Five golden Christmas movies

In the spirit of the holiday season,I thought it would be fun to take a gander at some of the movies,TV specials and songs that get constant replay on the airwaves to figure out why their appeal hasn't faded over time. Is it merely tradition to put these films into holiday viewing rotation or a real need to renew your Yuletide love?

Let's start with the movies-while there are tons of flicks that celebrate Christmas,I narrowed it down to five generally agreed upon standard films that have stood the test of time for at least a decade or so. Also kept this strictly focused on movies that have had a theatrical release(nothing against the made for TV features,I might want to go over those later)before becoming commercial/cable TV fare.



MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

This fanciful fable about the "real" Santa Claus going to work for Macy's and making a difference in lives of several folks connected there has been remade more than once,but I prefer the original version the best.

Part of the charm of the 1947 film was in the cast which included a hearty mix of big names like Maureen O'Hara and John Payne,future starlet Natalie Wood and even actors destined for TV greatness in minor roles like William Frawley(aka Fred Murtz of I Love Lucy).

Of course,the best cast role of them all was Edmund Gwenn,who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that year for his portrayal of Kris Kringle. Gwenn's innate warmth and whimsy really came out in full force,making his character's claims to be Santa seem very reasonable indeed. The main appeal of the movie is wrapped up in just how much you'd want to have this nice old man be the real deal-with so much of the holiday fixated on consumerism that brings out the worst in some people,it would be nice to have a true champion of what Christmas is supposed to mean in our corner:






A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Hundreds of stage and screen(both silver and small)adaptations have been made from Charles Dickens' tale of Scrooge and how he got his soul back,thanks to the ghosts who show him the horror show that his life has become. My favorite one is the 1951 film starring Alastair Sim as the lead and that's a good one to go with for the purposes of this discussion.

My father introduced me to this film,loving just how mean and nasty Sim is at the start of the story and how his emotional transformation builds up over the course of the story in a truly moving and meaningful way. Scrooge is the Anti-Santa,if you think about,a man who is just as determined to spread misery and despair as St. Nick is in handing out presents and good cheer.

Seeing Scrooge's redemption gives us hope that even at our worst,we can still reach out to others and be loved and accepted. Everyone has their own particular Ebenezer that they love to hate and mine will always be Alastair Sim,but no matter who you like to see save Tiny Tim from his premature fate,he's as welcome as that fellow with the eight reindeer on Christmas Eve:






IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

You couldn't have a complete overview of holiday movies without this Frank Capra classic and interestingly enough,it owes it's status as a pop culture icon due to television rather than the movie going audiences that the film was intended for.

When IAWL was first released in 1946,it received a batch of mixed reviews which lead to a rather dismal box office take. However,after numerous replays on TV and many reevaluations by film critics over the years,It's a Wonderful Life has become the ultimate Christmas movie.

Not only does it have the aura of "small town boy makes good" and grassroots support by devoted fans who watch it once a year,IAWL's strength of story is in it's saga approach to the plot. It's sort of a male soap opera,with George Bailey as the spunky yet low on the social ladder lead who struggles against the odds and the oppression of the evil overlord in the area.Mr. Potter,who would love to take him down a peg. Not implying anything slash fiction wise,folks,but in some ways,this movie goes along the lines of such female centric films such as Gone With The Wind or even Titanic:





A CHRISTMAS STORY

Another film that wilted in theaters and blossomed on TV,A Christmas Story brings both the old school and new style take on the nostalgia of the season by blending some home truths with the starry eyed glow of the good old days.

Jean Shepard's humorous look back at his small town childhood(taken from two of his books) was well served here by of all directors,Bob Clark,who was best known for the teen sex romp Porky's at the time.

