Howard Cohen has been writing about pop music for The Miami Herald since 1991, and has written the Idol Watch column since 2005. His weekly critique of American Idol and its contestants runs throughout the popular series. In addition to his music duties, this former competitive swimmer covers health and fitness for the pages of The Miami Herald.
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Season seven American Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook has signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville. Kristy Lee will team with producer Brett James to record her album between Idol tour dates, with an album release this fall. Her first single, 15 Minutes of Shame, heads to country radio on August 11.
This is Kristy's second try at the country music scene. In the early '00s she released an independent country CD.
Motley Crue's new Saints of Los Angeles CD represents the Motley Crue Motley Crue fans grew up with and loved (or hated) in the 1980s. This CD, inspired by the group's sleazy 2001 autobiography The Dirt, feels much more like the natural follow-up to 1989's classic Crue CD Dr. Feelgood than the band's forced attempts at trying to fit their glam metal sound into prevailing (fleeting) trends in the 1990s when they attempted grunge, techno and sullen rock with predictably lame results. It's the first CD since 1997's unlistenable Generation Swine to feature the original lineup of Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee.
Saints traces the foursome's '80s rise from the underbelly of the Sunset Strip to the world of big time rock and roll where they wallowed in drugs, booze, sex and alcohol-related car crashes (one of which, with singer Vince Neil behind the wheel, killed a member of Hanoi Rocks in 1984) and interband clashes. This time, the boys remember to bring the catchy pop-metal hooks that came naturally on '80s albums like Girls, Girls, Girls, Shout at the Devil and Dr. Feelgood. The track White Trash Circus sums it up:
"Been livin' on the road about a year and a half/If we go another mile we're gonna kick each other's ass/Someone's gonna quit or someone's gonna die/And we don't give a s--- because we're busy gettin' high/Another lawsuit and another arrest/Wouldn't change a thing because we love it to death."
The band plays West Palm Beach on July 1. Look for my review of Saints of Los Angeles in the July 4 Weekend section of The Miami Herald.
While watching an episode on the recently released The Odd Couple: The Fourth Season (CBS DVD) I was amused to see who the guest star was on that season's second episode, Last Tango in Newark (air date Sept. 21, 1973). It was Edward Villella, now of Miami City Ballet. Felix (Tony Randall) takes Villella's ballet appreciation class and much comedic chaos ensues. 
Another American Idol finalist bites the dust. To no one's surprise, season six runner-up Blake Lewis -- the beat boxing boob -- has been dropped by Arista Records. His debut, the awful Audio Day Dream, never found traction with fans, selling fewer than 300,000. Lewis has claimed he didn't receive "proper support" for the project. It would take whatever's supporting the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prop up this character.
Anyone want to take bets on the next fallen Idol to lose their recording contract and join the ranks of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, Katharine McPhee and Blake? My bet is Clay Aiken. Despite maintaing a presence in other endeavors, his recording career has become a critical and commercial bust. He's never approached the sales of his debut and each subsequent album has sold a fraction of its predecessor. Take the poll:
Nashville Star went "pop goes country" in week three and the results were predicatably embarrassing ... with a few glimmers of hope. Plus-size mom of five Melissa Lawson (pictured) sang Cyndi Lauper's True Colors and made it work country style. In so doing, she showcased the show's only true voice out of the nine remaining contestants. Justin Gaston was voted off despite doing a shockingly passable Girls Just Want to Have Fun. But the 19-year-old model lacked personality. He knew how to pose but relied too much on his looks. He hadn't learned how to engage an audience or talk or sing well enough to compensate for his mediocre voice. He was still leagues better than fellow bottom-two contestant, Navy guy Tommy Stanley, Ashlee Hewitt or Alyson Gilbert.
