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adultswim2021 · 8 months

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Robot Chicken #56 “Boo Cocky” | September 7, 2008 - 11:30PM | S03E16

I just realized what the title means. That’s cute.

Man, do I hate this show. I swear to god, I don’t set out to hate this show; I will watch it with an open mind and hope that something in it will be of value and/or make me laugh. A few things get me here and there, but this episode? (spoken quickly, quoting a commercial I vaguely remember from my childhood) I-don’t-think-so.

First sketch of substance starts off with some recreations of scenes from the motion picture Revenge of the Nerds. The joke is that after a montage of mostly-faithful adaptations of key scenes of the nerds committing various crimes (notably the main nerd raping the cheerleader by posing as her boyfriend in a Darth Vader costume) it smash-cuts to them in a court room. They are sentenced to half-a-lifetime of hard time in a federal prison. They get brutalized in there. The show makes a joke that the gay nerd is happy to be in prison because he’s gay. Huh! What an interesting joke for me to talk about humorlessly for two paragraphs:

Hey I JUST JOKEEENG. I am instead going to say opinions about those movies, because I think I’ve seen all of them? I don’t remember the third one almost at all. The first one is the best, but it’s not that good. I have a soft spot for it because it was one of the first R-rated movies I was allowed to see, along with Animal House. At the time I preferred it over Animal House, which is insane to me now.

Michelle Meyrink is in Nerds, va-va-va-voom! The second one is boring and bad, and rated PG instead of R. Ogre becomes their friend in that one, which is usually the domain of animated series adaptations (such as: Murph in the Problem Child movie/cartoon). Parts 3 & 4 are television movies, I think? The fourth one has one or some of the nerds getting married as a pretense for them reuniting. I remember they showed it in 3D that didn’t really work at all. You had to get the glasses from your local Safeway or something like that?

I remember turning the fourth one off early because it was lame, and then the next day at school my friend chided me for missing the much-ballyhooed bachelor party scene, where female strippers came out with like calculators on their bras (as seen in the promos). I watched the movie when the box set came out on DVD, and it was hilarious how gay it was. Literally, I mean, I’m not doing a thing where I am using schoolboy language to take you back to my 1990s Northern California grade school experience of being small and insensitive. What I mean is: the gay nerd gets so excited by the music and sensuality that he jumps on the strippers' stage and steals focus, and his friends all cheer him on instead of getting horny for girls. Honestly, those are some good-ass friends and I’m glad he found them.

I’m not talking about the next sketch yet. First I’d like to acknowledge that I’m doing a thing that I think I swore I would not do, which is use Robot Chicken sketches as a jumping off point to riff on popular culture in a self-indulgent way. I simply don’t care anymore. I like rehashing things I know about movies. It’s the only thing keeping me alive at this point.

Okay the next thing is: Conan of “The Barbarian” fame answers the question “what is best in life”, and instead of delivering what I’m guessing are very iconic lines (I don’t like the Conan movies! I am sorry! I do not retain things from them!) he sings a song that is ironically flowery. He name-checks gumdrops, which seems like very low-hanging fruit when you’re trying to write a song where the joke is that it’s saccharine. Does anyone actually ever refer to gumdrops in any other non-ironic context? Anyway, I REALLY hated this one. The song wasn’t even fun. It felt like a song written by bad comedy writers who don’t normally write songs. Not the worst song to be on Adult Swim, that honor probably goes to the one in Casinko.

Another bad bit: a channel change gag where a big monster carrot eats a rabbit and then says, “did that blow your mind?” at the camera. No. It did not. There’s an unfunny sketch about the Borg infiltrating the Star Trek experience in Las Vegas. My father-in-law is Walter Koenig, so I get to have that over dinner. There’s an okay sketch where a fart outbreak in a mental ward is interrupted by a TiVo menu and off-screen characters arguing about Robot Chicken that results in bloodshed (shout out to Moral Orel, a show Robot Chicken is friends with). There’s a sketch where two sound engineers are oblivious to the fact that the guy in the soundproof booth is being mauled by various fantastical things (zombies, aliens, finally a werewolf).

The last “main” sketch is Saved by the Bell, but it’s Saw. You can tell right away that Jigsaw is Mr. Belding, because they got the real guy to do it. Lotta real guys in this. Dustin Diamond, fresh (not really) off his stint on Tom Goes to the Mayor, is in this as well! Get you a guy who can do both. Anyway, this sucks too, but I guess it’s sorta impressive that they got 80% of the cast to lend their voices to this. I guess. Wait, no, it’s not.

MAIL BAG

Bradley Needlehead rocks

HE DOES. Thank you for bringing him up. I read somewhere, and I also vaguely remembered it on the previously-mentioned AdultSwim.com video commentary that they told DLH that he was his replacement, and asked him to coach the actor to help capture him better. I think I characterized it a little differently. I could probably use a little clarification on that. It is remarkable that Needlehead went on to create China, IL.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #robot chicken

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zealouslifestylequotes · 17 days

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Kiwitata Tata’ super push up padded bikini polka dot top.