Turns out that Clark's bold brand of humor was a perfect match for this material that ultimately connected with audiences later rather than sooner. Young people can easily relate to Ralphie's plight for the Christmas gift of his dreams while the older generations fondly remember a time when having Chinese food as your holiday feast would be considered exotic and everyone gets to have a goodnatured laugh at the whole hullabaloo together:





HOME ALONE

This movie may seem to be nothing more than a live action Looney Tunes cartoon at times,but it did hold sway over a generation of young people who grew up with this film as their starting point for Christmas movies. Macaulay Culkin made his major film debut here,for better or worse,as Kevin,the left behind little kid with the smart mouth and appealing adaptability of many a sitcom character.

Actually,the whole plot of the film has a very sitcom feel to it. Kevin not only survives an assault on his household by (fortunately for him)inept burglars but also learns to appreciate his raucous family,make friends with the cranky old man of the neighborhood and not burn the house down. It's fitting that such a fantasy approach to child abandonment is set in the sparkly suburbs;in a more urban environment,the ending might not have been as happy.

Don't get me wrong,I do like Home Alone. It's just meant to be a fun family flick and it does deliver the goods. The inevitable sequels never truly captured the goofy slapstick joy of the original,with it's delight in Kevin's discovering that he can handle life's challenges by himself ,thanks to what his family taught him and some ingenious inventions of his own:



So,as you and your loved ones gather around the tree on Christmas Eve,no doubt one of these movies will be on your TV as a great excuse to share some quality time together. No matter how many times you've seen this one or that,it's an easy way to share the joy of the season without too much effort and a lot less messier than baking cookies or reading Christmas essays out loud to each other. A bowl of popcorn and a comfy place to sit is all that you need to make this movie night memorable and right:

Top Chef's Final Four,TAR's Final Three and we say farewell to a major player on Heroes

Top Chef: Las Vegas left the strip and went to Napa Valley for the start of the finale,bringing the Brother Voltaggio,Kevin and Jennifer together at a train station where a very pregnant Padma(congrats there,hon!)and guest judge Michael Chiarello(a contender on the Top Chef Masters series)were ready to give them their last Quickfire challenge of the season.

The challenge was to make a grape based dish while onboard a train and since this was also the last high stakes QF,a shiny new car was added on as yet another incentive to do well. Michael V wound up getting those car keys for his stuffed grape leaf plate,which pleased both Padma and Chiarello very well:



For the Elimination challenge,all of the chefs had to cook for a "crush party",which celebrates the grape harvest,using only locally grown and produced foods. Salt and pepper were the only exceptions to that rule,plus they each had to make two dishes;one vegetarian and one protein based.

As expected,the Brothers Voltaggio did well here. Michael's turnip soup with foie gras and pears was enjoyed while his poached egg with veggie pistou had a couple of problems with it. The vegatables were cut up so finely that they became lost in the dish and Padma's egg wasn't served correctly.

That's probably why Byran was chosen as the winner here,even though both of his plates needed some more seasoning. His goat cheese ravoli was well liked and the braised short ribs with fig glaze had a nice texture to it:





Joining them for the second half of the finale will be Kevin,whose brisket was tough or "toothsome" as he preferred to call it,but wowed the judges with a seemingly simple plate of roasted beets and carrots. I was so glad to see him get to the Final Three,he's been such a nice guy and a great chef this season. Also,I think he defended the brisket politely yet firmly,pointing out that since the meat was being served on top of a pumpkin polenta,too much tenderness might've turned the whole thing into mush.



That left Jennifer as the one to pack her knives and go home. I knew she was in trouble when the judges tasted her cherve mousse with mushrooms and found it extremely salty. Her duck meat and squash puree went over well,with Judge Tom saying the meat tasted very "ducky"(he meant that in a good way)but Jen had originally planned to grill her proteins but let the fire die out in the kitchen before she could do so.