Host Billy Ray Cyrus still can't say his name without looking at the cue cards first, the show still disrespects country music by having non-country acts like Danity Kane as guest performers and the best thing still remains the judges -- Jewel, John Rich and Jeffrey Steele -- who, unlike their American Idol counterparts, actually JUDGE!! They offer constructive criticism, unlike Randy and Paula, they aren't morons with zero vocabulary and they aren't there, like Simon, to fire off a nasty crack for the sake of a good line. If only they had more talented performers to judge and a better host.
Sure, we can't afford to drive to work with gas topping $4.15 a gallon and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are starting to look like a viable dinner option, but the times aren't hard for all South Floridians.
According to Rolling Stone.Com, one of them, Jimmy Buffett, has just bought himself the Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City for $316 million. The site details precisely why the singing tycoon can handily manage such a pricey endeavor. Click here for details.
Our movie critic reflected on his memories of George Carlin on his movie blog; Carlin, 71, died of heart failure Sunday. My recollections revolve mostly around his classic comedy LPs of the '70s such as 1972's Class Clown and FM & AM and 1974's Toledo Window Box. Many an afternoon was spent at my friend Claude's house listening to his copies of Carlin's LPs with their often scatalogical and drug-related humor and, of course, his landmark monolog Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television, captured on his Class Clown LP.
All of these albums have been reissued on CD and MP3s of original tracks are available on sites like Amazon too.
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Another funny person died Sunday: Actress Dody Goodman, best known to pop culture fans as ditzy Blanche, the principal's assistant in Grease and Grease 2, died at 93. Goodman also played the mother of the title character on Norman Lear's loopy '70s spoof serial Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. (The first half of its first season is on DVD).
The saga of Gainesville band For Squirrels was one of the saddest of '90s music stories. The band, thanks to local music champion Rich Ulloa, had developed a following in South Florida, played often at defunct clubs like Rose's Bar, and its wistful, R.E.M.-like indie music landed them a record deal with Epic. On the eve of the release of their major label debut, a car crash took the lives of lead singer John F. "Jack" Vigliatura, 21, bassist William R. "Bill" White, 23, and road manager Tim Bender, 23, in Sept. 1995. (They are pictured on a press photo, above, held by Charlotte Barron, Rose's then co-owner).
There is a nice update on surviving member Travis Tooke and his recent music and personal activities (he's a dad now) on Billboard.Com. Click here.
David Cook's The Time of Your Life single made a big splash in the final week of American Idol and many of his downloads rocked the Billboard Hot 100. But interest apparently is cooling fast. The Time of Your Life spent a mere three weeks in the Top 40, this week tumbling from No. 20 to 41.
Pundits said it couldn't be done -- the days of an album selling one million copies in a single week were over. That threshold hasn't been crossed since 50 Cent did it in 2005. Even Kanye couldn't approach it last year. Miley? No, not her either. (She'll get another shot at the chance when her new CD comes out this summer).
But this week the struggling music industry has at least one week to celebrate. Billboard.Com reports that rapper Lil Wayne (pictured, from Billboard.Com) will debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with Tha Carter III. The album sold just over 1 million copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. Credit a popular hit single, Lollipop, and, perhaps, pent-up demand. There hasn't been a smash rap album in some time. Lil Wayne's celebration dance is expected to be brief, however. Coldplay's fourth album, the clunkily-titled, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, is expected to dethrone the rapper when it's first week sales are tabulated and Tha Carter takes its expected second week sales dip. Still, the feat's impressive in these times of dwindling sales.
Billboard reports that only nine other acts have accomplished the million or more mark in a debut week. These include two albums apiece by 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys, Eminem, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks, Norah Jones, Usher and Limp Bizkit.
Hollywood, Fl., police offer turned Design Star contestant Michael Verdugo (pictured) survived his first challenge on the HGTV program Sunday night. Mikey V was paired with Matt Locke to design an upstairs bedroom and the two men were judged highly for Locke's design idea and Mikey's hard work at completing it. So far, so good for our homeboy. (If he wins, he'd be the second Design Star from South Florida; Miami's Dave Bromstad won the first season).
