Crazytown

THE KOREANS ARE INVADING!!!

We’ve all been so worried that North Korea would launch an attack against the U.S., that no one seems to notice that we’ve already been invaded… by South Korea.

By David Davila (playwright/songwriter)

 

This week I was almost trampled to death by a bunch of obsessed teenagers who were trying to get a peek at their favorite boy band. No, it wasn’t One Direction. No, it wasn’t The Wanted, or Justin Bieber, or any other rag-tag group of little white twinks. It was someone I had never heard of, and I’ve never felt so old… but I’m getting ahead of myself. This phenomenon starts with Psy.

You all heard the song, you saw the viral video, you did the silly little dance at that Pub the other night. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t, there was proof on Instagram! We all got caught up in Gangnam style. It’s a catchy song with a crazy little video to match. Psy seemed to pop out of nowhere with his unique image, and enthusiasm for sexy Korean women and wild dance moves. It’s infectious, and the infection has spread across the world as Psy’s video for his first U.S. single (18^th K-Pop single), became the most watched video on YouTube, toppling Justin Bieber’s “Baby” in a matter of weeks. It has 1.5 BILLION views! That’s a sixth of the entire world population!

Psy not only sold millions of albums in the U.S., he also did something much more important. He created a viral portal that has been connecting teenagers around the world to Korean pop music, also known as K-Pop, one YouTube click at a time. Now the portal is wide open and Billboard has even started counting down the top K-Pop songs of each week, which brings me back to the mob of screaming teens.

B.A.P. is not like any other boy band you’ve encountered in your life. Well, okay they’re a lot like every other boy band from what I can tell. They’re a group of six hot young twinkish boys who sing really well, and dance even better, but they have a distinct brand that will help them gain more male fans than your standard Backstreet Boys milieu. B.A.P. are all Korean gangsters!

 
(When you watch this video you'll understand why the teens were freaking out. It's pretty effing bad ass!!!! DAMMNNNNN!!!!! B.A.P. - One Shot)

THE GAYS HAVE GONE VIRAL: Part 2

It's been many months since I last reported on all the fantastical web series about gay life gracing the interweb, and I've had a blast watching them all.... here are my new faves.

by David Davila (playwright/songwriter)

Last year I complained about the lack of a television show like Queer As Folk filled with tons of hot gay love scenes and melodrama. This year I feel about the same. SMASH, HAPPY ENDINGS, and THE NEW NORMAL were all canceled and we're left back where we started thirteen years ago before QAF graced our televisions with beautiful bums. Luckily there are a ton of great new shows popping up every day on the internet to keep us satisfied.

If you're as upset as me about the cancelation of SMASH, then look no further than Wesley Taylor's new web series, IT COULD BE WORSE, featuring the entire cast of SMASH (give or take a Jennifer Hudson). This show about the misadventures of a hot young gay (Taylor) who has the worst/most-awesome life ever, is pretty addictive. I watched most of it in one sitting... but now I have to wait for the final few episodes to air to get my "happy ending...?"

  

My absolute favorite new webseries is THE OUTS. You've probably already heard about it, because it's amazingly wonderful and should be picked up by network TV. It's such a delight and every cast member is a natural star. This show is legit, and I obsessively watched every episode last night when I should have been editing this article.

 

FABULOUS HIGH is a new web series created by Derek Villanueva (LONG HORNS) about the life of high school kids and teachers... It's your regular 90210 stuff... but with all the gay stuff you wished would happen when Dylan and Brandon were fighting over Kelly. In my version Dylan and Brandon blew off Kelly and made out instead.

 

TOP 5 REASONS I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER

Summer is almost here and so are these things...

by David Davila (playwright & margarita consumer)

Spring has been a slutty tease this year... taking off her shirt, then putting on her coat. This girl is playing hard to get and I've had it!!!!!

I've had it!!!!

In other words, I think it's time we said F-U to Spring, and skipped on over to Summer. I mean honestly, Summer just can't come quick enough. I'm dreaming of those long days at the beach laying in the sand and sipping IPAs from the cooler your gurlfriend's new girlfriend brought. 

(Lesbians are just so good at planning.)

So I thought I'd share with y'all some of the most amazing things I literally CAN'T WAIT for... 

5. SUMMER TRAVELS & PRIDE - With the advent of GRINDR you can go just about anywhere and meet a fun new group of friends who are willing to show you around the town. It doesn't matter who you are or where you go. You MUST leave the city (your city, whichever one that may be) for at least a few days during the summer. Head up to Maine, or over to Washington DC. Heck, just get on Expedia and look for the cheapest ticket you can find (they have some for $49 dollars) and GO! It literally doesn't matter where you go, just go! Every place is some place new, with new faces and torso shots, and just about every place in June or July is celebrating Pride!

BOHEMIAN DREAMS: JAS KNIGHT

Meet NYC’s most promising starving artists - before they’re rich and famous. This week get familiar with realist painter, Jas Knight, and find out what he has to say about assigning values to objects, religious symbolism, and shrimp burritos.