A minor point to be sure,but someone had to leave and Jen's nerves have been getting very unsteady lately,so perhaps this is for the best. Next week is a showdown between the Brother V and Kevin,and my fingers are crossed for Kevin,big time. Byran winning would be okay,too,especially since his brother is such an overly competitive creep:





Heroes ended their fall season(the show will be back on in January)with a long overdue swan song from Nathan Petrelli,who has spent most of this volume as a hybrid of ghost and possessed personality trapped within Sylar's body. Peter tried to force Sylar to release his brother's spirit and take control but Nathan knew it was a losing battle.

I've never liked Nathan to begin with(he's a devious character,just like his mom)so having him take his final bow here is fine with me. I do have to admit that show creator and writer Tim Kring certainly did give him a nice moment of tender tragedy in saying his farewells to Peter. Maybe this will strengthen Peter to go on and be a true hero on his own:





The Amazing Race is down to it's Final Three and sadly,the Globetrotters will not be amongst that number. What did the guys in was an early Roadblock that had one team member trying to figure out a word puzzle in a Kafka themed challenge and Big Easy agreed to work with Sam in working it out.

Sam got the answer first and then told Big Easy,"It starts with an F,that's all I'm saying." What kind of backhanded behavior is that? If you don't want someone to get ahead of you,don't offer to help them out and then renege on it later. Not cool,guys!

Big Easy and Flight Time wound up taking a four hour penalty,which set them way too far back in the pack:



The Globetrotters were great contenders and I'm sure that I'm not the only one sorry to see them go. Since Sam and Dan have been playing dirty pool for the last few legs and Megan and Cheyne don't impress me much,my allegiance is now fully with Brian and Ericka for the win. The two of them seem to be a really great couple that balance each other out nicely. I didn't think I would like them at first,but they grow on you after awhile. Good luck,Team Yellow!:



RANDOM NOTES:

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER: While other shows are packing up for a winter break,LOTS is moving onward with more new episodes. Coming up this weekend,Zed has a bout of 18 Again-itis as Shota turns him back into a younger version of himself. Troublesome to be sure,but ,then again, it gives Richard a chance to try out his techniques on dealing with rebellious teenagers with magic powers:

How brightly does Twilight's New Moon shine on the big screen?

No doubt,many of you who are big fans of the Twilight saga have seen the latest film adaptation several times over and have formed several opinions about which aspect of book vs. movie details worked best.

I managed to see Twilight:New Moon over the holiday weekend and found it to be pretty much what I expected it to be-a rather faithful retelling of the story with some interesting visual tricks that helped to enhance the plot. Since there have been plenty of straightforward reviews of the film already,I thought it would be more interesting to talk about it by focusing on three major elements that most of the fans would be keeping an extra sharp eye on how they were brought to life on screen:

THE VOLTURI



The ancient order of vampires who still keep to the old ways,especially when it comes to the traditional bloodsucker's menu,had their brief debut and came off as ones to watch out for,indeed. While there was plenty of hype surrounding the casting of Dakota Fanning as paingiver Jane,she really didn't have much to do here but does give off a nice menacing aura that makes you hope she comes back for the later films.

Michael Sheen as Aro,the charismatic leader of the gang who delights in the powers of those under his wing,does make the most of his time onscreen. He portrays Aro very much as I imagined him while turning the pages of New Moon and brought an eerily lively air to his scenes:



THE WOLVES



The emergence of the Quileute werewolves is a key plot development and the film did showcase that well,maybe with not as much depth as the book did but as they say,a picture can be worth a thousand words of explanation.

Jacob's fears of being lead into an unknown destiny at first and then his wholehearted yet reluctant acceptance of the situation(particularly where Bella is concerned)was convincingly done by both screenwriters and the actors.

As to werewolf transformations,I like the quick change artist approach taken here. The weres are supposed to be larger than real wolves to begin with and they do look amazing. I also like the moments when Bella's reflection is caught in Jacob's eye during his wolf state,it adds a touching pathos to his struggles with his torn emotions towards her. The action sequences between the weres and vamps were just hints of what's to come in Eclipse but I'm looking forward to seeing just how far those will go:



TEAM JACOB



Taylor Lautner has to take center stage here as Jacob becomes a major player for Bella's heart and despite whatever doubts some of the producers had about him that made them reconsider replacing Taylor in the part during pre-production,he clearly has the acting skills for this role and proves himself to be as irreplaceable as either Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson.