But what were the judges thinking when they axed lone designer Jerome Miller's downstairs bedroom? Sure, placing two beds toe-to-toe was not a good idea, but otherwise his room looked great in my view. Clean, spacious, inviting. And he did the work alone. Meantime, the women on the show (except for Trish) spent an inordinate amount of time crying and sniping at one another. Tracee Dore, in particular, was the worst team-player imaginable. She contributed nothing, had no ideas on the telecast and then blamed everyone else for their project's poor showing. She must get the boot! Ditto Michael Stribling, this season's dancing queen from Texas who couldn't stop mugging long enough in front of the cameras to contribute anything of value to the team (except for insisting on a pool table). He's insufferable.
Worse, Stephanie Cook and her teammate didn't even finish the ugly, gaudy living room they designed in the time given and yet, despite an admonishment from the judges, cry-baby Cook got a pass to move on to the next challenge. Not fair. Jerome was unfairly slighted.
I've never followed the show but since I'd done a recent Home and Design feature story on Verdugo (and an interview last year with Bromstad for a reality show story) I figured I'd check it out. I'm rooting for Mikey; it appears, so far, his chief competition is Matt who was the only contestant to earn kudos from an Entertainment Weekly critic who had panned the program in the magazine. If I can stand more weeks of the weeping women and irritating Stribling I'll post updates. Go Mikey!
Nashville Star moved from cable's USA Network to NBC this season but if you think the move to the majors has boosted this show's already weak grip on talent or ability to make stars, think again. If Nashville Star was a lame American Idol-with-a-twang knockoff before, the episode I caught Monday night was so embarrassingly inept it almost makes me want to rewrite all my criticisms of Idol's Jason Castro this season. Jason would outshine the 10 remaining NS contests -- that's how low the bar for this show is.
How bad is NS? When your judges include Jewel and John Rich and some blond guy from a forgotten 90s country act (Boy Howdy) and the judging is a highlight, you know you have problems. (Bad as Jewel is as a singer-songwriter, she can do something Idol judges not named Simon have trouble doing: she can judge. She offered constructive criticism. So did John Rich.) Singer-actor-Miley's dad Billy Ray Cyrus adds to his growing resume something else he can't do well: host.
The camerawork was so bad at one point a contestant's chest and head were cut off the screen before the junior high school intern running the camera realized his or her mistake. Twice, all commentary aimed at the contestants stopped abruptly so that Rich and then Cyrus could gush over Jewel's awful country album. Even Jewel looked uncomfortable.
As for the contestants? Not even a decent singer among the bunch. None with any stage presence. None with even a hint of country star potential. Granted, NS has had a pretty weak record of finding talent thus far. It's only successes have been Miranda Lambert, who did not win the title, and Chris Young who won two seasons ago and who will release his second CD this fall. (I have an advance and he's the real deal, a traditional country talent.)
Next week NS promises a pop-goes-country theme as if that is any change from any other episode. Monday, someone sang the Police's Every Breath You Take. Country's gone pop on NS from the start but it's never gone as flat as it has on its move to a major network.
Our TV critic Glenn Garvin is right, CBS' new Swingtown stinks. As storytelling goes, it doesn't capture the 1970s I grew up in -- granted, I was 16 when the decade ended and the concept of wife swapping was foreign in the circles I ran in.
So why do I watch? A: I need a life now that American Idol's ended and B: I love '70s pop and this show is overstuffed with '70s pop songs and period references.
If only producers would get it right. Here's a running list -- by my count -- of continuity errors they have committed in the first two episodes. The show is set, so far, on the weekend of July 4, 1976. The Bicentennial year. So how come we have seen and heard these things?:
One of the teenaged boys is seen perusing a Penthouse magazine with his buddy in his locked bedroom. Dad comes in and -- nudge, wink -- grabs the nudie mag and tosses it back to his son and tells him not to tell his mother he has it. Sharp eyes will note that the edges of the pages are yellowed with age. But the pages wouldn't be yellowed with age at that time. If anything, they'd be especially pristine since the magazine would not be on newsstands for another two years. The Penthouse cover, featuring bespectacled model Kate Simmons reading a newspaper, was the September 1978 isssue. (I should know, I had it too. Thanks, Dad!)