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thespectaculargirl · 2 months

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Lulu's Va Va Voom Backless Long Sleeve.

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mrs2flyn · 10 months

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| t h e w a r d r o b e b u i l d : t h e u n d e r g a r m e n t s

° when it comes to fashion essentials , nothing is more universal than the all-important base layer : your undergarments , which can either make or break an outfit

° choose pieces that strike a balance between sexy and streamlined . Matching lingerie always makes you feel hot and put together . Make sure its seamless , comfortable , and breathable.

• t h e u n d e r g a r m e n t s

1. CAMISOLES

* camisoles are a quick and easy way to add a little modesty when needed , they can also function as an extra layer under sweaters for chillier days.

* mind the care label on your camisole and pay careful attention to the fabrics before tossing them in the wash.

* the camisoles you should own are :

NUDE CAMISOLE : a nude camisole is perfect for extra coverage under blouses and button-ups . Sticking to a camisole close to your skin tone will keep it barely noticeable.

BLACK AND WHITE CAMISOLES

‌2. SHAPEWEAR

* when storing shapewear, be careful not to bend any structural boning, or you’ll risk ruining the piece. Rather than folding, roll the item carefully keeping the boning flat

* the shapewear essentials you should own are :

HIGH WAISTED SLIMMING PANTS : a good pair will flatten the tummy, lift the booty and reduce any thigh-chafing. Perfect for pencil skirts, form-fitting dresses and slim trousers.

ALL - IN - ONE BODY SHAPER : a body shaper is perfect for smoothing out trouble spots and ensuring a perfect silhouette.

3. UNDERWEAR

* clear out the clutter and refocus your underwear drawer three top-drawer necessities in black or nude colors in order to get you through any look.

* mind the fabric content, wash your underwear with delicates wash in lingerie bags to keep them in circulation longer. When the elastic is shot, it’s time to toss and replace.

* the essential underwear you need are :

THONG : in the case of clingy fabrics versus visible panty lines, thongs are clearly the winner. As with any undergarment, be sure to invest in well-fitting pieces.

BIKINIS : bikini panties typically have a higher leg cut than briefs and are great for everyday wear, like underneath loose jeans and skirts.

BRIEFS : briefs offer a little more coverage and are also a great everyday basic under flowy skirts and more.

4. TIGHTS

* as one of the most visible undergarments we wear , tights can be a little tricky at times . That said , when done well tights are a great functional accessory to add to dresses and tailored shorts.

* hand wash tights with a gentle detergent and hang them to dry to ensure many more snag-free wears to come.

* the tights you should own are :

BLACK OPAQUE TIGHTS : opaque tights aren’t just a cute add-on to fit and flare dresses and a-line skirts – they’re also a chic survival tool for plunging temperatures . Pair them with knee high boots or ankle boots during colder months to keep your favorite dresses in rotation.

BLACK SHEER TIGHTS : black sheer tights work with most looks , but are best for adding a little va - va - voom to a dress and heels combo . They’re also your best bet for a look that goes from the office to happy hour with ease.

PATTERNED TIGHTS : patterned tights are perfect for livening up solid colored dresses paired with boots or chunky heels , but keep it simple . A swiss dot or diamond pattern is all you need to accessorize this look.

5. BRALETTES

* machine wash your bralettes in a lingerie bag and let them hang to dry . They may require a little reshaping and adjustment after.

* the bralettes you should own are :

BLACK LACE BRALETTE

EVERYDAY BRALETTE : keep an everyday bralette for go-comfort under sweaters and other relaxed looks.

6. BRAS

* get yourself properly measured , find the right fit from the start and leave the prodding wires , gaping cups , and overflow behind.

* your bras will last longer if you hand wash and hang dry them . Adjust the straps after washes to make sure you’re still getting the best fit.

* the essential bras you should own are :

T - SHIRT BRA : the t-shirt bra is be a comfortable and versatile basic that works with most of your clothes.

LACY FEMININE BRA : a beautiful lace bra is a must for under blouses and see - through shirts.

PLUNGE BRA : stock up on at least one plunge bra to avoid your undergarment from peeking through under a low-cut top.

STRAPLESS BRA

7. SOCKS

* most socks can be easily machine washed and dried without worry . However , use precaution when drying wool socks or liner socks that feature grips on the ankle.

* the socks you should own are

THICK BOOT SOCKS : save your feet the pain and invest in some cozy , cushy socks intended for wearing boots . They’ll save your ankles from chafing and ensure your toes stay put instead of sliding.

LINER SOCKS : air your ballet flats with barely there liner socks that just cover your toes and heels to reduce friction and extend the life of your kicks.

ANKLE SOCKS : ankle socks are a must for ankles boots and tennis shoes alike . They provide the comfort and coverage that you need while giving the illusion of going barefoot.

8. EXTRAS

SATIN / SILK ROBE : to wear after the shower or around the house.

