https://mediumhappi.org/?p=6809
by Katie McCollow
By now you know who Katie is. You just wish, like me, that you saw her byline here more often. We’re glad to have her when she has time.–j.w.
Hello Friends! It’s so nice to imagine you all again, sitting at work, reading this nonsense for lack of anything else to do. I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and Thanksgiving? Yes, I did too, thank you for inquiring. Notice how I skipped right over that other thing that happened since we last met, that thing that made everyone in the country lose their sh**, either by irrationally imagining every other person a loathsome idiot or defensively explaining to anyone who would listen that they are not a homophobic, woman-hating racist (both things I was already doing on the regular, btw).
I’m talking, of course, about the Gilmore Girls reboot on Netflix. Siiiigh. I really, really did not want to talk about that, but since I brought it up, fine, let’s do this.
Gotcha, sillies! You were afraid for a minute I was going to bore you senseless with yet another Gilmore Girls post. I’m not–that’s John’s job.
I am here to bore you with my list of Top 16 Pop-Culture-Centric Experiences in 2016. Just to clarify, this is my own personal, curated list culled from what I saw, heard, read, lived or what have you, so your will not find anything like “The Cubs won the World Series” or “The End of Brangelina” or anything like that on it.
16. The End of Brangelina
You know what I wonder the most about this whole thing? Nothing, but 16 is kind of a lot of things, and now I only have to write 15 more.
Boy, they look so happy
15. Blackish
Yes, it’s on it’s third season. Yes, I’ve watched Modern Family since the beginning and it’s on right afterward, but I didn’t watch it. I don’t know why (please keep your judgemental theories to yourself). But I’d heard from many different people how funny it is, so finally we watched it, and it immediately became our favorite show. It’s the funniest, most charming and delightful sitcom since, well, Modern Family, which quit being consistently funny two years ago but we still watch it because we are even lazier than it is.
What took you so long, McCollows?
14. Bruce Springsteen
My husband had a milestone birthday this year, and our wonderful friends took us to see Bruce Springsteen in concert to celebrate. Sure, I’d heard the stories about how epic his shows are, but I’d never seen for myself. Well, now I have, and I gotta tell you, all the stories are 100% true. Dayyummm.
Hell no, I’m not done! It’s only been six hours, you baby.
13. Alan Rickman Died
I mean.
Mr. Rickman in his most well-known role. We Love, Actually you
12. An American in Paris
When my oldest turned 16, I took her to New York City, which set a terrible precedent for my other kids, who expected the same when the time came. I managed to put off taking kid number 2 until he turned 18 this past January. The Imperial Poobah of this here very site kindly let us stay at his place, under the guise he was out of town anyway. I came to realize, through my keen powers of deduction (not for nothing have I watched Sherlock so many times) that he had actually spent the entire weekend on a park bench, just so we’d have a place to stay.*
While there, we caught An American in Paris, and I loved it. It more than made up for standing in line outside a shop in SoHo for three hours so my son could buy a sweatshirt with a gorilla face on it.
I don’t know. The kids love it. At least they did last winter.
11. Olexa Bulivitsky
I’d never heard of him, and he lived in my very same city for 50 years. Palm to forehead, girl who calls herself an artist! Caught his show at the Russian Museum of Art last February, and I was blown away.
I went home and cried myself to sleep
10. American Idol’s Last Season
Just stop with the eye-rolling, m’kay? It was a great show, and we watched all 15 seasons religiously, even the Nicki Minaj/Mariah Carey year. We loved it, all of it–it was a popcorn munching, everyone-on-the-couch-and-under-the blanket, turn-off-the-phones-and blow-off-your-homework family tradition, and my youngest daughter has never known life without it (sob). Do NOT preach to me about The Voice, I don’t care and I don’t want to hear about it. A. I.’s last season was a touching, heartwarming, bittersweet experience and The Voice can suck a fat one.
How I feel about The Voice
9. Jeremy Jordan
Perhaps the best thing the last season of American Idol did was reintroduce me to Jeremy Jordan. I remember his Tony nomination for Newsies a few years back, but what can I tell you? I filed him away and forgot about him. So what happened was, I’m watching A.I. and this man-bun sporting goof auditions with Celine Dion’s “All Coming Back To Me Now”, and I’m like, “OMG I love that song” and I YouTube it. And the first thing that comes up is Jeremy Jordan singing it, and I’m immediately baptized a bona-fide Superfan, so much so that I even watch Supergirl. Sometimes. I mean I DVR it.
Watch this a zillion times. You have still only watched it half as many times as I have.
By the end of that night, I had texted my sisters with an idea for a musical comedy in which he and Adam Lambert play brothers with wildly different personalities, and we started writing it the next day. By the end of the summer it was done.
Huh, no, they look nothing alike, that’s a terrible idea and you are clearly not a genius.
I am not making that up- it’s registered with the WGA and we even entered it in a contest. The only problem is, if we can’t convince the two of them to be in it, it can never actually be made. But it was hella fun to work on. Oh, and…
We want Peter Gallagher to play their dad.
