Jeremy Blacklow : March 2009 Archives

OK, let me begin by saying that I am the last person who would have paid money to go see "Hannah Montana The Movie." I am a 32-year-old grown man with no children. I am not exactly the "target audience." I have never watched the "Hannah Montana" TV show, and I have never before been a particularly huge fan of Miley Cyrus throughout my work covering her in celebrity news.

That being said, I attended one of the earliest screenings in conjunction with my work here at AccessHollywood.com preparing for our "Meet Miley Contest" along with Disney and Yahoo's OMG!, the results of which you'll see back here beginning April 6.

That being said, this movie is fantastic!

You've got to put all of your film pretensions aside when watching it; this is not "The Reader" or "Babel" - it's a fun teen movie that sets out to be the best it can be for its genre. And it certainly achieves that.

I found myself completely taken back to teenage-hood for this film - the same way in which films like "Bring It On," "Mean Girls" and "Clueless" did for me. It's the kind of movie that you'll likely be singing along with and quoting to friends for years to come. It has heart and passion, and it's just plain a fun ride.

The movie certainly serves as a vehicle for Miley Cyrus to begin moving forward from the "Hannah Montana" role, but it by no means is an end to the character.

In the 13 x 525,600 minutes since "Rent" first premiered on Broadway, the economy has gone from middling, to wealthy, to so-so, to pretty great again, to absolutely horrific. And, of course, we still don't have a cure for HIV & AIDS.
 
Although "Rent" played its final performance on Broadway last spring (it was the seventh longest-running show in Broadway history), never before have this musical and its themes of love and compassion felt so fresh and relevant as they do right now.

Set in NYC's East Village in the early 90's, "Rent" is a modern take on Puccini's opera, "La Boheme." It tells the story of a young group of artists and friends struggling for their identity and purposes in the world, while navigating the plague of HIV& AIDS.
 
Back in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for an almost two-week run, the latest national tour features three standout performers from Jonathan Larson's original New York production; leads Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, who also starred in the 2005 movie, and solo vocalist Gwen Stewart (aka - the one who hits the BIG notes on "Seasons of Love").
 
Revisiting the show for the first time since the aforementioned big screen production directed by Chris Columbus, I remembered again why this is my favorite musical of all-time. It redefined the definition of the genre, it was the soundtrack to my 20's, and it has more heart than just about any musical that's come since (although, some have come close... see "In The Heights," and "Avenue Q").