Top 10 Smash Songs

Next week, NBC airs the 2 hour series finale of Smash. I've decided to do a top 10 list of the best original songs featured on the show, as voted by the monkeys in my brain. 

10. Hang the Moon
9.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith
8.  Never Give All the Heart
7.  Let's Start Tomorrow Tonight
6.  Rewrite This Story
5.  Don't Forget Me
4.  Second Hand White Baby Grand
3.  Let's Be Bad
2.  Broadway, Here I Come
1.  Let Me Be Your Star

Agree? Disagree? Sound off below! 

Guilty Pleasures!

The Nostalgia Chick recently released a list of her guilty pleasures and so I figured, what the heck? Here's my Top 10 movies, TV shows and musicals that I will admit to enjoying with a side helping of shame.


Shameful confessions after the jump:

2011—What a Year!

Here we are, December 31st. I can’t believe a whole year has flown by. And it’s amazing what has happened in the course of 12 months. And I’ve complied them into my own Top 10 list. So, sit back and enjoy.

Best in Film

This past Tuesday, ABC News and People Magazine teamed up to find what we, the American public, thought was the best movie. They first had various Hollywood insiders submit their lists and then the American public voted. Hosted by Tom Bergeron and Cynthia MacFaddyn, the two-hour special revealed the public’s top five choices in various categories. And here they are, along with some of my commentary.

My Top 10 of 2010

Where did 2010 go? Seriously, where did it go? Anyway, as the year draws to an end, many lists start popping up all over the place. And I love lists! So, while I go search for where 2010 went, you can read my top 10 list of memorable events from TV, movies and Broadway from 2010!

10. Bebe Neuwirth and Nathan Lane at the Tony Awards. Months later, when I’m still trying to remember who won all the awards, I still remember these two. They came out and had a series of jokes that were quite funny before revealing they were presenting the awards for Best Actor and Actress in a Musical, the very categories in which they were snubbed. Their reactions were even more memorable. Bravo to the two!

9. Betty White’s Snickers Commercial. I am not a big sports fan. You can ask my former co-workers who teased me mercilessly when I confused rules and terms. So, I am one of the hundreds who watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. And I loved the Snickers commercial that saw Betty White running around on muddy field and insulting the other players.

8. “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit” from How I Met Your Mother. For the show’s 100th episode, the creatives finally let Neil Patrick Harris have a song of his own. When Barney is given an ultimatum—lose the suits or lose the girl—he sings this song about how much he loves his suits. Ted, Robin, Marshall and Lily even get involved as well. Great song, great sequence.

7. Tangled and Toy Story 3. Of course, I love everything Disney. Well, most things Disney. I can admit that I hated the fact that they took over “Doug” and ruined everything. But, I loved Tangled. Rapunzel and Flynn were great heroes to root for and Mother Gothel has to be one of Disney’s cruelest villains. And Toy Story 3 was a great addition to the series and nearly made me cry. Long live Woody and Buzz!

6. Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan on “Glee”. Glee’s premiere season was awesome. For a new show, it managed to secure some great guest stars—Josh Groban, Eve, Kristin Chenoweth, etc. But in an Emmy-winning turn, Neil Patrick Harris starred as Bryan Ryan, a former member of the Glee club and rival to Matthew Morrison’s Will Shuester. Their duet of “Dream On” was a highlight. Bravo!

5. Ann wins “America’s Next Top Model”. She limbered into the competition as one of the tallest models in the most recent cycle. She took best photo a record breaking 5 weeks in a row. Sure, she wasn’t the best runway nor the best commercial, but Tyra was focusing on Vogue this year. And Ann won one for the awkward girls!

4. Jane Lynch recreating Madonna’s “Vogue” video. Glee knew this was so epic, they released it ahead of the episode. It was a shot-by-shot remake of Madonna’s video and proved that Jane Lynch could hold her own with the other cast members. I half-expected Benny Ninja to actually show up as well! And extra points for all of Sue’s shots at Will’s hair.

3. Brandy is eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars.” In the first results show, hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke teased that there was a surprise elimination that night. But the real surprise came during the semi-finals result show when Brandy and her partner Maks was eliminated from the program. Derek Hough’s face said it all—he did not hide his surprise. Both Lacey and Jennifer Grey also did not applaud for Bristol’s safety. While many believed every Republican and Tea Party member was voting for Bristol, I think Maks was the pair’s ultimate downfall as his teaching methods had been called into question and he argued with judge Carrie Ann Inuba.

2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”. Probably one of the year’s most anticipated movies, Harry Potter’s seventh film delivered. It set up part two and kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Bring on July!

1. David Tennant Passes the Torch to Matt Smith. Okay, I’m a big Doctor Who geek. And the “End of Time Part II” is still with me, despite airing on Jan. 2 of this past year. While it had a good plot with the possible return of the Time Lords and excellent performances by John Sims and Timothy Dalton, it was really a good-bye to David Tennant. He visited past companions and some special guests (though I would’ve liked one more appearance from either Dr. Ida Scott or Jenny) and then regenerated into Smith, who has been doing a wonderful job as the Eleventh Doctor.

