Party All Day Long

Jordan’s Birthday was on Thursday.  Jordan and I both got off of work early and we  planned out the best birthday celebration ever. We went to see Wicked in Salt Lake. Mom and Dad, Jordan and I, Lindsay, Jake, Olivia, Isabel, Jamie and Faye all came and it was a blast.

I’m really sad we didn’t get a picture of us all together at the theater. Now, a completely thrilling side note about Wicked.

Back in the magical world of movie musicals, two biggies are making news this week: Word is that Stephen Daldry, the Oscar-nominated director of "Billy Elliot," "The Hours," and "The Reader" (and a Tony winner for "An Inspector Calls"), is in talks to direct the movie version of "Wicked," the smash hit that’s been on Broadways since 2004. It will be produced by Marc Platt ("Drive," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Nine" Casting for this one, once they get to it, will be fascinating (and potentially controversial, as I'm guessing the filmmakers won't feel an obligation to cast the Broadway originals); stay tuned.

I’d already talked about casting in an earlier post Here

But I really really really want Lea Michelle to be Elphaba. She has the look and the voice. She’d be amazing.

Glinda is a little harder. After I saw wicked just a day ago, I was reminded of Kristen Bell and how she can actually sing. I think she could do a really good job. This is her singing Let it Snow with friends.

Then we went to dinner at Olive Garden. 

This is Faye and I being silly at dinner

And went to see the Dark Knight Rises at Midnight~Which was great!

It all boils down to expectations and the matching, meeting of same. There will be those who go into The Dark Knight Rises expecting Heath Ledger Part Two, and that’s not this film. There will also be those worn out from the one-two punch of The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-man and feel that Nolan let his creative carte blanche overwhelm everything. Some will hate. Others will overdo the praise. But make no mistake about it - The Dark Knight Rises remains one of 2012’s very best. It symbolizes the sort of rare, refined accomplishment that can only come when a true artist taps into his obvious talents and delivers. Feel very, very sorry for the poor sod who will have to step in a few years from now and reboot this character and his continuing adventures. Nolan has set the bar incredibly high, and it’s hard imagining anyone having the ability to top it. Anyone.