Cynics will say, with some accuracy, that when an artist dies their work becomes over praised. One could make that argument for Dennis Wilson's 1977 solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. It was the first solo album by a member of the Beach Boys. It wasn't a big hit, peaking at No. 96 on the Billboard 200 in an 8-week chart run. Wilson, himself, said it "lacked substance." He was more excited about the follow up album he'd planned, Bambu, but his drowning in 1983 halted its completion. The POB album briefly appeared on CD in 1991 but quickly went out of print and has been unavailable since. But on June 24, Sony plans a lavish two-CD reissue and triple-vinyl release. It's worth another look.
The first disc contains the entire POB in remastered fidelity, along with demos and unreleased tracks. Disc two of the CD package contains the tracks that would have made up Bambu and they exist here in various states of completion. Some aren't bad, but Wilson underestimated his released work.
It'd be easy to dismiss Pacific Ocean Blue based on Wilson's singing. Years of cocaine and alcohol abuse, plus cigarettes, had turned his already raspy voice even raspier, out of tune, strained and wobbly. (Think Peter Criss of Kiss struggling with a fur ball.) But POB is curiously fascinating, nonetheless.
As a time capsule, the album deftly captures the hedonistic West Coast ambience of the late '70s. Wilson's challenging melodies and widescreen arrangements reward repeat listens. His subjects range from the ecology (River Song) to faltering relationships (he was fighting with wife Karen Lamm at the time; the two divorced and he would wind up in a tumultuous but musically inspiring relationship with Christine McVie while cutting Bambu) and a eulogy for a fallen friend (Farewell My Friend). As big brother Brian did before him, Dennis went for a wide sonic palette and his work takes time to reveal its pleasures.
Wilson was wrong. POB had substance. It's not an instantly accessible charmer, but today it's considered the jewel of Beach Boys solo albums (granted, that's damning with faint praise). It's worth investigating and Sony has done a fantastic job of repackaging this lost album. They reproduce the lyrics, add a few insightful essays with links for more online, plenty of period pictures, plus studio notes. It's a special edition that earns the tag, "special."
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Sony plans similar treatment for the July 8 issue of Billy Joel's The Stranger: 30th Anniversary Edition on a two-CD + DVD package. This is not nearly as significant as the Wilson find, however. For starters, The Stranger has never been out of print and it's been remastered repeatedly, including a striking 5.1 Super Audio (SACD) surround-sound mix this version can't possibly approach in fidelity. The second disc contains a 1977 Carnegie Hall concert which completists will want but it's not as if live Joel recordings are that uncommon. The strangest aspect of this Stranger reissue is the title itself: The album came out in 1977. Do the math, that's 31 years ago. Sony should have had this out in 2007 or, better yet, lavish this anniversary treatment on the 1978 jazzier follow up album, 52nd Street, which earned Joel an Album of the Year Grammy and boasts the distinction of being the first pop album pressed onto the CD format when the compact disc was created in the early 1980s.
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On Tuesday the 17th, Rhino finally releases Chicago's Stone of Sisyphus. This was an album Chicago recorded in 1993 with feelings of reinvigoration and purpose after spending the 1980s recording pop pap presented by outside songwriters and losing their identity. This edgier work, they hoped, would announce to the world Chicago had returned from the creatively dead. Alas, the group's label, Warner Bros., hated it. Wasn't commercial, they said. They said if they release it they won't promote it. Chicago refused and took the masters with them. Over the years, a couple tracks wound up on compilations and a boxed set, but the project as a whole remained one of those lost albums collectors' clamor for.