SATIN SLIP DRESS : can be worn at home or with a blazer/leather jacket for a night out.

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ahlamhasan40 · 1 year

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NWOT THIRDLOVE Shadow Stripe Plunge Bra Lace Sz 34G.

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jordyn--johnson · 3 years

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#jordyn johnson #pretty in pink #frederick's of hollywood #va va voom bra #va va voom satin full figure bra #flaunt frederick's #va va voom #photography #christina virzi #filthymouthcreative #chris virzi #model

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alwaysbethewest · 2 years

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#i’ve been a little lazy about doing laundry and i need to wash my bralettes #actually that’s not quite fair to myself i have been doing laundry but they’re supposed to be hand washed so 🙄#so much work u know?#anyway the point is i’m going to wash them this morning so in the meantime i put on an actual molded cup underwire bra #for the first time in months #and all i can say is VA VA VOOM wowza #(but also 😩 i have gotten unused to an underwire)#there’s no point to this i guess i just thought you would want to hear about my cleavage today

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perrydowning · 3 years

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**WARNING** Incoming Fluff **WARNING*

Just wanted to give y’all the heads up that 20 years ago, roughly 24 hours from now, I met Mr. Downing. I’m feeling super nostalgic and am drowning in schmoop--thus, I’ll be posting a lot about just how monumental that date was.

Because that day, more than any other, changed my life completely--in ways I could never have imagined. He managed to make all of my romantic dreams come true, even though he was not one whit like who I thought I wanted.

But he was 100% what I needed.

So, I want to to totally overshare and capture just a bit of the magic (and madness) that was coming for me on August 24, 2001. See, I didn’t want to meet him, he didn’t want to meet me, but an extremely insistent mutual friend would NOT shut up until we agreed to at least have coffee together.

Which is why I made sure my foxiest jeans and clingiest sweater were clean the night before. Because I totally didn’t want to meet anyone. And I absolutely didn’t wear my va-va-voom bra or put on makeup. Or curl my hair. And I positively didn’t arrange to leave work early so I would have time to do all of the above. Obviously, because I had no interest in meeting someone. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

Just a cup of coffee, that’s it.

Seriously.

I mean it!

#personal #mr downing #p squared

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writemarcus · 3 years

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HITTING NEW HEIGHTS

BY MARCUS SCOTT

ORIGINAL RENT STAR DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA TAKES YOU INSIDE THE IN THE HEIGHTS FILM

Qué quiere decir sueñito?” The disembodied voice of a girlchild ponders. “It means ‘little dream,’” responds an unseen authoritative figure, his feathery tenor with a soft rasp and tender lilt implying there’s more to the story.

Teal waves crash against the white sand coastal lines of the Dominican Republic and a quartet of children plead with the voice to illuminate and tell a story. Usnavi de la Vega (played by Anthony Ramos), sporting his signature newsboy flat cap and full goatee, begins to narrate and weave a tall-tale from the comforts of his beachside food cart: “This is the story of a block that was disappearing. Once upon a time in a faraway land called Nueva York, en barrio called Washington Heights. Say it, so it doesn’t disappear,” he decrees.

And we’re off, this distant magic kingdom ensnared within the winding urban sprawl of farthest-uptown Manhattan, the music of the neighborhood chiming with infinite possibilities: a door-latch fastening on tempo, a ring of keys sprinkling a sweet embellishment, the splish-splash of a garden hose licking the city streets like a drumstick to a snare fill, a manhole cover rotating like vinyl on a get-down turntable, the hiss of paint cans spraying graffiti like venoms from cobras and roll-up steel doors rumbling, not unlike the ultra-fast subway cars zigzagging underground. So begins the opening moments of In the Heights, the Warner Bros. stage-to-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical by composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and librettist Quiara Alegría Hudes (Water by the Spoonful) that is set to premiere in movie theatres and on HBO Max on June 11, 2021.

This stunning patchwork of visuals and reverberations combine to create a defiant and instantly memorable collage of inner-city living not seen since Walter Hill’s 1979 cult classic The Warriors or West Side Story, the iconic romantic musical tragedy directed on film by Robert Wise and original Broadway director Jerome Robbins. With Jon M. Chu at the helm, the musical feature has all the trademarks of the director’s opulent signature style: Striking spectacles full of stark colors, va-va-voom visuals, ooh-la-la hyperkinetic showstopping sequences and out-of-this-world destination locations.

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A Kind of Priestess

Joining the fray of proscenium stage vets in the film is Broadway star Daphne Rubin-Vega, who originated the role of Mimi in the Off-Broadway and Broadway original productions of Rent. She returns to major motion pictures after a decade since her last outing in Nancy Savoca’s Union Square, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011. When we caught up with Rubin-Vega, she was hard at work, in-between rehearsals with her In the Heights co-star Jimmy Smits on Two Sisters and a Piano, the 1999 play by Miami-based playwright Nilo Cruz, a frequent collaborator. Rubin-Vega netted a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as the enraptured Conchita in Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics; that same year Cruz was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making him the first Latino playwright to receive the honor. Despite significant global, social and economic disruption, especially within the arts community, Rubin-Vega has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People around me have [contracted] COVID… My father-in-law just had it. I’m very fortunate,” Rubin-Vega said. “This collective experience, it’s funny because it’s a year now and things seem better. Last year it was, like, ‘Damn, how inconvenient!’ The one comfort was that, you know, it’s happening to every one of us. That clarity that this is a collective experience is much more humbling and tolerable to me.”