Jacob's sweet crush on Bella goes from being the best friend ready and willing to pick Bella up after Edward's abrupt departure sends her down a swirling sorrow spiral to hesitantly wanting her as part of the new phase of his life right into fierce jealousy and protectiveness when the Cullens come back into Bella's world. Lautner makes these emotional twists and turns as smoothly as the CGI turns him into a giant wolf and shows why the camp for Team Jacob is just as firmly devoted as Team Edward is for their guy to win out in the end:





The flaws in the film as I see them are that Director Chris Weitz takes a rather detached tone in dealing with Bella's despair,altho I like the sequence where her months of brooding are framed in a Mobius strip style. Having Edward appear in a ghostly form whenever Bella takes a physical risk does work on screen but lends itself to being a little too gimmicky as time goes on.

Also,the film doesn't bother with a lot of exposition that would allow someone who didn't see the first movie to get much of what's happening and who is who for the second one. That's fine,I guess,and other sequels have done the same thing but in a way ,it does leave a newcomer out in the cold there.




Overall,Twilight:New Moon does justice to the book and sets the stage for Eclipse,which is very action packed and may actually draw more of a male audience at the multiplex next time around. Even if it doesn't,it is clear that the Twilight saga will be a strong force to reckon with on the pop culture scene for awhile longer.

My only request is that we get a snazzier selection of tunes for the Eclipse soundtrack-sorry,folks,but most of the songs on the New Moon playlist are not as toe tapping as the ones on the original Twilight one. The best of the bunch to me is Muse,with their remix of "I Belong to You",it's got a funky little rhythm there worth listening to again. Oh,well,maybe Adam Lambert will do us the honor of giving us a song for Eclipse(I can dream,can't I?). Until then,enjoy this romp under the serious moonlight,Twilight believers:

The Other Queen leads to other looks at Mary,Queen of Scots

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's historical novels,especially the ones regarding the Tudors from Henry the VIII to Elizabeth the First. So,having The Other Queen, her latest in paperback arrive at my door,courtesy of Booksfree(it's the Netflix of books),was a great delight and it's been my constant companion over this past holiday weekend.

The alternate monarch of the title is Mary,Queen of Scots who has just been overthrown in her homeland and now takes refuge in England,hoping for support from Elizabeth in regaining her throne. Instead,she fights charges of murder and adultery and is forced to become the "guest" of the Earl of Shrewsbury,a man feeling honor bound to obey his queen and cousin but torn in his loyalties to the enchanting young woman who may or may not be the next ruler of the realm.



Another major player in this story is Bess of Hardwick,the Earl's wife who has managed to rake a rather large fortune of her own from her first three husband's estates and is determined to keep that wealth at all costs.

Bess is also very aware of the attraction her husband has for their most unwelcome guest and fears that his softhearted approach to the increasing dangerous situation with Mary under their charge will lead to their ruin,not to mention a beheading or two.

That's what I like about Philippa Gregory's books,her focus on strong female figures from the past who strive to endure despite whatever circumstances and limitations are placed upon them. She also tries to make the outcome of certain historical events feel fresh and alive with tension,with the possibility of what else might have been brimming in the minds of the characters as motivation for their actions:





I'm still reading the book as we speak,but am intrigued by all of the plots within plots as Mary struggles to be as free as she can be with many friends and enemies surrounding her in equal numbers,along with Bess's grim resolve to keep her money safe no matter who wins in the end.

Since my knowledge of Mary,Queen of Scots begins and ends with her execution and the highly disputed fact that she and Elizabeth never had a face to face,I decided to remedy that by watching a couple of classic films on the subject. I know,I know,movies are not always the most accurate when it comes to delivering the goods here,but it's definitely a fun excuse to catch up on old school flicks about ye olden times.

