(no subject)

Flipping channels during breakfast, I discovered Jesus Christ Superstar is on. I *love* Jesus Christ Superstar. My parents had the album when I was a child and used to have people over for cocktails after church, and they'd assign parts and try to sing the entire thing. (What can I say, it was the Episcopal church in the 1970s.)

I much prefer the original cast album to the movie, though. I really think Ian Gillan did a fantastic job as Jesus, I don't know why they had to cast Ted Neeley for the film: He looks just like a traditional painting of Jesus --and he's about as expressive as one, too. It's just so hard, when you have Gillan's passionate, anguished vocals in your head, to listen to Neeley's impassive recitation of the lyrics.

The only place where I think the film improves on the record is at the finale -- the women with the wings and the '70s afro wigs, and Carl Anderson in a tight rhinestoned outfit, are things you just have to see. And I give Carl Anderson props, his performance in the film equals Murray Head's on the album. I saw a live performance of JCSS maybe five years ago, before Carl Anderson's death, with him and Ted Neeley performing their original roles, and Ted's voice had weakened some -- he undersang the whole first half to save himself for the big "Why should I die?" moment -- but Carl's was as strong as ever, he brought down the house.

(no subject)

speranza has written a new SGA story, Last Will and Testament, which is ... holy cow, the premise is SO squicktastic! (But then the execution is so *not* that you really can't call it crackfic.)

( spoilery rambling )