Now that we've heard it we can say this: there's truth on both sides. It wasn't commercial. But in 1993 Chicago had long had its day and, in a time of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Dr. Dre, the pop market wasn't going to embrace anything from Chicago. It's also not a very good album. It's overproduced (by Peter Wolf) and clogged with filler. In other words: it's like any other Chicago album in that even their best works (Chicago VI, VII, Hot Streets) were always hit and miss affairs. Chicago, at its peak, was a singles band. To its credit, Stone of Sisyphus was a marked improvement over the faceless Top 40 ballads they churned out for a decade. The highlights -- the title track and the ballad Better Than Elvis -- sound like Toto but, like Toto's pop/rock hits, these boast impressive pop hooks and would fit fine on any Chicago Greatest Hits album. Better Than Elvis, especially, was as viable a single as anything Warner Bros. had previously issued on this band.
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Finally, it's just a single disc of previously released material, but for Father's Day on Sunday, you couldn't do better than slipping Dad (or yourself) a copy of Frank Sinatra's Nothing But the Best. It's a 22-track compilation of Sinatra's best songs from his Reprise era (plus a previously unreleased Body and Soul with a new arrangement). Purists would probably cite Sinatra's 1950s period with Capitol Records as his artistic peak but I prefer the Rat Pack '60s era captured on this collection. Frankie had more swagger, heft and flair by that point. It's this period newcomers like Michael Buble and Matt Dusk are approximating these days to much commercial success (especially Buble) but no one could equal the late Chairman of the Board. Here's proof 22 times over.
LOS ANGELES … (AP) … A musicians union has filed a federal lawsuit against the producers of American Idol, claiming musicians were underpaid because the show's live music was re-recorded for reruns. The American Federation of Musicians filed the suit seeking unspecified damages Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging that American Idol Productions Inc. and its subsidiary Tick Tock Productions Inc. violated a collective bargaining agreement. That contract says the show's musicians should be paid royalties for rebroadcasts of the show, the lawsuit said.
The producers are required to pay 75 percent of scale to musicians who appear in the original show and rehearsals, plus 10 percent of that pay to a union pension fund, with decreasing percentages for each rebroadcast, according to court papers. In 2007, the producers started cutting out the show's soundtrack and using different musicians to re-record new music for the past-season highlights show American Idol Rewind, the lawsuit said. The union was not informed of the recording, according to court papers.
South Florida once had a rock scene. Oh sure, the musicians of the time complained about a lack of support and we never landed on the musical map the way Seattle did in the early 90s (Marilyn Manson and country's The Mavericks made it), but South Beach had its share of happening rock clubs (Washington Square, Rose's Bar, Stephen Talkhouse, Stella Blue) and names like The Holy Terrors, Arlan Feiles (pictured in 1995 at Churchills), Rob Elba, Rat Bastard, Brian Franklin and others were fixtures in The Miami Herald's Weekend section 15-20 years ago.
