emergency lane double seat alone- perhaps the person who was going to sit there decided as quoting the safety sheet- 'Did not wish to help in this way'. Ha strike two for the Frolicking Jester.
Not wanting to miss my flight I go to the terminal with an hour spare. Many of those seated are doing one of three things;
1. Reading a magazine or book. With the knowledge of a 5 hour flight ahead- I worried for the magazine people.
2. Taking advantage of the wifi system. Trying to look impressive in their suits, their flashy laptops and focused look. Doing work or not, it was hard not to notice them.
3. Mild talking and vacant staring. Preparing for their long journey to Perth.
I await the flight- hopeful for the future, and will try to remember my father's recent advice to swallow upon descent to reduce the pressure on my ears. To bad it doesn't work on my fears.
1. The choice of reading material and;
2. The pressure.
The choice of book was 'Cell' by Stephen King- a story of mayhem stemming from technology. Being on a flying piece of technology, unnatural fears started to develop (you succeeded once again Mr King). But I persisted because I frankly like Stephen King.
Nobody had given me any preparation on dealing with pressure- I knew about it of course, but still. Descent into Sydney had my eardrums expanding painfully inside my head. At least I was feeling some of the pain of the characters in the book- you should try it, it is really immersive.
Sydney airport was as you would expect- big. With lots of people, but oddly lax. People flowed and waited in line- everything was chaotically ordered. I reaffirmed that my bag was on its merry way to Perth, while I left to go through security. I managed to save a man's laptop as he walked away- a Dell no less. A brief thanks and a nod and he was off chatting on his phone again. Businessmen.
With time left, I sat down for a coffee from a spirit/cafe bar- it was satisfactory. It started to dawn on me that I may have reached a point where coffee was just coffee, and not the magic youth drink of community it was in university. Sighing I wished for a companion.
I lined up alone, sat in my emergency lane double seat alone- perhaps the person who was going to sit there decided as quoting the safety sheet- 'Did not wish to help in this way'. Ha strike two for the Frolicking Jester.
Not wanting to miss my flight I go to the terminal with an hour spare. Many of those seated are doing one of three things;
1. Reading a magazine or book. With the knowledge of a 5 hour flight ahead- I worried for the magazine people.
2. Taking advantage of the wifi system. Trying to look impressive in their suits, their flashy laptops and focused look. Doing work or not, it was hard not to notice them.
3. Mild talking and vacant staring. Preparing for their long journey to Perth.
I await the flight- hopeful for the future, and will try to remember my father's recent advice to swallow upon descent to reduce the pressure on my ears. To bad it doesn't work on my fears.
Heading West Part 3: My Opinions on Flying
My opinions on flying- it is quick, you get that odd god-like feeling looking down upon the world- flying through oddly sedentary clouds. I thought clouds would be a lot more active in the center as we flew through- but not so, they do however make for some quite complex topography- hills and valleys for their all white kingdom.
I even saw what was either a butterfly or the Bat-signal raining shadow onto a town below and marveled that the people of that town might never know the benevolent forces watching over them.
I found in a few short minutes how different everything was from up here. With the last item I could point out being the quite full Weir. Then I experienced a problem exclusive to both gods and those continually on a plane- everything starts to look the same, and the few differences are insignificant.
This time I was lucky to be flying Quantas as they offered complementary packaged water, tea and lemon slice (frozen, and too sweet for my tastes, but free food nonetheless). I had been placed in the emergency row- and it was my duty to aid in an emergency- my first flight and I already had responsibilities over lives. I took this as a sign of good things to come.
I even saw what was either a butterfly or the Bat-signal raining shadow onto a town below and marveled that the people of that town might never know the benevolent forces watching over them.
I found in a few short minutes how different everything was from up here. With the last item I could point out being the quite full Weir. Then I experienced a problem exclusive to both gods and those continually on a plane- everything starts to look the same, and the few differences are insignificant.
This time I was lucky to be flying Quantas as they offered complementary packaged water, tea and lemon slice (frozen, and too sweet for my tastes, but free food nonetheless). I had been placed in the emergency row- and it was my duty to aid in an emergency- my first flight and I already had responsibilities over lives. I took this as a sign of good things to come.