The last time Rubin-Vega graced Washington Heights on screen or stage, she acted in the interest of survival and hunger as a probationer released after a 13-year stint in prison and given a new lease on life as an unlicensed amateur masseuse in the basement of an empanada shop in Empanada Loca, The Spalding Gray-style Grand Guignol horror play by Aaron Mark at the LAByrinth Theater Company in 2015. In In the Heights she plays Daniela, an outrageously vivacious belting beautician with a flair for the dramatics, forced to battle a price-gouging real estate bubble in the wake of gentrification.

“She’s like the deputy or the priestess,” Rubin-Vega said. “Owning a salon means that you have a lot of information; you’re in a hub of community, of information, of sharing… it’s also where you go for physical grooming. It’s a place where women were empowered to create their own work and it is a place of closeness, spiritual advice, not-so-spiritual advice. Physical attention.”

She said, “Daniela also being an elder; I think she’s not so much a person that imposes order on other people. She’s there to bring out the best—she leads with love. She tells it like it is. I don’t think she sugar-coats things. What you see is what you get with Daniela. It’s refreshing; she has a candor and sure-footedness that I admire.”

With the film adaptation, Chu and Hudes promised to expand the universe of the Upper Manhattan-based musical, crafting new dimensions and nuances to two characters in particular: Daniela and hairdresser Carla, originally portrayed as business associates and gossip buddies in the stage musical. On the big screen they are reimagined as romantic life partners. Stephanie Beatriz, known to audiences for her hilarious turn as the mysterious and aloof Detective Rosa Diaz in the police procedural sitcom romp “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” co-stars as the fast-talking firecracker, Carla.

It’s been a year waiting, you know. It’s like the lid’s been on it and so we’re just so ready to explode.

Where Is Home?

“Well, Quiara and Jon really expanded on what Lin and Quiara originally created and now they’re partners—and not just work partners, right? But they’re life partners,” Beatriz said at a March press event celebrating the release of the film’s two promo trailers. “What was so gratifying to me as a person who is queer is to see this relationship in the film be part of the fabric of the community, and to be normal, and be happy and functioning, and part of the quilt they’ve all created.”

She continued, “So much of this film is about where home is and who home is to you. And for Carla, Daniela is home. Wherever Daniela is, that’s where Carla feels at home. I thought that they did such a beautiful job of guiding us to this, really, you know, it’s just a happy functioning relationship that happens to be gay and in the movie. And I love that they did that, because it is such a part of our world.”

Rubin-Vega said she had no interest in playing any trope of what one might think a lesbian Latina might look or act like, noting that the queer experience isn’t monolithic, while expressing that the role offered her a newfound freedom, especially with regard to being present in the role and in her everyday life.

“Spoiler alert! I felt like not wearing a bra was going to free me. Did I get it right? Am I saying that gay women don’t wear bras? No, it was just a way for me to be in my body and feel my breasts. To feel my femaleness and celebrate it in a more unapologetic way,” she said, laughing. “To be honest, I was really looking forward to playing a lesbian Latina. It’s something that I hadn’t really explored before. Latinos [can be] very homophobic as a culture, and I wanted to play someone who didn’t care about homophobia; I was gonna live my best life. That’s a bigger thing. It’s also like, maybe I’m bisexual. Who knows? Who cares? If you see that in the film, that’s cool too, you know?”

Stand-out performances abound, especially with regard to the supporting cast; newcomers Melissa Barrera (in a role originated by Tony Award winner Karen Olivo) and Gregory Diaz IV (replacing three-time Tony Award nominee Robin de Jesús) are noteworthy as the aspiring fashion designer Vanessa and budding activist Sonny. Olga Merediz, who earned a Tony Award nomination for originating her role as Abuela Claudia, returns to the silver screen in a captivating performance that will be a contender come award season. However, Rubin-Vega may just be the one to watch. Her performance is incandescent and full of moxie, designed to raise endorphin levels. She leads an ensemble in the rousing “Carnaval del Barrio,” a highlight in the film.