Honorable mentions:

“Memphis” wins Best Musical. This musical had music from Bon Jovi’s David Bryant and was up against a musical filled with music from Green Day. But the story of a radio DJ who integrated the airwaves in Memphis and put colored music (Rock and Roll) in the center of the dial won the Tony voters. And my family.

Paul Byrom leaves Celtic Thunder. While this wasn’t an earthshaking moment nor even one that made the mainline news, it was still an important event. Celtic Thunder is very popular here in the United States and Paul has a lot of fans—myself included. While I am certain the group will continue, it will be interesting to hear how their sound changes. And I wish Paul all the luck in the world on his solo career.

The Chilean Miners are rescued. For months, the fate of these men was world news. They were stuck underground, trapped but alive. And the government was racing to get them back to the surface. Their predictions said they could free the miners in time for New Year’s and they kept the miners alive with assists from NASA. Then in October came the word that they were able to bring up the miners sooner than expected. As every news station broadcast, the first miner was lifted to the surface and embraced by his son. The rescuers sang the Chilean national anthem. Thirty-six hours later, all miners were rescued. Since then, one has ran in the New York City Marathon and all have been invited to Walt Disney World. It was the feel good story of the year and only made the honorable mention because I needed another countdown to remind me of it. And this is the list of things that made 2010 memorable to me.

So, that’s my list. Agree? Disagree? Find 2010? Share!

44 Days to Go: Top 5 List

Top 5 Attractions in Hollywood Studios

5. MuppetVision 3D

4. Great Movie Ride

3. Tower of Terror

2. Star Tours

1. Rock-n-Roller Coaster

Honorable Mention: None, really. It's too small a park.

47 Days to Go: Top 5 List!

And now we have another Top 5 list...

Top 5 Attractions at Epcot!

5. Maelstrom

4. Test Track

3. American Adventure

2. Mission Space

1. Soarin'

Honorable Mention: Universe of Energy

51 Days to Go: Top 5 List

Because who doesn't love a top 5 list?

Top 5 Magic Kingdom Attractions:

5. Haunted Mansion

4. Splash Mountain

3. Pirates of the Caribbean

2. Thunder Mountain

1. Space Mountain

Honorable Mentions: Buzz Lightyear and Jungle Cruise

If you have an ideas you want to see as a top 5 list, let me know!

New Classics

So, Entertainment Weekly has published a list of 1000 new classics in various fields, cultivated from the past 25 years. Among these lists includes one of the 50 new stage classics. Here are the top five:

1. Angels in America (1993-94)
2. Rent (1996)
3. August: Osage County (2007)
4. Doubt (2004)
5. Jersey Boys (2005)

Not much complaining from my end. These five shows have redefined American theatre in the last few decades and touched on some serious issues: AIDS, family dysfunction, the scandal in the Church, etc. It is great to see Rent honored so as it prepares to close the original production. Among some of the other shows who made the list include:

8. Avenue Q (2003)--Tony Award winner and continues to wow audiences at the Golden Theater nightly. Also, who doesn't love "The Internet is for Porn"?
12. The Phantom of the Opera (1987)--Tony Award winner and now the longest running musical in Broadway history. Andrew Lloyd Webber is planning a sequel to this megahit (more on why I don't think that's a great idea in another post) and the half-mask is a Broadway icon in and of itself.
13. The Lion King (1997)--The only Disney show to win the Best Musical Tony. It is a truly remarkable show, an artistic triumph. And we all love "Hakuna Matata," no matter who is singing it.
15. Les Misérables (1987)--The longest running musical in the world (thanks to the original London production, still running). Now, it isn't the happiest musical in the world. Let's face it, everyone basically dies. (Spoiler alert?) But audiences still flock to the musical and still love the songs, especially that ingenue classic "On My Own." Also, Forbidden Broadway loves to mock the show.
16. Wicked (2003)--Okay, not so much ground-breaking, startling and artistic, but it is a classic buddy story--Elphaba and Glinda--and the struggles friendship goes through. Also, Stephen Scwartz's music is great--even if we have now been subjected to a thousand renditions of "Defying Gravity." Besides, this show brought people--especially a younger audience--back to the theatre.
22. Into the Woods (1987)--SONDHEIM! Enough said. For more reasons why, listen to "No One is Alone."
33. Hairspray (2002)--Tony Awarding winning play that brought some pep back into Broadway! With a great message and even greater music, this was a definite. Besides, who doesn't love a little camp?
43. Spring Awakening (2006)--Tony Award winner that was ground-breaking, startling and artistic. It's the anti-Wicked! Of course, this musical also earned comparisons to number 2 "Rent" as the show for the next generation. I may still not get the "choreography" of the show, but I get the story. It's still not something I would go see with my parents though.

For the full list and EW's other lists, please go to: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207063,00.html

Are there any plays/musicals you think the magazine left off that should be included? And anyone who suggests "Cats" will be in for a world of hurt.