By David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

(a snap shot of Jas Knight's ALTARPIECE while it was still in progress)

The L train is an interesting place. That’s something I’ve learned over the last few months as I moved deeper into Bohemia. Every night on the train I meet someone new and interesting – I’ve even been sketched no less than four times. It was a particularly quiet night on the L train when one of Jas Knight’s paintings caught my attention from across the car and I immediately shuffled over and introduced myself.

His gorgeous mix of urban iconography, middle class realism, and religious symbolism are like nothing I’d encountered before and I knew right then that I was meeting someone special.

Jas Knight, from Hartford, CT, finds regular objects and people extraordinary. As a realist painter Knight has mastered the art of making ordinary things beautiful as if through transubstantiation. This month he’s prominently featured in a show about the history of BoomBoxes at House of Art Gallery in Brooklyn (through June 9th), and I can't wait to see what else this guy has up his sleeve.

I caught up with the realist painter at the café at The Met (if you’re not a member you totes need to be) and chatted about not drinking coffee, the ever-changing moods of Bill Evans, and the definition of realism.

Here's what the iconographer had to say:

MORE TONY TALK

The Tony nominations are anounced tomorrow... here's a few more words from some crazy Broadway Queens...

by David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

Last week I shared some really terrible videos I made with two friends at 4am. Here are a few more. 

We were VERY messy... and it should be noted that the Tony committee has met since we filmed these and it has been ruled that the four Matildas are NOT eligible for Tony awards.

 

BEST MUSICAL

TONY TALK

Three drunk gay guys try to predict the Tony nominations... It's just like THE VIEW, but a lot more messy!

by David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

[Barbara Walters voice] I had an idea for a show... a bunch of gay guys sit around and talk about the Tony Awards. I call it TONY TALK.

Seriously though, I've been wanting to do a dumb talk show about the Tony Awards for several years now. Finally two friends and I were drunk enough, after a long night of celebrating a successful fundraising event, to pull out the webcam at four in the morning and start talking. There was a lot of vodka and pizza involved in this shoot. It was grueling.

What you are about to see are the drunken ramblings of a few queens who saw EVERYTHING on Broadway this season! ENJOY!

 

SEASON REVIEW: Drag Queens & Children

  

 BEST MIXING, BOOK, & ORCHESTRATIONS

THE FIRST LATINO PRESIDENT?

After Julian Castro spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, twitter and facebook exploded with enthusiasm for the inspirational Latino politician who believes in Education and opportunity.

by David Davila (Latino playwright / songwriter)

If you haven't heard of Julian Castro, and his twin brother Joaquin, then you might have been living under a rock last election season when Julian Castro became Obama's liason to the Latinos in the USA. Julian spoke at the Democratic Convention and stole the spotlight from Obama long enough for people to begin whispering about future Presidential runs for the young Mayor of San Antonio. Most Texans seem to think he could be the next Governor and there are plenty of pundits who think it would be a wise move for Hillary to choose him as a running mate in 2016 (if she were to run - who are we kidding of course she is going to run).

It would be a wise for Democrats to choose a Latino from Texas to help turn the state blue in the next election and ensure a win for Hillary.

All of that aside, Julian himself is a huge inspiration to me. When he tells the story of his family, coming from nothing and making a name for themselves I sob uncontrollably. My mother picked cotton as a child yet still managed to make it through college and become an elementary school teacher. I am so proud of her, and the journey that our family has gone through in Texas.

Julian's speech strikes a chord with most people because he believes that everyone deserves the opportunity, and hearing a politician speak those words brings tears to my eyes. Even though America was founded on that principle it seems that more and more we accept that it is not a reality.

Julian Castro does not accept that fact, and that is an inspiration! I can only hope that this is just the beginning for this leader who believes in EVERY AMERICAN!

 

CARNER & GREGOR WANT TO MAKE YOU A STAR!

Up-and-coming songwriters, Carner & Gregor are looking for the BEST musical theatre college students in America to come sing in their next concert in NYC. That could be you!

David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

 

Cool musical theatre geeks know about Carner & Gregor. You may have read about them here at Crazytown when I first featured them in our on-going Bohemian Dreams series, or you may be one of the really, really cool kids that have been to one of their awesome shows here in NYC. Heck maybe you're as cool as Johnny Depp in 1990, and you've sung in one of their shows before!

If you haven't sung in one of their shows before, now is your big chance. They're holding a video contest (like Scott Alan and Jason Robert Brown did) to see who will star in their next show. These guys have two off-Broadway shows coming to NYC theaters soon... you wanna work with them before they're too famous to give you the time of day! ACT QUICK!

HOW TO ENTER

Interested performers should videotape a performance of any Carner & Gregor song including one of four FREE Carner & Gregor songs (sheet music and piano tracks available at candgbarelylegal.com/contest) and send the video file to: candgmusic@gmail.com

All videos will be posted on BARELY LEGAL’s YouTube page. A panel of judges will score the videos and the top eight performers will be invited to join Carner & Gregor in concert! Full details are available at www.candgbarelylegal.com/contest

RULES

All videos must be emailed by 12:00pm on June 11 and must include singer’s name college/high school and age. Winners will be chosen by June 25. Winners will be responsible for their own travel and accommodations to and from New York. Winners must be available for rehearsals in New York from July 31 through August 5.