Musical Bootcamp

“We shot in June [2019]. In April, we started musical bootcamp. In May, we started to do the choreography. My big joke was that I would have to get a knee replacement in December; that was in direct relation to all that choreography. I mean, there were hundreds of A-1 dancers in the posse,” Rubin-Vega said. “The family consisted of hundreds of superlative dancers led by Chris[topher] Scott, with an amazing team of dancers like Ebony Williams, Emilio Dosal, Dana Wilson, Eddie Torres Jr. and Princess Serrano. We rehearsed a fair bit. Monday through Friday for maybe five weeks. The first day of rehearsal I met Melissa [Barrera] and Corey [Hawkins], I pretty much hadn’t known everyone yet. I hadn’t met Leslie [Grace] yet. Chris Scott, the choreographer, just went straight into ‘let’s see what you can do.’ It was the first [dance] routine of ‘In The Heights,’ the opening number. He was like, ‘OK, let’s go. Five, six, seven, eight!’”

Rubin-Vega said that she tried to bring her best game, though it had “been a minute” since she had to execute such intricate choreography, noting that they shot the opening number within a day while praising Chu’s work ethic and leadership.

“There was a balance between focus and fun and that’s rare. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there,” she said. “I think back to the day we shot ‘96,000.’ That day it wouldn’t stop raining; [it was] grey and then the sky would clear and we’d get into places and then it would be grey again and so we’d have to wait and just have to endure. But even the bad parts were kind of good, too. Even the hottest days. There were gunshots, there was a fire while we were shooting and we had to shut down, there was traffic and noise and yet every time I looked around me or went into video village and saw the faces in there, I mean…it felt like the only place to be. You want to feel like that in every place you are: The recognition. I could recognize people who look like me. For now on, you cannot say I’ve never seen a Panamanian on film before or a Columbian or a Mexican, you know?”

Another Notion of Beauty

Rubin-Vega’s professional relationship with the playwright Hudes extends to 2015, when she was tapped to [participate in the] workshop [production of] Daphne’s Dive. Under the direction of Thomas Kail (Hamilton) and starring alongside Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange Is the New Black”), the play premiered Off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center the following year. Rubin-Vega also starred in Miss You Like Hell, the cross-country road musical by Hudes and Erin McKeown, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2016 before it transferred to The Public Theater in 2018. With her participation in the production of In the Heights, she is among the few to have collaborated with all of the living Latinx playwrights to have won the Pulitzer Prize; Hudes won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Water by the Spoonful, while Miranda took home the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Hamilton. Speaking on her multiple collaborations over the years, Rubin-Vega also acknowledged having known Miranda years before they would join voices.

“Lin to me is like a little bro or legacy; he’s a direct descent to me from [Rent author] Jonathan Larson, which is a bigger sort of all-encompassing arch,” she said, though she stressed that she auditioned like everyone else, landing the role after two or three callbacks. “Quiara and I have a wonderful working and personal relationship, I think. Which isn’t to say I had dibs by any means because…it’s a business that wants the best for itself, I suppose. […] So, when I walked in, I was determined to really give it my best.”

Life During and After Rent

Rubin-Vega has built an impressive resume over the course of her career, singing along with the likes of rock stars like David Bowie and starring in a multitude of divergent roles on Broadway and off. From a harrowing Fantine in Les Misérables and a co-dependent Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire to a sinister Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show, her evolution into the atypical character actor and leading lady can be traced back 25 years to January 25, 1996, when Larson’s groundbreaking musical Rent, a retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s 19th-century opera La Bohème, premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop. On the morning of the first preview, Larson suffered an aortic dissection, likely from undiagnosed Marfan’s syndrome and died at the age of 35, just ten days shy of what would have been his 36th birthday.

On April 29, 1996, due to overwhelming popularity, Rent transferred to Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, tackling contemporary topics the Great White Way had rarely seen, such as poverty and class warfare during the AIDS epidemic in New York City’s gritty East Village at the turn of the millennium. Rubin-Vega would go on to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as sex kitten Mimi Márquez, an HIV-positive heroin addict and erotic dancer.

The show became a cultural phenomenon, receiving several awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Rubin-Vega and members of the original Broadway cast were suddenly overnight sensations, recording “Seasons of Love” alongside music icon Stevie Wonder, receiving a photo shoot with Vanity Fair and landing the May 13, 1996 cover of Newsweek. Throughout its 12-year Broadway run, many of the show’s original cast members and subsequent replacements would go on to be stars, including Renée Elise Goldsberry, who followed in Rubin-Vega’s footsteps to play the popular character before originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

When the screen adaptation of Rent hit cinemas in 2005 under the direction of Chris Columbus, Rubin-Vega’s conspicuous absence came as a blow to longtime fans. The confluence of pregnancy with the casting and filming process of Rent hindered her from participating at the time. The role was subsequently given to movie star Rosario Dawson.

“First of all, if you’re meant to be in a film, you’re meant to be in it,” Rubin-Vega said. “That’s just the way it goes. It took a quarter of a century but this [In the Heights] is a film that I wanted to make, that I felt the elements sat right. I always felt that Rent was a little bit darker than all that. Rent to me is Rated R. In The Heights is not. It’s also a testament. Unless it’s sucking your soul and killing you softly or hardly, just stick with it. This is a business and I keep forgetting it’s a business because actors just want to show art. So, it’s really wonderful when you get a chance to say what you mean and mean what you say with your work. It’s a really wonderful gift.”

