Ricky Martin will NEVER outrank Bernadette Peters

I have upsetting new, Broadway Fans.

Many of you may know this already, but the revival of Follies, with the extraordinary cast (including Bernadette Freakin' Peters) is closing after less than six months.  One of my friends had the pleasure of seeing this show before it transferred to Broadway and she said it was fantastic.

That is sad enough, but guess who is taking their place?

Ricky Martin.

Well, Ricky Martin and the cast of the Evita revival.

This is extremely upsetting.  What kind of a world do we live in when Ricky Martin can shake his bon bon into Bernadette Freakin' Peters' theatre and make her leave?!?!?

I pose this question to you, citizens of cyberspace.  How could we let this happen?

Season Three Glee News!

Good news and bad news for Glee fans.

The good news?

Darren Criss (Blaine) has officially been promoted to a regular for season 3 of Glee.

The bad news?

Chord Overstreet (Sam) had officially been dropped from the show.

Now don't get me wrong, my love of Darren Criss could border on obsession, so I couldn't be happier that we'll be seeing more of him.  He is a passionate, no-holds-barred actor and he deserves all the success coming his way.

But I'm also sad to see Chord Overstreet leave.  Granted, his character wasn't nearly as dynamic as some of the others, but that was all due to the writing.  The problems they gave his character (being homeless, everyone questioning his sexuality) just didn't read as well as many of the other conflicts on the show.  And now they'll have to do something about his relationship with Mercedes, which was introduced in the season two finale.  Overstreet had a subtle sense of humor and great singing voice.  The episode where he was channeling Justin Bieber was absolutely hysterical in my opinion.

So it's bittersweet news for glee fans, and I can't wait for season 3.

Hugh Jackman + Les Mis = Win

Broadwayworld.com reports that Hugh Jackman will be in the cast of the new Les Miserables movie musical.  I think this is wonderful.  My friends and I often compare Hugh Jackman to a fine wine, he just seems to get better with age.

And to those of you who only know his as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is, in fact, a song and dance man, and he has a Tony Award to prove it!  He won a few years ago for his work in the musical, "The Boy From Oz."  He has also played many more musical roles on Broadway and the West End, including Curly in Oklahoma and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.

Which role is he tackling in Les Mis?  No one knows yet, but rumor has it he may be playing the lead, Jean Valjean.  I hope this is the case, it's not a role I would automatically think of Hugh Jackman for, but I am constantly surprised by his talents and think he would do a fine job.

Welcome to my (slightly larger) soap box!

Hello loyal readers,

You're all probably wondering - why has my soap box expanded?  Wasn't it big enough?

Apparently not.

I was consolidating my various e-mail accounts and accidentally deleted my old blog, Ashley's little soap box.  I couldn't get it back, though I did manage to recover a good chunk of my old posts (which I have uploaded here for your reading pleasure).  The only post I REALLY wish I could find was my "In Defense of Fan Fiction" post.  I'll keep searching, but it may be trapped deep in the bowels of cyberspace.

So, rather than let my blog disappear from your lives forever I decided to carry on!  From now on I'll be posting here, and as always, I love reading your comments and suggestions - so go wild!

Maybe I'm Just Slow...

But did you know Julie Andrews has never won a Tony?

Sure, she snagged an Oscar for Mary Poppins, and she's been nominated for three Tony's (but she declined her nomination for Victor/Victoria) but she's never won a Tony.

I think it's about time they put ole' Julie back on Broadway long enough to get her the Tony she's always deserved.

Three (Surprisingly) Good Teen Films

You ever see a movie trailer for the next dumb teen flick and think "Man, that movie looks terrible. I kinda want to go see it anyway..."?

Many films are worse than the trailers lead viewers to believe. But a few films actually exceeded my expectations. I recommend them to you all.

1. Fired Up

Premise: Two football players, Nick and Shawn, join the school's terrible cheer leading squad to go to cheer camp and get girls.

Why you should watch it: Dialogue, plain and simple. The plot of this movie is very predictable, but the dialogue will have you watching it over and over. Here are a few of my favorite gems from this film.

Nick: Bottomless breadsticks only keep you at the Olive Garden for so long, until at some point you look up and say 'Why the hell am I at the Olive Garden with all these fat people?'"

Dr. Rick: [holding up his hands] If these weren't tools for healing, I would crack you in the jaw. 

Nick Brady: YOU'RE a tool for healing.

Coach: How do you spell 'fired up'? 

Cheerleaders: F! U! 

Shawn: Not really... 

2. Easy A

Premise: High school girl feels unpopular. Gets attention by pretending to be the school slut, without actually sleeping around.

Why you should watch it: Brutal honesty. While certain characters and ideas are wildly exaggerated (Amanda Bynes' character is a painful example of this), other aspects of this film are incredibly accurate. The damage that rumors can do is all too real, and the way things can spiral out of control may hit close to home for many viewers. The dialogue is also consistently well done, and the protagonist's family is sure to make you laugh every time they're onscreen.

3. 10 Things I Hate About You

Premise: Taming of the Shrew...sort of...in high school...

Why you should watch it:

- Heath Ledger singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" (also known as "I Love You, Baby")

- Plot- very cleverly put together, just enough Shakespeare and just enough modern changes to keep things interesting. They, UNLIKE "She's the Man", pull of the fusion of Shakespeare and modern culture extremely well.

- Dialogue- mostly modern and hilarious, but some Shakespeare every so often.

- Cast- very good and drama and comedy, especially love Larry Miller as the overbearing single father of two teenage girls (and his day-job involves delivering babies).

- Julia Stile's "10 Things I Hate About You" Speech from the end of the film.