First up on the block is the 1971 version of Mary,Queen of Scots that stars Vanessa Redgrave as Mary and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth. Casting two major divas of the English stage was quite a coup and the whole thing seems to play out like a royal soap opera,which should be entertaining indeed:





After that,Mary of Scotland from 1936 is next on my list. Katherine Hepburn plays Mary,with Frederic March as her second husband,the Earl of Bothwell and Florence Elderidge as Elizabeth. The movie was actually a major flop at the box office in it's time but has gained some critical recognition over the years.

Interestingly enough,Hepburn was related to an ancestor of Bothwell's and his given name(James Hepburn)wasn't used in the film in order to quash any talk of favoritism in the casting. Katherine Hepburn always did have a regal bearing onscreen and off,so it's not completely surprising to find out that it was passed down to her via bloodline:





There's several other films about this regal rivalry but I think that just rounding things out by finally watching Elizabeth: The Golden Age(which has been on my Netflix queue for awhile now)will do the trick nicely.

Some revived interest in Mary,Queen of Scots surfaced over a year ago,with talk of Scarlett Johansson taking on the role in a remake of the 1971 film,however that project doesn't seem to have gotten the greenlight so far. If she or any other starlet out there does have the chance to bring Mary back to the big screen,I do hope that they make the most out of that opportunity. While her reign may have been short and sharply cut off,Mary's legend in both art and history is elaborately lengthy for good reason and deserves to be prominently featured on both fronts:

Open Letter to potential reality show contestants seeking a publicity stunt to pull

Dear Attention Seekers,

With the economy being in such a downward spiral these days,it's not surprising that more and more of you want to get a better chance at grabbing the brass ring by becoming a reality show star.

Even when things were doing well,achieving fame from making a memorable impression on an audition for a televised competition or being the most obnoxious contender for whatever top prize was at stake brought plenty of folks an instant shot at those precious fifteen minutes and some of them made a nice chunk of change into the bargain.



As is the way with many fads on the pop culture scene,there comes a point when things are going too far and needless risks are being taken in order to get ahead of someone else waiting in line. Well,gang,that time has come and with it,a serious need to reassess your priorities.



High on the list of questions on whether or not you should pursue this road to reality show fame is "Is this worth risking the safety of one of my family members for?" and if your answer to that is yes,I wouldn't want to be related to you. It's bad enough to make money off of the pain and suffering of others and a thousand times worse to do so using the trust and love of someone who is supposed to be the nearest and dearest to you:



No doubt some of you are saying "but that Balloon Boy deal was just a hoax,the kid wasn't in any real danger at all!"-physical danger,true,but the emotional scars that child will have to bear by being forced into the spotlight and made to lie about that incident on national television by his scheming parents are just as damaging. Not to mention highly insensitive to those families who have lost their children due to terrible accidents or worse,had them become faces on milk cartons. Swallow that bitter little pill,if you will.



If that weren't bad enough,now we have these State Dinner Crashers to reckon with. Sneaking into a White House event as a way to become the next Real Housewife of D.C. is not a cute idea or a smart thing to brag about on your Facebook page. Showcasing just how easy it is for anyone to get past security and be in reach of the President of the United States of America(and the Prime Minister of India as well)only encourages would be assassins to ramp up their plots against him.

Don't try to talk me out of my concerns by pointing out that the Real Airheads of D.C. went thru metal detectors and had no intentions of hurting anybody. For one thing,that's not the point and secondly,there are all kinds of ways and means to bring weapons in undetected or have them placed in convenient spots to be found at the right time-didn't any of you see The Godfather or In the Line of Fire? If Hollywood can dream up plausible scenarios for the worst to happen,so can the actual bad guys:





Sorry if that sounds harsh,but I think that it's time for a slap in the face of sorts to wake up from these fever dreams of fame seeking at any cost. Reality TV is a mixed bag of quality and content,which we can all debate until the cows come home but there's a world of difference between metaphorically throwing someone under the bus and literally doing so.