I can't wait to hear all of your talented voices sing those great Carner & Gregor songs! I'm getting excited! :)

DAVID DAVILA is the guy behind those 52 SONGS concerts, and half of the song-writing duo Havrilla & Davila, author of the Tex-Mex plays ADAN Y JULIO, MEN OF GOD, CREDO, REQUERDOS OF MY LIFE, and AZTEC PIRATES AND THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS. He is a self proclaimed Voxist, a Diva enthusiast, and founder of Lone Star Theatre Co. Wanna talk about it? www.daviddavila.net
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ANNA KENDRICK & THE JOURNEY TO LEGEND

With the revival of THE LAST FIVE YEARS killing it this Spring at 2nd Stage, excitement about the film version is at a peak. You can bet that no one is more excited that Anna Kendrick landed the lead, than me. She's just a young whippersnapper in her twenties but she's quickly on her way to becoming one of the most famous and legendary actresses of our time... let's examine the evidence.

by David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

 
There's a good possibility you didn't know who Anna Kendrick was until you red boxed PITCH PERFECT last month. That's the case with most of my friends, but if you're a true Broadway Queen like me, you've been obsessed with her for years! Now she's filming the film version of Jason Robert Brown's THE LAST FIVE YEARS with Jeremy Jordan and the Queens can barely contain their excitement.

Several people are upset that she was chosen to play Cathy in THE LAST FIVE YEARS, so I thought I'd make a compilation proving her qualifications........ ENJOY!

At age 12 she was nominated for a Tony award for her role in HIGH SOCIETY. Here she is back then, performing with the cast of CABARET.

 

At age 17 she gave the BEST performance of "Ladies Who Lunch" ever... sorry Patti... in the movie CAMP she plays an awkwardly obsessive, weird, and quiet girl, who becomes an Eve Harrington, poisoning the star of COMPANY so that she can go on as Joanne... That was when my friends and I looked her up, and had to wait for several years before we heard her name again... arguing with Patti fans all the while that there was a little girl out there who could out-act her. If you've never seen CAMP it is a MUST for any musical theatre fan, and also features the debuts of Broadway divas Robin De Jesus, and Sasha Allen, with a special cameo by Stephen Sondheim himself.

 

In 2008, five years after CAMP, she got her big break by snagging a supporting role in the mega-movie-hits-that-totally-sucked-I-wish-I-hadn't-read-the-first-book-or-seen-part-1-and-part-3-of-the-movies called TWILIGHT... I'm not going to bother you with a clip of that...

But her gig in TWILIGHT led her to one of the most brilliant and important movies of our era, UP IN THE AIR, about the great recession, and the economic down turn. George Clooney plays a man who travels around the country firing employees of businesses that are downgrading. Anna Kendrick plays a hot shot new employee at his firm that he is training so that she can basically put him and his colleagues out of a job... the irony stabs like a hot iron. She was nominated for her first Academy Award, and it was well deserved... (that was only the first reference to George Clooney today on crazytown...)

 

She followed that up with another great performance in a movie about a young man with cancer who is given a 50/50 chance to live.

 

SINGERS THAT CAN SANG: SELENA EDITION

The Latin population in the USA mourned the loss of their shining star eighteen years ago this week… and tonight the shining stars of Broadway salute her!

By David Davila (playwright/songwriter)

When the death of Selena Quintanilla Perez first made national news many people were shocked. Not at the brutal way she was killed, (well that too) but at the specific kind of reaction people had to it. Suddenly millions of people were hysterically mourning a celebrity that non-Spanish speakers had never heard of, and they were forced to wake up and pay attention.

Selena's death, as terrible as it was, was not in vain. In the aftermath of mourning, America had to ask themselves why they had never heard of Selena, a South-Texas singer who was comparable in talent and fame to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. Her death sparked debate after debate about immigration, racism, the monetary potential of marketing to Latinos, and the growing population of Mexican Americans. In the years that followed, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Thalia, and so many more Latinos would jump to the forefront of pop-culture in the phenomenon that would become known as the Latin Revolution.

If it weren't for Selena's death, there may not have been a Latin Revolution, or an influx of Latina stars like Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Sofia Vergara, and Eva Longoria. There might not have been a GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, or an UGLY BETTY, or an IN THE HEIGHTS, and politicians may have continued to ignore the Latino vote.

Tonight at 7:00pm at The Underground Lounge we pay homage to the late Queen of Tejano music by singing some of the songs she made famous in the early nineties. To be clear, no one can SANG like Selena, who had the perfect mix of Belty-Mariachi and Earthy-R&B, but some of Broadway's hottest stars are going to give it their best. Here’s a preview of the talent you can expect tonight at Broadway Sings Selena.

 

There are no words for Gizel Jimenez (WEST SIDE STORY), except maybe FIERCE, SANG, and WERQUE! Her option-up at the end of this performance of NO GOOD DEED is unbelievable!

 

Ricky who? Luis Salgado (WOMEN ON THE VERGE, IN THE HEIGHTS) will melt you where it counts... oh and watch him shake his bon-bon at the end.