Rarely-Explored Themes

Like Larson’s award-winning show and the film adapted from it, In The Heights is jam-packed with hard-hitting subject matter, addressing themes of urban blight, immigration, gentrification, cultural identity, assimilation and U.S. political history. When Rubin-Vega’s character Daniela and her partner were priced out of the rent for her salon, most of her clientele moved to the Grand Concourse Historic District in the Bronx. Her salon, a bastion of the community, is met with a polar response when she announces she’s joining the mass exodus with the other victims of gentrification who were pushed out by rising rents. The news is met with negative response from long-time patrons who refuse to take the short commute to the new location. Daniela counters, “Our people survived slave ships, we survived Taino [indigenous Caribbean people] genocide, we survived conquistadores and dictators…you’re telling me we can’t survive the D train to Grand Concourse?”

The question is humorous, but also insinuates a more nuanced understanding of the AfroLatinidad experience in the Western world. The film also looks at the American Dream with a naturalistic approach. Leslie Grace, who plays Nina Rosario, a first-generation college student returning from her freshman year at Stanford University and grappling with finances and the expectations of her community, noted that while her character “finds [herself] at some point at a fork in the road,” she may not have the luxury to be indecisive because of the pressures put on by family, community and country.

“The struggle of the first-generation Americans in the Latino community is not talked about a lot because it’s almost like a privilege,” Grace asserted. “You feel like it’s a privilege to talk about it. But there is a lot of identity crisis that comes with it and I think we explore that.” Speaking on the character, she elaborated: “Home for her is where her heart is, but also where her purpose is. So, she finds her purpose in doing something outside of herself, greater than herself and going back to Stanford for the people she loves in her community. I really relate to where she’s at, trying to find herself. And I think a lot of other people will, too.”

Worth Singing About

For Miranda, a first-generation Puerto Rican New Yorker that grew up in Inwood at the northernmost tip of Manhattan before attending Wesleyan University where he would develop the musical, this speaks to a larger issue of what defines a home.

“What does ‘home’ even mean? Every character is sort of answering it in a different way,” he said. “For some people, home is somewhere else. For some people, home is like ‘the block’ they’re on. So, that’s worth singing about. It’s worth celebrating in a movie of this size.”

Given the current zeitgeist, it’s no wonder why Chu, Hudes and Miranda decided to pivot with adapting the stage musical for the big screen, leaning in to tackle the plights and predicaments of DREAMers [children of undocumented immigrants seeking citizenship] stateside. In one scene, glimpses of posters at a protest rally read “Immigrant Rights are Human Rights” and “Refugees Are People Too.” Growing up in a multicultural household as a Latina with a Black Latina mother, a white father and a Jewish American stepfather, Rubin-Vega said she was used to being in spaces that were truly multiracial. Nevertheless, there were times when she often felt alien, especially as a du jour rock musical ingenue who looked as she did in the mid-1990s through the 2000s.

“Undocumented people come in different shapes and colors,” she noted. “To be born in a land that doesn’t recognize you, it’s a thing that holds so much horror… so much disgrace happens on the planet because human beings aren’t recognized as such sometimes.”

The film “definitely sheds light on that, but it also talks about having your dream taken away and its human violation—it’s a physical, spiritual, social, cultural violation,” Rubin-Vega said. “There’s a difference between pursuing dreams and being aware of reality. They’re not mutually exclusive. What this film does, it presents a story that is fairly grounded in reality. It’s a musical, it’s over the top… but it reflects a bigger reality, which is like an emotional reality…that people that are challenged on the daily, have incredible resolve, incredible resoluteness and lifeforce.”

She said: “Growing up, looking like me, I got to ingest the same information as everyone else except when it came time to implement my contributions, they weren’t as welcomed or as seen. The dream is to be seen and to be recognized. Maybe I could be an astronaut or an ingenue on Broadway? You can’t achieve stuff that you haven’t imagined. When it talks about DREAMers, it talks about that and it talks about how to not be passive in a culture that would have you think you are passive but to be that change and to dare to be that change.”

Dreams Come True

Dreams are coming true. Alongside the nationwide release of the much-anticipated film, Random House announced it will publish In the Heights: Finding Home, which will give a behind-the-scenes look at the beginnings of Miranda’s 2008 breakout Broadway debut and journey to the soon-to-be-released film adaptation. The table book will chronicle the show’s 20-year voyage from page to stage—from Miranda’s first drawings at the age of 19 to lyric annotations by Miranda and essays written by Hudes to never-before-seen photos from productions around the world and the 2021 movie set. It will be released to the public on June 22, eleven days after the release of the film; an audiobook will be simultaneously released by Penguin Random House Audio.

Hinting at the year-long delay due to the pandemic, Rubin-Vega said, “It’s been a year waiting, you know. It’s like the lid’s been on it and so we’re just so ready to explode.”

