Sing It, Sister!

This bonus ep contains: connections between Episodes 2, 4, and 5, another round of Who's More Famous? (links below), discussions of our total ignorance of the movie Frozen, and a cameo (not a real one, but he pops up in a story) by one of my fav comedians Mike Birbiglia. 

Super Important Survey - Driver vs. Butler

Super Important Survey - Menzel vs. Diggs 

Mike Birbiglia on The Late Show with Seth Myers 

On Episode 4 of “Sing It, Sister!” Clare and Ellen discuss the 2005 film, Rent. Clare explores her cynicism and Ellen didn’t have time to create a game so she spends a lot of time tapping on her computer to try to find fun facts.

 Show Notes:

- Why Did John Travolta Mess Up Idina Menzel's Name? The Truth Revealed from Broadwaybuzz.com

-  Info on Chris Columbus cutting scenes in the film are from Wikipedia. 

On Episode 3 of "Sing It, Sister!" Clare and Ellen discuss the 1978 film, The Wiz. And somehow go the whole episode without talking at all about Richard Pryor, besides mentioning him in the set-up. 

Show Notes:

According to IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, The Wiz is actually rated G, not PG. Again, keep in mind this is a 1978 G-rating.

"The Wiz was Ken Harper's brainchild. He was the program affairs director at WPIX Radio in the early 1970s and hit upon the idea of an all-black version of The Wizard of Oz. He soon left his job and devoted all of his time to seeing his dream become a reality. He convinced executives at 20th Century Fox to put up the entire backing in exchange for film rights." from TheWizTheMusical.com which appears to be VERY new and very exciting! 

These People Complaining About "The Wiz" Seem To Have Forgotten That "The Wizard Of Oz" Exists from Buzzfeed.com

People Complaining That The Wiz Has An All-Black Cast Know Nothing About Musical Theatre from TheMarySue.com. Written by Maddy Myers, this piece discusses the backlash to The Wiz live having and all-black cast and her thoughts on all-white productions of The Wiz.

15 Things About ‘The Wiz’ You Probably Never Knew from SheKnows.com

Ellen’s recommendation for a podcast listen that delves into the problematic art and person of Michael Jackson: Still Processing from the New York Times, March 7, 2019.

On Episode 2 of “Sing It, Sister!” Clare and Ellen discuss the 2004 film The Phantom of the Opera. But mostly they talk about famous people who they think are their soul mates. Don't forget to weigh in on the "who is more famous, Gerard or Minnie?" debate! (https://goo.gl/forms/y3AC7vYM9XxlWr4x1)

Show Notes:

- According to Wikipedia there have been 32 film adaptations of the NOVEL The Phantom of the Opera. Since ALW’s musical (1986), many adaptations have come out including: Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge(1989) and The Chipmunks - Phantom Of The Rock Opera (1991). But the 2004 Schumacher version is the only one that is an actual straight adaptation of ALW’s work.

- ALW’s ex-wife = Sarah Brightman (English classical soprano, singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and musician)

- The original novel, The Phantom of the Opera, is “only” 320 pages long. If anyone has read it or reads it, let us know!

Also, cool fact: “The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz.

- According to Playbill: The Phantom of the Opera is still the longest running play on Broadway.

On Episode 1 of "Sing It, Sister!" Clare and Ellen discuss The Sound of Music. One of them did a little TOO much research before the show. 

Show Notes:

-  Wikepedia: "Although critical response to the film was widely mixed, the film was a major commercial success, becoming the number one box office movie after four weeks, and the highest-grossing film of 1965. By November 1966, The Sound of Music had become the highest-grossing film of all-time—surpassing Gone with the Wind—and held that distinction for five years." 

- According to IMDB, The Sound of Music is currently the 19th highest grossing musical of all time. 

- Production Credits (according to IMDB): Robert Wise Productions (as A Robert Wise Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's) Argyle Enterprises (produced by) (as Argyle Enterprises, Inc.)

- Movie vs. Reality: The Real Story of the Von Trapp Family from Archives.gov

- “The Sound of Music” Wedding Dress is Historically Inaccurate from FlipBrew.com

- 14 Facts About The Sound of Music from Mentalfloss.com