“Well, I used to be bad when I was a kid, but ever since then I’ve gone straight, as has been proved by my record: Thirty-three arrests and no convictions!” ~Big Jule
Dear Simon Fuller,
Do I have a pitch for you! American Idol does Guys and Dolls.
I’m thinking:
- Sky Masterson – Josh Gracin
- Sarah Brown – Kelly Clarkson
- Nathan Detroit – Elliot Yamin
- Miss Adelaide – Jennifer Hudson
- Big Jule – Ruben Studdard
- Arvide Abernathy – Taylor Hicks
You decide, of course. The possibilities are vast.
These Broadway musical-to-film remakes have worked out pretty well recently. Chicago. Dreamgirls. It’s probably because we’re all about mp3 players and blogs. With soundtracks in our ears and real audiences, our lives practically are musicals.
Plus, there’s the High School Musical craze (also to your credit). Do you know how many parents are sitting around watching that show with their kids talking about when they were in a musical? Lots, I’d venture.
Not to blow smoke, but that American Idol you created is quite a hit. I know you got burned with the movie of Kelly and Justin. But that was a fluke. It was too early. This idea is gold, I tell you. It’ll be like a cast reunion. You can also get some of those dancers from your other show for the Cuba scene.
As I’m sure you know, people love Guys and Dolls. They revived it in 2004. Ewan McGregor did it at London’s Piccadilly Theater in 2005. It’s always a hit.
So, let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Julie Luongo
PS. I’m sorry I made fun of the Spice Girls’ new video.
PPS. I really love Annie Lennox.
Jennifer said,
March 7, 2008 at 3:46 pm
It disturbs me that your American Idol knowledge is extensive enough to cast this musical.
messiestobjects said,
March 7, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Yes me too. I’m having second thoughts about this relationship.
julieluongo said,
March 7, 2008 at 6:40 pm
You can’t ignore the will of the masses. If they like American Idols, give ‘em American Idols.
Sarah said,
March 7, 2008 at 9:43 pm
That is a great idea!
Simmon Fuller said,
March 7, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You are truly brilliant. I am sending you two first class tickets to LA. Come immediately and bring your fabulous sister who did not make fun of Idol and who also thinks the idea is “great.”
julieluongo said,
March 7, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Oh, Simmon, I didn’t know you spelled your name with two “m”s. Sorry about that. Thanks for not holding it against me. So, I’ll see you in LA … although, I thought you lived in London. Either place, I’ll see you there and will have my fabulous sister in tow.
Jim said,
March 8, 2008 at 5:44 am
I think they should burn the losers of American Idol in an industrial microwave at the end of the show.
“This week’s ‘Burn the Loser’ is brought to you by, Pop Secret.”
That show is the resulting black hole left after the collapse of network television drawing everything we know and love about entertainment into its’ unrelenting gravitational pull to be pulverized within resulting in a fine dust that pours from each pole made of pure Cop Show and Hospital Drama.
In the future, Mexicans will leave books outside to keep the Americans out of their garden.
julieluongo said,
March 8, 2008 at 11:32 am
“I ain’t never hungry nuf to go’in’at garden. It got books and stuff growin’. ‘Em people’s witches.”
Sissy said,
March 8, 2008 at 9:48 pm
“It disturbs me that your American Idol knowledge is extensive enough to cast this musical.”
I was thinking this, but wasn’t going to write it. And I thought it was Josh Grobin who was an American Idol. I feel like such a dork now.
Sissy said,
March 8, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Simon is a hottie.
julieluongo said,
March 9, 2008 at 12:40 am
Well, to be honest, I’ve never actually watched more than a few segments of Idol. I did however watch Guys and Dolls the other day while I was at the gym, which is what made me think it was due for a remake. This idea made me think of the success of Dreamgirls, which had that Idol contestant in it. From there I just looked up the Idols on Wikipedia and plugged them into the rolls. So, now you know my dirty secret. I know very little about very little but still feel comfortable pitching my ideas to Simon Fuller who will surely contact me shortly and make it happen.