Fans can get reacquainted with some of these rockers at the following event:
SOUTH FLORIDA ROCKERS-DANCING IN THE COMBAT ZONE
Musicians banded together to record a compilation album whose proceeds benefit our men and women in uniform. Rob Elba says 100% of all download rights generated from the project will be donated to The Iraq Veterans Against the War (http://www.ivaw.org)
A limited edition 1,000 CDs will be pressed. From the press release:
THIS PROJECT INDIRECTLY RESULTED FROM THE MASSIVE RE-HOOK UPS OF FLORIDA MUSICIANS FROM BACK IN THE EARLY 80's ERA AT THE SHEILA WITKIN BENEFIT/ROCK AND A HARD PLACE CONCERT/FILM
The Song Dancing In The Combat Zone ..features
Greg McLaughlin – Lead Vocals (The Front, Scurge)
Rob Elba – Rhythm guitar (Holy Terrors, X-Conz)
Charlie Pickett – Slide Guitar (Himself, The Eggs)
Ray Harris – Bass Guitar (Z-Cars, Cats on Holiday)
Pat Maguire – lead 12 string and slide guitar (Dion, Ross Emory Band)
Dave Cabrera – Backing vocals (Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Sting)
Michael Molina – backing vocals (The Coins - Creepin’ Charlie)
Steve Bristol-Drums (Chickenbox)
Rat Bastard getting it all down on tape
Dancing in the Combat Zone CD Tracklisting:
1)Dancing in the Combat Zone-South Florida Rockers
2)Sign Up-Arlan Feiles
3)Greed Is King-Pat Maguire
4)To the Troops (We love you so)-Charlie Pickett
5)G-13-Critical Mass
6)Liars (What I'm fighting for)-Dave Cabrera
7)Young Lts.-Icecold Archbishop
8)Tourists Are Pink-The Cichlids
9)Gone South-Michael Molina w/Creeping Charlie
10)Liar Liar-Friendly Fire
11)War Drums of Love-Revolver
12)As it Was Ending-Brian Franklin
13)Rules of Engagement-Rat Bastard
14)War-Ghost Hospital
15)Nothing Hidden-Prinzel/Butler Project
16)Do or Die-Radar O Reiley
17)Good Chow-Sons of Sappho
RELEASE PARTY TO BE HELD:
WHEN – SATURDAY, JUNE 28TH
WHERE - CHURCHILLS, Miami
WHY – TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF SOUTH FLORIDA ROCKERS-DANCING IN THE COMBAT ZONE
The Front
Charlie Pickett
Brian Franklin/Rob Elba
Rat Bastard
Friendly Fire
Radar O Reiley
with special guests
Dave Cabrera & Pat Maguire
and a special performance by the
South Florida Rockers!
Read my review of Stevie Nicks' Saturday concert at Hard Rock Live by clicking here.
Photo: AP/Orlando Sentinel
Syesha Mercado's in town for a personal appearance Wednesday Gulfstream. But we caught her on her friend Moise Joseph's cell phone for an interview while the two were cruising around some of her favorite South Beach stores Tuesday. Here's a preview of our Thursday People page My Kind of Town feature. Read the full version in the print edition (really cool photo) or click here for text.
Tell us about that American Idol experience. "It's been an emotional roller coaster. The beginning was rough for me. [Once I made] the Top 10 ... I felt something new. People started to like me. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to forget about the judges' comments and the blogs and the crazy media thing. When I was at my best was when I was positive and encouraged and just happy.''
When do you start rehearsing for the tour?
"Rehearsals start this Sunday. We'll be busy. We were allowed to tell the public one song [we're going to do] and that one song was my audience [favorite] If I Ain't Got You. We'll do that song. There's another song I've been trying to do for the longest time but it would never clear." [Alas, she isn't allowed to say anything more about the Idols Tour set list.]
What keeps bringing you back to South Florida?
"Definitely South Beach, where I am now, driving around. And, of course, the beaches are beautiful here and the people are great.''
If you could tell someone who isn't from here, say one of your Idol buddies, something
secret about Miami to bring them here, what would it be?
"There are two specific stores, Metro Boutique and La Casona Paiz. The latter is a multicultural store. I got my good luck charm there, a crystal quartz, and I lost it on the first show. I'm just back [now] and got one today. It's on a side street on an alley no one knows [215 Sixth St., Miami Beach] but there's this vibe. They have pictures from Haiti and hand-woven bags from Guatemala. It's so cool. I love going there. The other [Metro Boutique, 1701 Sunset Harbor Dr., Miami Beach] is a clothing store and I love fashion and they have got cool stuff.''
Conversely, what don't you like about Miami?
"Leaving. It's a tease to come here and have to leave here. I've made this my home these past three years. To have to leave is the downfall of it all."
Photo: Marice Cohn-Band, taken in August 2007 at the AAArena at Idol auditions.
South Florida's favorite son Jimmy Buffett has much going on. No new album, per se, but DVD, tour, kid's book.
