Tag: Entertainment

Could Your Life Be A TV Series?

Sometimes I daydream about all sorts of things. When I say sometimes, I mean nearly all of the time. You may remember that recently I wrote an article about having a soundtrack for your life. That was one example of what I often think about, especially when I daydream.

Here it is, if you missed it the first time.

View at Medium.com

Anyway, the other day I was imagining that my life was a TV series. I actually had ‘Succession’ in mind originally but then I drifted off into other possibilities.

Have you ever imagined your life as a TV series or movie?

TV Shows That Remind Me Of Me

Now, it may seem unlikely but I was watching the new ‘Sex and the City’ spinoff – ‘And Just Like That’ last night and thinking about how some of their midlife dilemmas resonate with 45-year-old me.

Even though they are seriously rich and I am not, I get how they feel about certain situations. Carrie is learning to not cling to the past and to move forward. I have recently made many changes to my home and decluttered a lot of things that contain important memories. And just like her, I felt a need to freshen things up.

Going back to Succession, I don’t have any siblings but have witnessed some very messy family fallouts, been involved in awkward relationships, and lost a lot of money in an online gambling binge in my twenties.

I chuckle a lot when watching Stranger Things as I remember all of the 1980s nostalgia that they signpost. My childhood was a 1980s geek fest of Star Wars toys, mountain bike races, and playing basketball on my best friend’s driveway.

I have never had the Upside Down experience of ‘Stranger Things’ but I definitely can relate to the old fashioned TV sets, magical board games and acting out of Dungeons and Dragons.

Final Thoughts

For me, the idea of trying to match TV shows to my life is lots of fun. I can imagine how some programmes link to my life now, my university days, and my teenage years. Part of me wishes that my life was more like that of Spiderman back then.

Anyway, my TV series would be about a guy who is obsessed with movies and theatre, spends a lot of time acting like an agony uncle for his friends, and is incredibly close to his rather grumpy nan.

Have you ever compared a TV series to your own life?

Is there one that mirrors your experiences?

Maybe you are a combination of shows or perhaps yours is still several pilot episodes waiting to launch into an Emmy-winning long-running series.

For another of my articles about TV shows, check out Two TV Shows I Am Enjoying. Perhaps also consider following my blog for similar future content.

London’s Wizard Is Brilliant! Ozviously!

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love going to the theatre. Over the years I have watched hundreds of shows in London, other European cities and New York. For me, nothing beats watching brilliant actors performing to a live audience, especially when they are joined by a love orchestra. London’s wizard had me excited!

The Palladium

Last week I popped along to the famous London Palladium to watch the latest celebrity version of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It was the first musical I had seen this year and I was intrigued because it included a well known comedian, Jason Manford as the lion and a UK TV legend, Gary Wilmot as the Wizard himself.

Stunning Performances

Dorothy was played by Georgina Onuorah who is fairly new to theatre, having recently graduated but having already impressed audiences in ‘Oklahoma.’ Her voice was stunning and her smile was infectious. Her charisma and skill made Dorothy relatable and helped to keep the narrative going smoothly. She was supported by Christina Bianco as Glinda. Christina had previously acted in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Raincoat. Her range was incredible and she came across brilliantly too.

Using a screen to show certain events, with videos and animation, was a great idea. It was a clever way to allow them to change sets whilst moving the story on.

When I went, Diversity’s Ashley Banjo was off so the Tin Man was played by an understudy. He was an excellent dancer and I would never have guessed he wasn’t part of the main cast (unless I had been expecting Ashley – which I was).

The lion was played by Louis Gaunt. He had been successful in the West End version of Mary Poppins as Bert. He was very funny and full of energy.

What an incredibly talented cast!

I especially liked how they altered some of the songs to include a little bit of rapping and some modern dance routines. A little more funky than before.

Final Thoughts

This was a lively production with some funny, modern spins that made it even more relevant. The singing was amazing and the dancing was first rate. I loved the backdrops, the pace, the orchestra and especially Glinda. I have since noticed she has a funny Youtube where she imitates famous singers. Check it out:

Thank you for taking the time to read my post about the current Palladium version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in London.

Have you ever been to see musical theatre? Do you have a soft spot for a certain musical? Would you go to see London’s Wizard?

For another of my recent reviews, have a look at The Barbie Movie Is Cleverer Than You Think – and perhaps drop a comment too.

The Barbie Movie Is Cleverer Than You Think!

Going to watch the Barbie movie on Saturday, I wasn’t bothered by the hype or anyone else’s views. I knew I would like it because Margot Robbie always makes good choices and Greta Gerwig is a genius director.

But I still wondered if it might be too childish even for me?

Now I can reflect on the movie which has generated over a billion dollars in just a fortnight. It has nearly made twice the money of The Little Mermaid and has initiated many eye-opening conversations.

Challenging Attitudes

I suppose I half expected Barbie to challenge stereotypes. There was no way this film was ever going to be a straightforward celebration of cheesiness.

Although don’t get me wrong… There was plenty of cheese. More than enough to spread on 1000 pieces of toast.

But YES – Greta did good! She made the film fascinating. She drew parallels between Barbieland and The Real World. In Barbieland women ruled – they had a female president and women doctors, lawyers and law makers. Back in The Real World, men were in charge, as Barbie and Ken discovered when they travelled there (in the most hilarious way – by jet ski, rocket, camper van and roller blades).

Don’t Forget Ken

Poor old Ken is always just a sidekick. Played by Ryan Gosling (famous for LaLaLand), he is superficial (Ken, not Ryan), not very intelligent and depends on the gaze of Barbie to maintain a purpose and satisfaction.

When he follows Barbie to find the real girl who is playing with Barbie in distress, he recognises the toxic masculinity that involves men running companies, pumping iron and acting selfishly. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t happen BUT not all of us men are like that. Anyway, he likes what he sees and takes those traits back to Barbieland and the rest would involve spoilers.

Margot deserves an Oscar for this performance. It is nuanced, comedic and full of emotion.

There… I said it… I think her acting is up there with Cate Blanchett in this movie. She is also the producer of this and used her company – LuckyChap – to create this cheeky but thought-provoking narrative.

And Finally…

I may be biased as I have loved Margot ever since she played Donna Freedman in my favourite soap opera ‘Neighbours’. Even at the height of her fame she was happy to appear in the final episode of Neighbours last July. Thankfully Neighbours is coming back care of Amazon Freevie and Margot will always stay close to this show – her brother was recently in Neighbours as well.

With intriguing cameos and a fantastic cast which includes three members of Sex Education (Netflix), this is a fabulous movie which I would rate five stars.

Another great contribution comes from the cheeky narrator, played by Helen Mirren, by the way.

Barbie started off as cliche but ended up beating the living daylights out of stereotypes. I loved the way Barbie was able to talk to her creator and discuss her purpose which was to inspire young people. Not to be a bimbo!

I would totally recommend swallowing your pride and popping along to the cinema to watch this brilliant masterpiece.

If you want to find out my thoughts about the other big movie out right now, check out my review of Oppenheimer. Please also consider following my blog for similar future content.