To me,the better reality shows are the ones that allow people a chance to use their talents such as singing,dancing or cooking in order to get that big break in their profession they've working towards for years.

Shows that highlight the lives of well to do do-nothings or how "delightfully eccentric" your family is are a waste of time and energy that could be given to those more deserving of a media spotlight. I'm not trying to climb up on a high horse here(The Rachel Zoe Project is a guilty pleasure of mine,but even that show involves some level of professionalism)but take into consideration what you're trying to accomplish by getting on reality TV in the first place.

Are you looking at this as a stepping stone to achieve your own personal quest in life or as a golden ticket to easy riches? Either way,you should think about the harm that might be done to those folks you want to climb over and step on as you make your way up the ladder to celebrity status. Crushing the so-called "little people" might help you get where you want to go faster but leaves a set of bloody footprints behind that only lead nowhere when you need someone to support you when the chips are down:



No one's life or emotional well being is worth destroying for a moment in the sun on a reality show and neither is making a elected official more of a target for evil doers to take down. Think before you act,that's not too much to ask of anyone.

Sincerely,

Lady T and those of us in the viewing audience about to change the channel

P.S. If that isn't enough to convince of the folly of your ways,just take a listen to this swan song and hope that one day,others will not see it as a fitting tribute to the person you have become:

A pop culture search for the meaning of Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving eve,I'd like to talk about how the true meaning of the holiday has been reflected in pop culture over the years. While it's been a concern of mine that Turkey Day has been given short shift lately,due to the mad consumer rush towards Christmas and other winter holidays that require gift giving,this year seems to be a turning of the tide in that sad spiral. Perhaps it's a sign of the times but if there's to be a silver thread of lining amongst those dark clouds hovering us over these days,a return to appreciating this day of national appreciation is worth grabbing ahold of.



For decades,the traditional tale of Thanksgiving was centered around the quaint notion of the Pilgrims and Native Americans joining together to share the bounty of their harvest and to celebrate surviving in such rough terrain. The sentiments were well meant and added some wholesome flavor to the holiday feast:



Over time,historians reveal more of the harsher truths about those early days and while that was a good and necessary development,many folks felt that dose of reality soured the Thanksgiving proceedings forever and vowed to disown it:





This newfound contempt for the holiday was fuel for many a fire on the battlefield between generations,as that one contrary member of the family tended to take the stance that Thanksgiving was yet another symbol of adult hypocrisy.

Granted,most family get-togethers bring out the worst as well as the best in people but the extra tang of socially aware angst left a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

Most of the time,however,that attitude faded away with some understanding served up with great tasting stuffing:



Eventually,the traditional meaning of the day made peace with the acknowledged truth of it's origins and people could once again take the time to enjoy Thanksgiving as it was meant to be. The inevitable emotional turmoil that crops with such a family focused celebration is still a holiday hazard but one which is lessened by giving props to the reality of how Thanksgiving lore all started:





While Thanksgiving has had it's share of ups and downs with the changing times,one thing has firmly remained-the bond of family. Whether connected by blood,love or friendship,renewing those emotional ties is more than enough reason to keep this tradition alive and well.

Of course each generation has to decide for themselves how they want to commemorate this annual event and what individual mark to make on the day. As we at LRG sign off until next week(don't worry,we'll be back on Monday with more pop culture musings to share),please accept our best wishes to you and yours on this Thanksgiving. Have a happy one and keep those leftovers fresh,whether they're charmingly savory or just a sweet slice of revenge:

What's more shocking,Adam Lambert's AMA antics or his Bob Fosse flair?

By now,many of you out there have heard about the show stopping performance that American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert gave on the American Music Awards this past Sunday night. Unfortunately for me,I didn't see it live but thanks to the internet,was able to view his "For Your Entertainment" romp across the stage.