Bigger Dreams

“Jon [Chu], I think, dreams bigger than any of us dare to dream in terms of the size and scope of this,” Miranda said. “We spent our summer [in 2018] on 175th Street. You know, he was committed to the authenticity of being in that neighborhood we [all] grew up in, that we love, but then also when it comes to production numbers, dreaming so big. I mean, this is a big movie musical!”

Miranda continued, “We’re so used to asking for less, just to ask to occupy space, you know? As Latinos, we’re, like, ‘Please just let us make our little movie.’ And Jon, every step of the way, said, like, ‘No, these guys have big dreams. We’re allowed to go that big!’ So, I’m just thrilled with what he did ’cause I think it’s bigger than any of us ever dreamed.”

Speaking at the online press conference, Miranda said, “I’m talking to you from Washington Heights right now! I love it here. The whole [movie] is a love letter to this neighborhood. I think it’s such an incredible neighborhood. It’s the first chapter in so many stories. It’s a Latinx neighborhood [today]. It was a Dominican neighborhood when I was growing up there in the ’80s. But before that it was an Irish neighborhood and Italian. It’s always the first chapter in so many American stories.”

#Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #Write Marcus #writemarcus #Encore Monthly #theatre #Theater #Musical Theatre #musical theater #daphne rubin vega #rent #rent musical #Jon M Chu #lin manuel miranda #in the heights #Anthony Ramos

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neerons · 3 years

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Some of Ayumu Shinonome’s best quotes

“Anyone truly smart doesn’t need to say they’re smart.”

“(...) did you fart?”

“You need more oomph. More zhuzh. You need more va-va-voom.”

“I’ll curse you for life if you drool on my jacket.”

“I love how you always manage to make fun of yourself, even without my help. You’re ridiculous. It’s a wonder you can even tie your shoes.”

“...You’re a very contrary person. You’re flat where you should be sticking out and sticking out where you should be flat.”

“I wish I could love you back.”

“I found a new love a long time ago.”

“Do you want me to warm you up? The answer you’re looking for is ‘Yes’.”

“Good. Then I guess I don’t have to kiss you anymore. If you would like me to continue, please raise your hand. You... You raised your hand.”

“Little Hare?! That’s not what she busted her butt for two whole years for. Tell him to stuff it, babe!” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about Tsugaru & MC)

“...What are you on about? Who’s a mushroom? Do you mean... (...) You little brats...” (—Shinonome to random kids)

“I just always go into info gathering mode.”

“My Hyogo mode switch flips and I struggle to keep my face neutral.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“I appreciate a woman who acts like a burr: you try and get her out of your mind, but still she clings to you.”

“She stinks, man. Who wears this much perfume? And what trash bin did she rescue it from? Blerk. I’m suffocating. My nose wants to genuinely escape my face.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about Sachiko Noda)

“I already knew that my girlfriend can be dumb sometimes. Perhaps it was obvious from our first meeting. But recently she’s been a lot smarter. Except for right now - she’s been acting dumb again.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Your skin... It’s so... smooth. (...) Anyway, my skin’s smoother than yours. See? My arm. See? Feel it. Feel how silky my skin is! You’re so full of yourself. Why would you think I was praising your skin...”

“Miyayama was the one who picked up on the money laundering or what have you, and fast. The issue is my girl, who’s been doing nothing but serve people noodles.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Leave her alone. You’re not even into her. What do her looks matter to you? Brats. All of them.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about college guys bothering Suo)

“(...) my brothers just texted me, saying they’re in town from the countryside, so. Besides, my darling bros Hyogo and Hideki get lost in Tokyo Station so easily. (...) They’re both big fans of corporal punishment, see.” (—Shinonome to Sachiko Noda)

“Am I a certifiable moron or something?” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Toru’s love predictions for tomorrow: cloudy with a chance of rain. If I were Hyogo, I’d be hurling my phone across the room right now.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Truth be told, I’m not cut out to be an instructor. I’m not as sincere as Goto. I’m not mature like Ishigami and Soma. I’m not strong enough to tackle tough issues without backing down, like Hyogo. What I am is boring and petty. I’m not the sort of person who should be leading others.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“I pull her hair aside and catch sight of her neck. There’s something so elegant and erotic about it. Pretty... Imagining her bare skin underneath the loungewear, I start to picture all kinds of things. Was she always this soft? So soft. And kind of... fluffy. I could keep touching her forever. Pink looks luscious against her skin. She saw me staring. Well, who could blame me? (...) Her body... really feels exceptionally soft. Silky hair, pink underwear... She moans and sighs in my arms. Encouraged by her reactions, I slide my fingers under the bra strap... I’m just as hungry for you. Weak for you, your sensation...” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Knock it off, Hyogo. Ask your own aide to take care of your chores. She’s mine. So I don’t want you using her as you please.” (—Shinonome to Kaga)

“Unbelievable... this strength... Why am I dating this girl. No. She’s not my type. This dumb, clingy, snapping-turtle-crossed-with-a-kappa girl. Absolutely not my type and... But I don’t try to remove her arms from my waist. She burrows her face into my chest. I notice the nape of her neck. If I apply my lips and suck, I’ll leave a red mark...” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“I lean against the door and close my eyes. A variety of faces run across my mind. The guy who tricked me. My parents, Goldie. My late mother. The guy who made me his decoy. The cop who acted like a yakuza. My childish college friends, and Suo. The guy who took an interest in me. Sachi... Sachi, who said she wanted to be a detective one day. I can never be a police officer now. They wouldn’t accept a criminal into their ranks. I knew the risks. And I played the game anyway.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“I have no confidence. Not sure I can end it with just touching.”

