Author: Randy Slovacek

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Governors Gregoire and O’Malley on marriage equality

Democratic Governors Martin O’Malley (MD) and Chris Gregoire (WA), who are both pursuing marriage equality bills in their state legislatures this session, appeared on MSNBC this morning to join the growing outcry against Gov. Chris Christie’s (R-NJ) suggestion that voters should decide if gay and people can marry:

– O’MALLEY: “I think the best resolution of these sorts of things… best that it happened legislatively. Sometimes, we have to go to court to get that done as a country. Other times, it’s a combination of several steps — courts, the people deciding, but ultimately, Americans resolve these issues by extending rights more fully and more equally to all individuals.

– GREGOIRE: : “I don’t want [lawmakers] to say instead of taking the tough vote, send it to the voters. They were elected to make these decisions, it’s time for them to do so.”
(source)

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Great review for Olivia Newton-John in “A Few Best Men”

A Few Best Men

From ABC Radio National:

An English lad marrying an Australian girl from a well heeled family invites his English flatmates to support him and be best men at his wedding.

The latest film from Stephan Elliott gives us very broad, sometimes crass comedy, and many jokes about drugs and a kidnapped sheep.

Xavier Samuel plays David, who meets Australian Mia on a Pacific Island. Jonathan Biggins plays her pompous father, a senator devoted equally to his prize ram Ramsy and the idea of founding a political dynasty.

The standout moments are all with Olivia Newton-John, who steals the show as the mother of the bride, and the resentful wife of a politico husband. When she’s onscreen the whole thing lifts.  She still has an extraordinary magic.

There are some nicely wrought bit performances, but I guess I just didn’t take to The Lads. The screenplay is by Dean Craig, who also wrote the wonderful comedy Death at a Funeral.

If you compare the two, what made Death at a Funeral funny was the restraint of director Frank Oz, who let people get into their characters and then let the absurd situations speak for themselves.

The direction here is encouraging everyone to go way, way over the top: I’m afraid I have to agree with an English critic who wrote: this is the Stephan Elliot of Welcome to Woop Woop, rather than the Stephan Elliot of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

But hey… if your taste runs to lots of crass: it may give you a good night out. At least to see Olivia Newton-John swing from a chandelier. It’s rated MA.

Listen to the review here.

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Original Les Miz stars will join the movie in featured roles

Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle
with producer Cameron Mackintosh

The original stars of the stage version of musical Les Miserables will join Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in the big-screen version, which begins rehearsals on Monday.

Colm Wilkinson, who was the first Jean Valjean, and Frances Ruffelle, who created the part of Eponine, have been given feature roles in the movie.

Wilkinson will play the Bishop of Digne. ‘He shows Valjean the road ahead, after Valjean has robbed him of silver candlesticks,’ says Cameron Mackintosh, who produced the musical on stage and who is also involved with Working Title and Universal in making the picture, which Oscar-winner Tom Hooper will direct.

Wilkinson, who played Valjean in London and on Broadway, said that as he takes on the role of the bishop, his journey with Les Miserables has ended ‘and I have come full circle’.

Cameron also revealed that Ruffelle will play ‘the most fabulous whore’ in the movie, and while she won’t have a song of her own, she will be part of the group of prostitutes who sing the number Lovely Ladies.

Some 27 years after Les Miserables was first staged at the Barbican, the show is still running — now at the Queens in the West End.

Russell Crowe, playing Inspector Javert, will also be arriving next week, along with Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette) and Aaron Tveit (Enjolras).

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Jon Stewart on Newt Gingrich’s proposed moon base

So one of Newt Gingrich’s “big” ideas to address big problems in America is to build a moon base station by the end of his “hoped-for” second term as president.

Everything else going on in this country – and on the planet – and that’s what Newt is proposing?

SRSLY?

As always, Jon Stewart is hysterical.

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Gov. Chris Christie on voting on civil rights

“The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South. It was our political institutions that were holding things back. I don’t think there’s anything necessarily so special about this particular issue that it must be handled by a legislature. Why would that be? I don’t understand how anybody could argue with letting the people decide this issue. Let’s stop hiding behind this ‘we don’t put civil rights on the ballot’ thing. Ya know, please. These folks would put anything on the ballot if they thought they could win.” – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

NJ Dems respond:

NJ Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver: “It’s impossible to ever conceive that a referendum on civil rights in the South would have been successful and brought justice to minorities. They were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method. It look legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans.”

NJ Assemblywoman Bonnie Coleman: “His words defy history and were extremely insensitive to the struggle for equality of African-Americans and other minorities in this country. Fighting and dying in the streets of the South was not a choice, Governor, it was the only way.”