(Ed. Note: If you haven’t figure it out, this entire column is a shameless plea from Katie for Jeremy Jordan’s agent to contact her. Please do. I haven’t seen the script, but it’s gotta be better than School of Rock.)
Thinking about Jeremy Jordan leads me to…
8. Smash
On which he starred in the second season. Again, I know, I’m late to the party, it was canceled two years ago. For the second time this post, I have to say I don’t know why I didn’t watch this show when it was on, and the thought that my added eyeballs may have saved it from cancellation haunts me. And that is my punishment. Anyway, I binged this show on Amazon, too, and I could not have loved it more. First of all, it’s about putting on a Broadway show. Secondly, It’s so completely, howlingly silly and fun, it makes Nashville look subtle. And the soundtrack is sublime. I’ve since read that it was a favorite for ‘hate-watching’, a phrase I don’t subscribe to. Why would I watch something I hate? Just because it’s terrible doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect.
What the hell was I doing in 2012?
7. For the Love of Mary, by Christopher Meades
I felt like I should have a book on this list, lest I look like a dummy who spends all her free time watching musical soap operas. Which isn’t not true, but to quote Paul Giamatti in Rock of Ages, “I wish the true parts were falser”.
This is a picture of a book
6. Gilmore Girls on Netflix
You didn’t really think you were going to get off that easy, did you? It is stupendous, and I couldn’t be happier to see all my old friends again. That’s all I’ll say on the subject, and I’m not even including a picture, you’re welcome.
5. Sing Street
Ireland, 1985. A fifteen-year-old kid starts a band to impress a girl. My favorite movie of the year by a mile.
John Carney does it more than Once
4. The Last Five Years Soundtrack
Not the original, the new one, featuring Jeremy Jordan (there he is again! He almost wins MVP of the year for how much joy he brought me- I said ALMOST) and Anna Kendrick. I listened to it every minute of every day starting in early January for about a month until my copy of…
3. The Hamilton Soundtrack
…came in the mail. I’ve listened to it every minute of every day since then, except for the break I took when…
2. Prince Died
…and then I had to listen to every Prince song ever recorded until my tears ran dry, or at least abated, since they are still very wet (yes, I just thought of a gross Prince joke, we all did, everyone just stop it).
Me, thinking about Prince
Me, thinking about Prince
Then it was back to Hamilton, but Prince goes back on about once a week.
Don’t look at me like that, this is my G**D*** list!
1. Hamilton
As in, the actual show Hamilton, on Broadway, and I didn’t even get booed (for once). So yeah, your math is right, I actually visited NYC twice this year, and got to see Hamilton—what am I, the Duchess of Kent? It’s a long, wonderful, luck-filled story of how it all came about, but I have to pee so I’ll save it for another day.
Well, that image isn’t cool at all. It doesn’t even give me chills.
Well that image isn’t very cool at all. It doesn’t even give me chills.
Oh, and despite what our president-elect stated in his dumbest tweet ever, it is not overrated. Not one bit. If you aren’t able to see it, at the very least watch Hamilton’s America on PBS, it’s fantastic.
And listen to the soundtrack. Ask John for it, he isn’t using his.
Me, when John admiitted he hadn’t memorized the soundtrack 13 seconds after I forced it on him
So probably you’re thinking Lin-Manuel Miranda wins MVP for the year, right? Any other year, and yeah, he would have. But I gotta go with my hometown boy, friends, anything else would be just plain wrong.
Back atchoo, Prince, safe travels wherever you are….
That’s all I’ve got, kids, other than to say, I sincerely hope you all have a very happy holiday season and that 2017 brings you all great blessings and peace. OMG, I completely forgot about Downton Abbey’s last episode, ugh. Oh well, I mean in retrospect, that show was kind of a snooze.
Oh, fer Chrissakes, cheer up. It’s literally the only thing you didn’t win this year….
*I saw him sleeping on a park bench. And I was like, “Hey! John! I thought you were out of town!” and he jumped up and scrambled into a hedge. I’m 40% sure it was him.
Well since you asked, Adam Lambert’s role is equally as large and funny, and we would love it down to our toes if his agent got in touch, too. And Peter Gallagher’s. As a thank you for the help, Medium Happy will receive a large box of juicy pears from one of those places that sends stuff like that.
I’ve seen the script and it’s KILLER.
Leave it to Katie to write a top cultural events of the year list that includes one thing that hasn’t happened yet and another that stopped happening years ago!
🙂
I loved SMASH & was crushed when it was cancelled. I even, um, er, um, ok, I bought the 1st season CD. It sits with my 5-6 GLEE cds. (Go ahead, jdubs, make fun). Even though I luved Jeremy Jordan (not his character though) & Debra Messing’s sweaters drove me batty, I actually liked the 1st season better. You?
What’s the name of your Jordan-Lambert Broadway show? (Helpful tidbit – ‘Blood Brothers’ is taken, I saw that show in London & didn’t like it much).