Heading West Part 2: The Frolicking Jester
My bag was light, I had never really been much of a clothes horse, concern of what lay ahead still plagued me- what if I didn't find anything, would I just be another lonely, unemployed (I have a casual job but you know) Graduate with visions of possible success. Was I doomed to be continually going over speed bumps like some of the characters in my head.
How can anyone have fun with the possibility of failure? My thoughts turned to the Norse Gods- they knew as we do that they were to die, but it did not stop the Quest, the journey of discovery that is life, and the Frolicking Jester does have a way of stumbling into us when we least expect it.
I waited in the foyer at the airport, when another thought crossed my mind- would I even like flying? Popular culture has more fun showing flights gone wrong than right. What if the plane went down and this was the last thing I ever wrote? What sort of Arty Graduate hack would I seem like? But then I remembered a hack is usually employed- ha strike one for the Frolicking Jester.
How can anyone have fun with the possibility of failure? My thoughts turned to the Norse Gods- they knew as we do that they were to die, but it did not stop the Quest, the journey of discovery that is life, and the Frolicking Jester does have a way of stumbling into us when we least expect it.
I waited in the foyer at the airport, when another thought crossed my mind- would I even like flying? Popular culture has more fun showing flights gone wrong than right. What if the plane went down and this was the last thing I ever wrote? What sort of Arty Graduate hack would I seem like? But then I remembered a hack is usually employed- ha strike one for the Frolicking Jester.
Heading West
5th October 2010, today is the day of starting possibilities. Just a week and a half ago I had received an unexpected reply to an application. The Editorial Counsellor wanted me to appear in the lobby of The West Australian by 9:15 am, in two weeks time. Stunned I recorded the information and wondered whether I had actually made it up a level of the mountain of job hunting.
As usually about an hour later my mind was recording all the facts that made this situation less remarkable. I would not be the only one there, in fact probably many would be under taking this test. A test, I was not sure of- was it a subbing test, a current affairs test, or a writing/shorthand test? Maybe all of them, it was to go for three hours. An expensive trip to undergo a test- would it be worth it?
I decided early on I would prefer to go because of the following;
- I had sent an application, to not go to a call back is unprofessional and they could not send the test out of state.
- I had planned to go to Perth later in the year as a job hunting prospect.
- I had family over there, and I was the only close family member who had not gone over there.
At various times leading up to the day of my flight, I had run into some ex-coworkers who all seemed pleased to have moved on- to better pastures? Debatable, but the point is they seemed happy, an emotion that I will admit I am not over exposed to. Thinking about possibilities and the future has often lead to more concern than joy.
I informed them of what was coming up, some saying it would be a 'good fit' for me; I wondered for a moment whether I could use a quote as a reference, but instead took it for what it was and smiled.
I was informed to have fun, to enjoy myself. With the desire to succeed and the road blocks and the worry, I swallowed harm and smiled- I can try, the Gods and potential energy will decide the rest.
As usually about an hour later my mind was recording all the facts that made this situation less remarkable. I would not be the only one there, in fact probably many would be under taking this test. A test, I was not sure of- was it a subbing test, a current affairs test, or a writing/shorthand test? Maybe all of them, it was to go for three hours. An expensive trip to undergo a test- would it be worth it?
I decided early on I would prefer to go because of the following;
- I had sent an application, to not go to a call back is unprofessional and they could not send the test out of state.
- I had planned to go to Perth later in the year as a job hunting prospect.
- I had family over there, and I was the only close family member who had not gone over there.
At various times leading up to the day of my flight, I had run into some ex-coworkers who all seemed pleased to have moved on- to better pastures? Debatable, but the point is they seemed happy, an emotion that I will admit I am not over exposed to. Thinking about possibilities and the future has often lead to more concern than joy.
I informed them of what was coming up, some saying it would be a 'good fit' for me; I wondered for a moment whether I could use a quote as a reference, but instead took it for what it was and smiled.
I was informed to have fun, to enjoy myself. With the desire to succeed and the road blocks and the worry, I swallowed harm and smiled- I can try, the Gods and potential energy will decide the rest.
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