One more reason why I love Sutton Foster...

Watch the latest Side by Side by Susan Blackwell to hear this gem of a conversation...

Susan: You're the whitest girl in the world

Sutton: Yo yo yo, SuFo in the hiz-ouse

Public Proposals

"Wonderland" closed on Broadway today. As much as I love Janet Dacal and thought she was a PHENOMENAL Nina when I saw "In the Heights", I don't mourn the loss of "Wonderland." From what I've seen/heard, the show was mediocre...

HOWEVER

At today's 3 pm performance, after the curtain call, in front of the whole audience, Dacal's costar Darren Ritchie proposed to her!

Luckily, she said yes.

But I couldn't help thinking...what if she said no?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a romantic. I love public displays of affection and dramatic proposals, but they're only magical if the girl says yes. Oh and just for the record, if a guy wants to ask me to marry him and doesn't get down on one knee...that may affect my answer...just saying.

Proposals seem to be a catch-22 scenario. You don't want to be lame and repeat every other proposal that's ever been done (Take her out to a nice dinner, maybe have the waiter put the ring in her champagne glass, get down on one knee in front of everyone). But at the same time, the more public and dramatic you go, usually the more people you have to involve, and the higher risk of embarrassment.

I guess, of course, this can all be avoided by being certain she'll say yes before you propose...but where's the fun in that?

The return of my blog?!?!

Yes, you read that correctly.

I'm back.

For the first time in almost four months.

Sorry loyal readers, this time I swear I'll try to be better - no seriously - for real this time. I want to start posting more regularly again.

I have a couple fun pop-culture facts to share, but first, you might wonder, what have I been doing for the past four months?

First and foremost, I've been finishing college and graduating (I hope...no guarantees until that diploma is in my hands). And I just have to say, remember all those people who told you that college is the best time of your life, and the last year of college is the best because you get to take all of these easy classes? Well, they lied...sort of.

I can happily report that the last year of college is indeed the best. It seems like, in some ways, all the fun I've been waiting to have has finally come my way. I met some great new friends and love being able to chat with them about anything, introduce them to my old friends, or just hang out at a restaurant or watch tv together. I've never been so happy to be so sleep deprived.

But the last year of college is also the busiest. Between my classes, my internship, and my job search, there is very little time for anything else. So it's a crazy and fairly stressful time. Oh, and just for fun, I decided to also add being in the cast of a musical into my schedule...because it apparently wasn't packed enough...

That's right, I did a musical! My first time in the cast of an official musical since high school! And I got a lead! I played the Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods" and it was awesome! I channeled my inner Joanna Gleason and loved every minute of it. That's how I met most of my new friends, we loved rehearsing together so much we decided to hang out on our own time...and now the show is over and we can't get rid of each other! I'd like to think that's because no one wants to :-)

Now, for some pop culture factoids...

Glee - Lately the show has been very hit or miss, but I keep watching it anyway, mostly because of Darren Criss. Let's face it, Darren has it all, amazing voice, great humor, and he just seems like a nice guy. And even though he's playing a gay character, he's straight in real life? Where do I sign the marriage certificate?

And did you see him sing "Somewhere Only We Know"? He absolutely killed me. His facial expressions almost made me tear up...I haven't had an emotional connection to a Glee song like that since Jonathan Groff in "Total Eclipse of the Heart".

Speaking of my beloved J-Gro...he'll be back next episode, just in time for McKinley High's Prom! Just thinking of him in a tux makes me drool a little...too bad he's playing a straight character but he's actually gay...

Tony Awards- Nominations are out. If Sutton Foster doesn't win for "Anything Goes" I might cry. She made the role of Reno Sweeney so fresh and new, and it's nice to see her tease us by not belting the whole show but making us want to hear her belt, and then satiating that appetite at certain times.

Also, possible snubs - Daniel Radcliffe and Aaron Tveit. Daniel Radcliffe has been dancing and singing his heart out as Finch in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", and everyone says he's fantastic. He also gets mad props in my book for going outside his comfort zone by doing a musical, and doing really well in it (Although I have to admit, the joke that the show should be called "How to Succeed in Business While Trying Really Hard" because of how hard he's working up there is pretty funny)! Perhaps the people choosing the nominees decided that since he already got to play Harry Potter he couldn't possibly need a Tony Award, too.

With Aaron Tveit it's a different story. He's been snubbed before, for his performance as Gabe in "Next to Normal". This time he's getting snubbed for his performance in "Catch Me If You Can" even though his costar Norbert Leo Butz received a nomination. Since my friends and I love Aaron Tveit and think he's pretty much the most gorgeous man alive, we decided the only reason the judges could possibly deny him a Tony Award is that he slept with everyone on the judge's panel and didn't call any of them back. If that's the case, you got what you deserved, Aaron my love.

Well, that's all I have for now. Since it's been so long since I've posted I want to remind you all - I'm open to suggestions and questions! If you want to hear my opinion on something, or disagree with something I say, or have information you think I might want to know, use the comment section!

Ups and Downs of Breaks from College

Sorry for the long absence loyal readers :-) Hopefully I can be a little more consistent with my posts from now on...

As a college student, I often take advantage of opportunities to procrastinate and love any night where homework is not involved. This should make winter and summer breaks the ideal time of the year. But this is not always the case. There are several pros and cons to break time. Feel free to comment with your own.

Pros

- No classes
- Money from retail jobs
- visiting with family (sometimes)
- visiting old high school friends
- free time

Cons
- Retail jobs
- visiting with family (sometimes)
- most college friends are too far away to visit
- so much free time you get bored