The story of Brian Epstein at 16

[koganbot]

This New York Times profile of Vanessa Hudgens did what the preview clips didn't do for Bandslam, which was to make me somewhat interested in seeing the movie (though I'll be happy to wait for it to show up at my local library on DVD sometime in the next several years). I'm skeptical about the article's storyline - don't see how shy emo girl who blossoms on the rock stage in Bandslam is a major shift in persona from shy science geek who blossoms on the musical stage in High School Musical* - but what grabbed my attention was director Todd Graff saying that he wanted to tell the "story of Brian Epstein at 16."

Also, someone involved in the movie must be a Tom Lehrer fan.

*I've only seen the first HSM movie, however, so I don't know if Gabriella's character stayed the same for the two that followed.

Comments

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Frank, do you have any info on who wrote the 'band' songs that appear on the Bandslam OST. Some look like cover versions, e.g. Vanessa's "Everything I Own" is presumably the Bread/Ken Boothe one. But what about "Amphetamine" and "Someone to Fall Back On" feat. Aly?

I can't decide if I Can't Go On, I'll Go On is a great or a terrible band name. But I <3 the Waitresses's reference. If they actually sound like The Waitresses, this will be the best movie ever.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

(of course it's more likely a pretentious Beckett reference now I think about it)

I am no princess, I am no saint

[koganbot]

I just Wiki'd the soundtrack, which looks like it's trying to be hip c. 1975 (I don't like the ideology of putting Bowie and the Velvets on a contemporary rock soundtrack, though if the movie is actually set in the '70s I will forgive it, and maybe in context it makes sense, and I do recall writing an article about how fascinated I was when Aly & AJ covered "We're An American Band" [but that's not nearly the same ideology]).

Anyhow, according to Allmusic, the writing credit for "Amphetamine" (performed by I Can't Go On, I'll Go On featuring Aly Michalka) is "Steve Wyn," which is probably a misspelling of "Steve Wynn," he formerly of the Dream Syndicate. I'd been hoping the writing credit would have been "Peter Laughner" or "John Petkovic." In any event, Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 do indeed have a song called "Amphetamine" (here, a rather good, friendly droner).

The writing credit for "I Want You To Want Me" (performed by Aly Michalka) is Rick Nielson (unsurprisingly)(speaking of which, I possess Gael Garcia Bernal's rather good regional Mexican version of "Quiero Que Me Quieras" from the Rudi Y Cursi soundtrack).

The writing credit for "Someone To Fall Back On" (performed by I Can't Go On, I'll Go On featuring Aly Michalka) is Jason Brown, who is probably Jason Robert Brown, who indeed wrote and performed a song called "Someone To Fall Back On" (here it is), which from the sound of it is probably from some musical. Not my cup of tea.

The writing credit for "Everything I Own" (performed by I Can't Go On, I'll Go On featuring Vanessa Hudgens) is David Gates, which indeed would make the song be the one by Bread.

[koganbot]

Here's "Quiero Que Me Quieras," and on second thought I wouldn't call the singing good, but I like this anyway:



(If that won't play in Britain, try here.)

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Apparently this was actually pretty huge regionally -- heard it for the first time a few weeks ago and was surprised to find myself chuckling at the novelty of it for about two seconds until appreciating it for actually being, like, a good cover version.

[koganbot]

How much of a star is Bernal in Mexico? I think he had something of a soap background as a teen, but my impression is that he tends now to play for the art crowd - but that's strictly because the one movie I've seen him in was Almodovar's Bad Education which played to art audiences in the U.S. (but I don't know about Spain or Mexico)(I read that Bernal captured a particular regional Spanish accent perfectly, despite being Mexican). Film is good - sort of All About Eve as if it had been scripted by Ross MacDonald and Alfred Hitchcock, though not quite as good as that sounds.