ANNOUNCER (in a hearty voice): Welcome, folks! It's embarrassing fangirl confession time. That's right, the chance for you to hear the most horrifying confessions and laugh at them! Our participant today is Susan Adrian. Susan, come on up to the mic.
ME (with a shy wave): Hello.
ANNOUNCER: Susan, I understand that you have a particularly embarrassing confession today.
ME (quietly): Yes.
ANNOUNCER: Well, let's not keep those folks at home waiting. Tell us, Susan, what were you listening to today? All morning, in fact?
ME: mumble mumble mumble.
ANNOUNCER: What was that? I don't think you were speaking into the mic.
ME (whispering): Phantom of the Opera.
ANNOUNCER (bellows): PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! Ha ha ha! That's right. You were listening to it at work, weren't you?
ME: Um. Yes. With headphones.
ANNOUNCER: With headphones, so no one would know what it was! You are aware that Phantom is by Andrew Lloyd Webber, right? And many consider it trashy? Pop culture? Emotionally manipulative, with all those dramatic organ crashes?
ME (defensively): It was the original London cast recording.
ANNOUNCER (sarcastic): Oh, the original London cast recording. Which you bought. But did you not also buy the movie soundtrack? Did you? For purposes of comparison only, right?
ME: (no response)
ANNOUNCER: But here is the critical, most embarrassing question: while listening on your headphones this morning, did you SING ALONG? Did you in fact sing every word of "Notes" like the complete nerdy fangirl that you are?
__________________________
So goes the internal critic in my head. But I love PTO, dammit. Something about the whole tortured, maltreated genius/gorgeous hunky savior/confused young girl triangle speaks to me. I still get shivers when the Phantom laughs. But I do wish I could combine the Phantom of the original (Michael Crawford, whom I saw in one of his last performances, TG) with the Christine of the movie (Emmy Rossum). Now that would be perfect. {sigh}
Medieval Word of the Day: culpon: A piece cut off, a cutting; a portion, strip, slice, bit, shred.
LOL, don't be embarrassed! I LOVE phantom. Andrew Lloyd Webber rocks. :D
ReplyDelete-J
Julie:
ReplyDeleteHa! Another confession! {g}
Let it be said I did not buy the DVD of the movie. Okay, my parents own the DVD. But I have NOT yet watched it since I saw it in the theater.
(though I may soon, after listening to it today. I remember loving the "Point of No Return" part. Oh, and Raoul on the horse...Shut UP Announcer dude!)
Susan:
ReplyDeleteYour secret and guilty pleasures are much more hig-brow than mine...hell, yours has the word opera in the title [g]!
Let's just say I'm a small-town girl from the Canadian equivalent of the Great Plains - but we do have a lot of big trucks, Bandit...[blush].
Julie, semi-fanatic [sigh]
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI also love the Phantom of the Opera, and yes have the original cast recording. I wasn't aware this was supposed to be some kind of guilty pleasure though, I must confess. *g*
I didn't much like the movie though. I mean yes, the music was nice of course, as usual, but I still prefer the original cast.
/Sara
Julie:
ReplyDeleteHmmm, trucks, bandit. Is that some sort of monster truck confession? Hmmm, hmmm? {g}
Linda:
ReplyDeleteBlogger has been awful the past couple of days; half the time yesterday I couldn't get in.
As to PTO, well, it's scoffed at a lot, but I've always loved it. Of course it was a big deal in my college years--we caravanned down to L.A. to see Michael Crawford in person, and then listened to the soundtrack constantly afterwards. {s}
I think the movie is okay. The girl is awesome--IMO far better than the original, who always seemed too old for the part to me--but the Phantom is awful. {shrug} You take what you get.
Suze
Sara:
ReplyDeleteYay, another PTO fan!
I thought Gerard Butler was horrible as the Phantom--waaaay too pretty, and not menacing enough. But I thought Emmy Rossum was _perfect_. I never did like the original one. And while Raoul is usually kinda boring, I really {cough} enjoyed watching his scenes in the movie... :)
Susan,
ReplyDeleteWell, I was thinking about the musical performance, not the acting. I never did see the original on stage.
I agree that Emmy Rossum looks much more like Christine, though I have to say, she only seems to have one facial expression, which she employs throughout the movie.
/Sara
S,
ReplyDeleteI'm with Granny Grimes here. I have never seen or heard any permutations of PTO.
[hanging head in shame]
BUT. I have been listening to the soundtrack of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The one with Johnny Depp. And I like it. I listen even when my kids aren't in the car.
--Rose
Rose:
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I'm not sure whether that counts as embarrassing. Well, maybe. {g}
Suze