If by chance you didn't see it,the big hullabaloo about Adam's musical number(which was shown a few minutes before 11 P.M. on the east coast)is that he had obvious sexual overtones in the dance routines and at one point, kissed a male keyboardist impromptu.

It should be no surprise to anyone who watched Adam during his AI run that his style is extremely flamboyant and he's not ashamed of his sexual orientation(nor should he be at all,in my opinion).

The folks at AI pretty much had a "don't ask,don't tell" policy about that and now that Our Mr. Lambert is no longer obliged to tone down his true artistic persona,that we would get a taste of his unbridled onstage act sooner or later.

What does surprise me is that no one has yet pointed out that his FYE number at the AMAs is in many ways,a tribute to Bob Fosse. The infamous choreographer and director who gave the pop culture world such dazzling fancy footwork in Broadway shows and films like Cabaret,Sweet Charity and Chicago would be on his feet applauding this performance if he was still amongst the living,I'm sure of it.

To start off this evolutionary chain of entertainment,take a gander at Adam's AMA performance and note the sexy combination of dancers as they move all about that large metal framework in the background,it's an important component here:



Now,take a look at former AI judge Paula Abdul's "Cold Hearted" video from the 1990s, which was directly inspired by a routine in Fosse's autobiographical musical All That Jazz from 1979. See any similar set pieces,folks? Not to mention some of the the dancers being matched up in not the standard boy/girl pairings:



Groping group song and dance numbers are a regular theme of Fosse's work,particularly his signature style. The opening number from Chicago,where the title of that groundbreaking film from '79 comes from,showcases that rather naughtily in a nice fashion:






Speaking of All That Jazz,here is that less than subtly sensuous number that inspired Paula Abdul and seemingly Adam Lambert as well.

Fosse's doppelganger in the film is named Joe Gideon( well played by Roy Schieder),who in this scene is giving his producers and cohorts a sample of he intends to put on stage for his latest play. Just like Adam,Joe gets a mixed reception about his work,to say the least.

I remember seeing this movie on cable TV years ago and this routine does inspire a blush or two,along with admiration for the creative coordination involved here(a little bit of nudity crops up,folks-you have been warned):






"So,that makes it all right then,huh,Lady T?" No,it's not a question of right here,this is more about finding out the subtext of what is really so bothersome to many people about this. If it's simply not to your taste,that's fine and if you prefer that your kids don't see it,that's up to you. However,to call Adam's performance morally offensive while other performances on the same show that appeared way earlier in the evening than his did and were far from modest,is a tad puzzling there.

Don't get me wrong,I have no problem with Rihanna or Shakira and especially not with Lady Gaga strutting their stuff on any music awards show. Yet,when none of those numbers causes one tenth of the uproar that Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" did,it makes me wonder why.

How is it that Madonna can kiss girls on stage(mainly to boost her sagging shock rock status) and Miley Cyrus do a pole dance on a kid's award show and only ruffle a few feathers while Adam makes out with one guy and hordes of people are insisting that it's a sign of the apocalypse? I normally refuse to press the prejudice buzzer for stuff like this,but it's blinking very brightly at the moment.



In the end,Adam's getting plenty of publicity out of this and his album will no doubt sell amazingly well this holiday season. I just wonder if more of his Broadway inspired style would be more acceptable to some if he was a gal named Anna instead.

After all,risque numbers have been accepted on award shows before,such as this classic bit from Nine(which,like All That Jazz,was based on Fellini's 8 1/2 Weeks and is about to appear on the silver screen this Christmas,with Chicago's Rob Marshall as it's director)and if the likes of "Be Italian" could pass muster with the S&P department back then,does that prove that we are moving forward or backward with our accepted standards of artistic interpretation for the general viewing public? Certainly something to talk about while waiting in line for tickets to Adam's concert tour,that's for sure: