Guess What! Dirty Dancing Remake…
The collective groan could be heard practically the moment Lionsgate announced a “Dirty Dancing” remake with Kenny Ortega.
Did we need another reboot of a music-themed ’80s movie? What with “Fame” and the upcoming “Footloose” more than satisfying our (meager) appetite?
More important, how could you possibly remake a movie that was rooted in period assumptions — not just the pre-feminist mores of the movie’s 1963 setting but also those of the 1987 into which it came out? Back then, at least the idea of dancing as a taboo still resonated slightly with a teenage audience, if only because of things our parents told us. Anyone who was a teenager or twentysomething circa 2011 would not only not understand the idea of a forbidden boogie, they’d probably find the dirty dancing of the original less dirty than anything they’d do themselves.
The remake didn’t even have the “wholesale reinvention” shield to hide behind, since Lionsgate said the new film would be set in the 1960s and even include music from the Jennifer Grey-Patrick Swayze original.
But if the announcement lent itself to some easy punch lines (e.g., “at her age, maybe Baby should stay in the corner”), it’s also not, on further reflection, a terrible idea.
Ortega, for one, offers some hope. He choreographed the original, so at least he understands the moves that made us (and Ryan Gosling’s “Crazy, Stupid, Love” paramours) swoon. And the filmmaker has pulled off a feat like this before with the Michael Jackson concert documentary “This Is It,” breathing life into what some saw as a tired music-film genre.
What’s more, the idea of building a movie around youthful rebellion and identity has never been more timely in this age of “Glee” and “High School Musical.” Plus, think of the tearful tributes to Jerry Orbach and Swayze.
In its announcement, Lionsgate said that its new “Dirty Dancing” will portray “the emotional excitement of first love, the thrills and complexity of sexual awakening … and the soul-stirring power of dance.” That sounds better than at least half the movies out there.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/08/dirty-dancing-remake-kenny-ortega-time-life.html
Not impressed…
I love Dave Grohl!
Over the last couple months, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy has had clashes with some of the musicians who balked at the prospect of their songs beings co-opted for a high school musical and raped by the cast of the popular Fox show. And now Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has delivered a righteous blow in the name of rock and roll: “It’s every band’s right, you shouldn’t have to do f—ing Glee,” Grohl told THR... “And then the guy who created Glee is so offended that we’re not, like, begging to be on his f—ing show… f— that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do Glee.” […] Recounting anti-Glee comments made by Slash earlier this year and subsequent retorts by Murphy,Grohl explained to drummer Taylor Hawkins: “The Glee guy, what a f—ing jerk. Slash was the first one. He wanted to do Guns ‘n’ Roses and Slash is like, ‘I hate f—ing musicals. It’s worse than Grease.’ Then [Murphy’s] like, ‘Well, of course he’d say that, he’s a washed up ol’ rock star, that’s what they f—ing do.’ And then Kings of Leon say, ‘No, we don’t want to be on your show.’ And then he’s like, ‘Snotty little assholes…’ And it’s just like, Dude, maybe not everyone loves Glee. Me included.” [THR]
Watch Ricky Gervais’ Extremely Uncomfortable Golden Globes Monologue
(Note: For a complete list with videos of the night’s other most memorable moments,click here.)
So, in the span of four minutes, Gervais managed to make an enemy of Charlie Sheen,Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Cher, the entire cast and crew of Sex and the City 2, the Church of Scientology, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Hugh Hefner, and Hugh Hefner’s fiancée.
You in danguh, girl.
Edit: It’s possible for something to be uncomfortable *and* funny—I thought the monologue was both, and apologize to those who assumed that I believe the two descriptors to be mutually exclusive.
ALSO TONIGHT:
- Here’s Giuliana Rancic’s Most Annoying Golden Globes Red Carpet Moment
- Watch Glee Star Chris Colfer’s Inspiring Golden Globes Acceptance Speech
- Robert De Niro Tries, and Fails, to Be Funny at the Golden Globes
- The Most Memorable Moments of the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards
[The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards]
http://tv.gawker.com/5735192/watch-ricky-gervais-extremely-uncomfortable-golden-globes-monologue