Read all about it by clicking here.
Photo: Noah Greenberg/2006
Before she heads off for tour rehearsals, and then the tour, Top 3 finalist Syesha Mercado's making the rounds back home.
"SHUUUUUTTTUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP!" my pal Lesley exclaimed in delight in an email when I told her Universal plans to re-release the 1980 Olivia Newton-John musical Xanadu as a restored DVD with digitally remastered visuals and 5.1 audio, complete with a remastered CD soundtrack, on June 24.
Sure, most critics panned the film and it was a notorious flop upon its release. "Where else can you see Olivia Newton-John skate around in rags with lightbulbs on her knees,'' sniffed one scribe at the time. I remember being underwhelmed, too, watching it in a near empty and now defunct Bird Road movie theater in August 1980 with money from my first lifeguarding job. Grease, this was not. And its dismal reception basically killed Olivia's budding movie career after the earlier smash. The soundtrack, however, with one side Olivia songs, the other Electric Light Orchestra tracks, was a big hit that entire summer and Magic, the title track and Suddenly still endure as tuneful pop singles. Perhaps what seemed strange at the time -- a movie about a roller disco, which were then the rage, that featured no disco music on its soundtrack -- has weathered time better because its songs owe no allegiance to a passing trend.
Then a stranger thing happened. Xanadu developed a cult following and today has ardent fans, like, um, Lesley who probably won't mind my sharing this revelation. A new Broadway version is the immediate hit the movie never enjoyed in its first-run.
Sure, I recognize that the original movie is craptastic. Director Robert Greenwald seems to have spent his entire budget on its lead star and costar Gene Kelly (in his last musical). It's little wonder Xanadu has transferred to the theater stage because all of the sets in the film look like wooden stage props. Greenwald simply points his camera at the cardboard sets and shoots, sometimes not even bothering to show Kelly's feet -- an oversight that infuriated the great dancer his widow reveals on a new featurette. For her lovely Suspended in Time number, Olivia, still clad in her white schmata, sings while outlined in crayon yellow. She looks like the victim of a nuclear power plant leak operated by Big Bird.
Yet watching this refurbished print, with its improved sound, still made for a fun evening. Yes, like the new Sex and the City movie, one could easily find its faults and tear it apart. But if you just go with it as one of those "so bad it's good" novelties, Xanadu, a film about a muse who falls in love with a struggling artist on earth, has ample charm; some of the dancing proves entertaining and the costumes are eye-catching. Don Bluth's animated segment, to ELO's Don't Walk Away, seems to have wandered in from another movie, but it's a delight. The songs, one and all, are terrific pop nuggets. The overriding feeling is one of uplift and a nod to the power of positive thinking.
Buyer beware tho: The new "Going Back to Xanadu" documentary boasts that the cast and crew discuss the making of the film. That's true but the cast you want to see -- Olivia, Kelly and Michael Beck -- don't appear. Kelly died in 1996 so he's off the hook, but I miss lead couple Olivia and Michael's viewpoints on this otherwise informative and good-natured addition to the previous bare-bones edition on DVD. (Can you believe both leads are 59 and Olivia's to hit 60 in September?)
The remastered soundtrack CD, added as a bonus disc, also boasts decent fidelity and is a nice have since the ELO songs have not appeared on remastered compilations in the U.S. Yet the studio should have gone further by expanding the original 10-track soundtrack album to include Olivia's feisty Fool Country, an odd pop/rock/country twang number that was featured in the film, on the B-side of the No. 1 single, Magic, and in the new Broadway version. ELO's Drum Dreams, the I'm Alive B-side, should also have been plucked from obscurity and added to the disc.
Quibbles aside, Xanadu's Magical Music Edition is one of those rare DVD reissues that is worth the upgrade if you're a fan -- and admit it, many of you are out there. It's just right for a Xanadu DVD watching party! Just have plenty of marshmallows on hand.
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