Pop Culture Case Study: Music Men make the best Superheroes Part 4-James Marsden

Though Cyclops is technically the head of the X-Men the film franchise chose to focus on everyone's favorite wife-beater wearing Canadian Wolverine. Thankfully Bryan Singer chose not to skimp on the hotness by choosing James Marsden to don the red shades and love triangle. Ah what can be said about James Marsden that wouldn't better be articulated with a musical double feature of Hairspray and Enchantment.
Hairspray: James is Corny...Collins! No but really he's just plain ridiculous. Take that Zafron! (J/K Zac I still love you even though I have yet to see HSM 3). Do yourselves a favor and learn the Corny Collins dance! Sorry but that'll be the closest you'll ever get to dancing with James.
Enchantment was fantastic until Amy went out of her effing mind and *Spoiler*picked Patrick Dempsey. Seriously what the hell, Amy? And there should have been more Idina. A lot more.
But really what is it with all these movies (read: Superman, The Notebook, 27 Dresses) where the gal is in love with someone other than James. Talk about fiction!
So here's to you James for showing us again that Music Men make the best superheroes.

Pop Culture Case Study Part 3: Hugh Jackman

Part 3 of my Pop Culture Case Study on how the best movie superheroes are also great singers/dancers.

Hugh Jackman:Wolverine/Logan

The man is the epitome of all that is song and dance. After earning a BA in journalism, he headed west to attend the Western Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth, WA.

In Sydney, he played Gaston in Beauty & the Beast & Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard. Later on the West End, he played the role of Curly in a hugely successful revival of Rogers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma. In 2004 he made his Broadway debut in The Boy from Oz which won him a Tony. Oh and he won an Emmy for hosting the Tonys where he won a Tony. Damn he's good! Let's see how he fares as one of my favorite comic book characters-Wolverine.

Thank the gods that the casting directors of X-Men were aware that while Wolverine is awesome and all, America would just not see a movie about a 5’3’’ hairy Canadian. Enter Hugh. A foot taller and Australian. Both qualities making him exponentially hotter. SNIKT!!!

Even Bryan Singer knew America should bask in his hotness. So he did what any self respecting director would do and introduced Logan in a cage, shirtless, sweaty, and in tight jeans (Manuel insert queer theory here). God Bless You, Bryan! [Note: One of the hottest costumes at Comic-Con this year was a Hugh Jackman inspired-Logan. If you're reading this guy sorry we followed you around the floor! But you looked great in the wife-beater.]

Subsequently, I can’t wait for X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009.
Especially if those rumors about Liev Schreiber playing young Stryker are true. Yay for a (much needed) Kate & Leopold reunion! (All hail The Secret!) If only they could secure Breckin Meyer to play a young Sabretooth all my dreams would be realized.

[Oh and if you haven't seen Christopher Nolan's The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and (fellow song and dance superhero) Christian Bale do yourself a huge favor and see it/buy it/gild it. Same goes for The Fountain & its score.]

Pop Culture Case Study-Part 2:Robert Downey Jr.

Another Fantastic Music Man is a Great Movie Superhero ....

I really don’t have to go into how absolutely perfect Robert DJ is for Iron Man but I’m going to anyways. Let’s take a gander at his Wikipedia entry and see how he compares to Tony Stark/Iron Man.

• Born in New York-----CHECK!
• Followed in Daddy’s footsteps----CHECK!
• Alcoholic-----DOUBLE CHECK!!!
• Childhood friend of Moby---Well I guess Robert “wins” that one.

Musical Cred
• Unless you were living under a rock in the late 90’s you have to know what Ally McBeal is. If you’re learned you will actually have seen some episodes of Ally. But if you’re truly blessed, you saw the 14 episodes that he did in Season 4 plus a cameo in Season 5 (thanks IMDB!!!). There was singing, dancing, and of course Vonda Shepard.
• He released his first album “The Futurist” in 2005. Sadly with no Vonda on it!
• And his duet with Sting on Ally still brings me to tears.

Pop Culture Case Study: Music Men make the best Superheroes

This ongoing series is going to look at the correlation between being a song and dance man and a fantastic movie comic book hero. Am I just a musical nut who also loves comic books and is trying to bring both beautiful worlds together? Absolutely! But I’ll let you see the connection for yourself.

Part 1: Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne/Batman

• Bale’s Batman was born out of the pages of the best (ie=darker) Batman comic books. He’s just as noir as can be. Thankfully that just happens to be my ideal Batman-smart, angsty, but still charming with a dash of dry-wit.

• If you haven’t seen Newsies at least a dozen times drop everything buy the DVD and prepared to get enlightened. I mean if you don’t cry when he sings “Santa Fe” I’ll personally come and punch you in the gut until the streams of pure musical joy come out of your eye ducts. Yes, it’s that fantastic!

• Newsies was directed/choreographed by Kenny Ortega. Now if you don’t know who he is be prepared to look 10 years younger (and wiser)……….He’s also the Emmy winning director of Disney’s insanely popular High School Musical and its sequel…..High School Musical…..wait for it…..2!!!!!