When did ‘Sing Street’ come out? Did jdubs or Chris mention it here? If they did, I completely missed. (If they wrote about it during the NBA playoffs or Rio Olympics, then, well, you can’t hold me accountable). How about a review?
Hamilton question – even though it won pretty much all the musical-comedy Tony’s this year, Lin-Manuel did not win Best Actor in a Musical. Was that considered an upset or expected? I haven’t seen the show, but thought he was the star along with being the writer?
And Alan Rickman will live on forever even if 2 of his most famous characters did not. When you think about it, Rickman was THE movie megastar spanning 3 decades : Die Hard, Harry Potter films & Love, Actually. Hugh Grant & Colin Firth must be jealous.
How you kids can invoke the name Alan Rickman and not mention his transcendent work in “Galaxy Quest” is beyond me. And I’m not even kidding. That’s the funniest movie that never makes anyone’s funniest movie list. I’ll take it over anything Will Ferrell has done—you heard me.
You’re right, you’re right (I’m slapping my forehead)! I LOVE Galaxy Quest! “Never give up, never surrender!” Somehow, I didn’t see it in the movie theatre when it came out, but finally saw a few years later on TV. I was ill the 1st time (can no longer remember if it was the flu or I was recovering from surgery, I just know I was on medication which made me a bit loopy) & woke up in the middle of the night with my TV on & just as the movie was starting. I watched & laughed hysterically throughout & then fell back asleep. When I woke up several hours later, I’d thought I’d dreamed the whole thing. 🙂 I still laugh every time I’ve seen it since. I think it’s the comedic version of Shawshank – e.g. it has become a CLASSIC thru repeat TV showings.
So what you’re saying Katie is that Jeremy Jordan can play Trump in the movie? “…Most unlikeable character ever filmed , including Voldermort, Lord Palpatine & Satan from Excorcist”? 😉
So far, I’ve delayed purchasing the Hamilton soundtrack because I keep telling myself that I want to see the show 1st. But I’m weakening.
Oh, Susie! Settle in, girl, I’m so happy you asked. I could talk Hamilton all day long. Leslie Odom Jr. won Best Actor over LMM–and deservedly so. He played Aaron Burr, which is the juiciest, most nuanced role in the show. It’s a testament to LMM’s writing, that he made Aaron Burr a completely understandable and dare I say, sympathetic character. The song Burr sings after he kills Hamilton-the regret, the horror, the OMG I’ve actually “thrown away my shot”–it will make you cry.
Now I’m the villain in your history
I was to young and blind to see
I should’ve known
I’ve should’ve known the world was wide enough
For both Hamilton and me
OMG. I’m tearing up just thinking about it.
So, no it wasn’t an upset, I think everyone knew LOjr would win that one. If you don’t have at least the soundtrack yet, GET IT!! LMM’s win for the writing, which in my opinion means he won everything-everyone in the show got to play roles of a lifetime because of him. (I hope you imagined swelling violins as you read that line.)
Smash! THE BEST! I loved both seasons equally. I know the show runner got the boot after season one, but I loved it. My daughter and I sing along loudly to the actual “Bombshell” soundtrack, and both agree it should be a real show-there’s a concert the cast of Smash did for those songs, avail to watch on Broadway HD-we have the channel but have not watched it yet because we are lame. But, I loved the music in “Hit List” too, I just can’t find it anywhere. Jeremy J played the most unlikable character ever filmed, including Voldemort, Lord Palpatine and actual Satan from the Exorcist. Plus his goofy ass haircut! Ha ha. But damn that kid can sing, and ahem, I was 24 once, I understood why Kathryn McPhee would actually give up being the lead in a Broadway show just for the chance to make out with him. Why isn’t more TV like Smash? Oh and btw-did you remember Leslie Odom Jr. plays Sam? I also now have his Christmas album and I love it.
Sing Street came out in mid-’16 some time, I don’t recall a theatrical release but we watched it on Amazon- and have since watched it probably 5 more times. That soundtrack is killer, too. It’s so freaking good-like John Hughes in Ireland. The guy who plays the older brother deserves an Oscar.
I love Galaxy Quest! I also loved Truly, Madly Deeply…sigh.
And lastly, the name of our script is “Change of Tune”. Two brothers, one a rock God and one a musical theater actor, do the classic switcheroo and walk a mile in each other’s shoes. Hilarity ensues. : )
And as if I couldn’t love Angelica Houston more. I’d like to see her character on Smash arm-wrestle Meryl Streep’s character from The Devil Wears Prada.
They wouldn’t arm wrestle: it would be a duel to the death battle of passive-aggressive wit.
And I still say that the Last Five Years sucked. But I was already into Hamilton when Katie told me about it.
the role of Aaron Burr is the best in musical theater history. It’s like if the Phantom and Judas (from Superstar) were the same guy. He has no less than 3 show stopping, heartbreaking songs and gets to lose his effing mind in the middle of the show. Theater doesn’t get any better than that.
I tried LOjr Christmas album. good for party background but boring. all songs the same tempo.
OH, and before I forget: Lucille (one) would make both Angelica and Meryl cry and wet themselves. And she would do it without speaking.