“He’s just a yakuza in cop’s clothing.” (—Shinonome’s first thoughts about Kaga)

“Chief, I can never tell if you’re super cool or a huge dork.” (— Shinonome to Namba)

“A student and an instructor in a relationship. Well, there are those who wouldn’t worry about it... Like Hyogo and Soma. Hyogo is just that type of person. Soma is surprisingly wolfish.”

“Uh, why do you have me against a wall? Are you hitting on me?” (—Shinonome to Kaga)

“I know this is nothing more than worthless sentimentality on my part, but I don’t want that girl to become a part of this world. I don’t want her to ever taste the bitter emptiness I feel right now.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about MC)

“That’s right. I do like her. I’m fond of this girl, even. So much so that I can’t bring myself to avoid her or toy with her feelings.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Did she always have such fantastic cleavage? No, wait, I think she did...” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“There she is. My girl. Not so much sexy as goofy. Always smiling like an idiot. My one and only.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“...What’s with the face you’re making? Trying out an impression of Edward Munch’s ‘The Scream’?”

“Oh man... It’s huge! Oh, man! This is freaking awesome! (—Shinonome getting excited over dinosaurs)

“I take comfort in seeing remnants of the past, like dinosaurs, or dinosaurs. Or dinosaurs.” (—Shinonome to Miyayama)

“I mean, I’m not jealous anyway. All I am is pissed off that they’re making a racket in Archives. It’s only natural that I should interrupt, as an instructor...” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about Miyayama & MC talking together)

“Run, little recruits! You puny ants! You want Kaga to hang you by your ankles out of the second-floor window?” (—Shinonome to trainees)

“No. I’m not interested. Her boobs don’t have that much appeal for me. I swear... (...) Those grunts... So sexy... No, stop it! You’re a grown man, not some giggling schoolboy...” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about MC)

“I saw my girl gazing at the screen. And I thought how pretty she looked. It was her eyes. Glittering like jewels.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts about MC)

“Silly. Why can’t you wake up, hmm? You turn me on every single day. I’m crazy about you.”

“...My lips are feeling lonely.”

“My girl’s known as the Snapping Turtle of Nagano for a reason.”

“Is she some kind of masochist? I feel like she’d be more compatible with Hyogo, if so.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“There she is. There’s my girl. Sexier than anything when you least expect it.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Where’s my precious, irreplaceable girl...?” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“Are you two trying to contribute to global warming?” (—Shinonome to Miyayama and MC)

“I observe you all the time. It’s a wonder I’m not sick of the sight of you.”

“The chief’s parties always end with some sort of drama. When Toru wrote “MEAT” on Hyogo’s forehead in indelible ink. Oh, and that time Ishigami wore cat ears all night for some reason.” (—Shinonome’s thoughts)

“What you eat is your business. Besides, I didn’t choose you for your looks. I like you just the way you are...”

“You’re... surprisingly good with kids. (...) Yeah... You’ll make a good mother someday.”

“All right, who should I go tease next...” (—Shinonome speaking out loud)

“Because it’s my precious aide’s very important birthday.” (—Shinonome talking about MC’s birthday to Kurosawa, in front of MC)

“He only pretends not to be interested in others’ private lives, you see.” (—Shinonome describing Kaga internally)

“I’m glad I believed in a certain someone. That I relied on them… I’m so glad I did.” (—Ayumu talking about MC)

“My girl isn’t exactly the universally popular type, not by any means. And yet for some reason people that like her keep popping up around us.” (—Ayumu’s thoughts)

“She was the same way when she was my aide. Whenever I get down, she turns up her talkativeness. That might be her way of bringing things into a balance again. That’s the big difference between her and Miyayama - he joins me in my silence. It’s not a matter of which is the right answer though. The fact is, this side of her has helped me out many times over.” (—Ayumu’s thoughts)

“Buy me some… Peachy peachy…”

“Accept me… Please see past my faults…” (—Ayumu’s thoughts about MC)

“My girl and Chiba don’t suit each other...” (—Ayumu’s thoughts about MC and Chiba)

#I will add more quotes whenever I can #ayumu shinonome #her love in the force #hlitf ayumu #hlitf #voltage inc #otome game #love 365 #voltage #ayumu’s quotes #ayumu quotes #quotes collection #love 365 find your story #quotes

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