Lt. Brannigan said,
March 10, 2008 at 6:35 am
This post reminds me my nightmarish perfomance as the above-named character in the 1989 Stroudsburg High School production of this very play. I did manage to escape any and all singing and dancing, which is quite a feat when you are in a musical. Trust me, the play was better off for it.
messiestobjects said,
March 10, 2008 at 8:51 am
Hey, have you noticed your book’s Amazon page lately?
)
julieluongo said,
March 10, 2008 at 10:32 am
Cool!
julieluongo said,
March 10, 2008 at 10:38 am
Lt., I was thinking about the very same high school production and your role. I remember you refused to sing and the director made it work. Was it really nightmarish? I thought guys loved to be in school plays b/c the singing girls are all so cute.
Lt. Brannigan said,
March 10, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Cute girls with no interest in me whatsoever. No nightmare there…
julieluongo said,
March 10, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Ah, yes, the torture of immature love. I always knew that being adults would suit us better.
Lt. Brannigan said,
March 10, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Thankfully, I’m living proof of that. Now if I can just get the damned Guys and Dolls soundtrack out of my head….
julieluongo said,
March 11, 2008 at 1:24 am
I really want to understand people who say their school days were the best time of their lives. I’d love to pick someone’s brain who feels that way. But it’s usually uttered by some old high school acquaintance I run into at a bar around the holidays, and you can’t get a straight answer from a nostalgic drunk.
messiestobjects said,
March 11, 2008 at 5:38 pm
youda never said… yoush nerver say stuff like dat back in good… ol stoutsbur high. Man yous change since den, you change a lot. Everthing is differn’ now… cruddy life. I mish stroutsber high.
Yous wanna do some blow?
julieluongo said,
March 11, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Totally Gross Point Blank. You forgot: I had the biggest crush on you.
Sissy said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Wait – who were you crushing on? I’m always the last to know this shit.
Anyhoo, I can’t look at that billboard up there anymore. It’s giving me after school special feeling. And making me a little dizzy.
Here are some things I like to look at, in case you needed some fuel:
Johnny Depp
Matt Damon
Sean Mullins
Johnny Depp
Bono
Foggy Trees
Graveyards
Johnny Depp
Marshes
Black & Whites
and
Johnny Depp
Oh, and some snow scenes, but nothing hokey. Like rabbits and snowmen and shit.
Sissy said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:06 am
Uh-oh. Where’d my comment go? This can’t be good.
julieluongo said,
March 12, 2008 at 1:42 pm
You got spammed. Who knows why. My spam filter is indiscriminately discriminating.
The crush comment was for Michael who was mimicking drunk people in bars that you haven’t seen since high school.
Sissy said,
March 12, 2008 at 2:22 pm
OMG. I just had one of those experiences with my first boyfriend ever. Good ol’ Bill from third grade. He was loaded, so of course he still loved me after 30 years.
Sissy said,
March 12, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Oh, I and thought Michael was trying to pull off a British accent. Cockney, maybe?
But now I see that he was just drunk.
Sissy said,
March 12, 2008 at 2:26 pm
And…..pick my brain. I have two favorite years of my life. One of them was my senior year in high school. Thank you for prompting me to take 5 seconds and think about it…and get a silly grin on my face.
julieluongo said,
March 13, 2008 at 12:13 am
What was your other favorite year?
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 7:19 am
1993 – my first year sober
julieluongo said,
March 13, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Nice. I don’t have any favorite years. I always think every year is better than the last. But I’m bad with time and memory. For example, I’m not a big fan of my school days, but while I was in them, I liked them just fine. I;m not nostalgic for them though. And last year of my life was great, but I don’t think it was better than this year so far. See? I’m bad at this exercise.
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Then I’d have to say that your positive attitude is getting in the way of you having “best years of your life”. I’m a naturally negative person. Every day sucks. Every month sucks. And so on. I think that because I am so naturally miserable, the good times stick out in my mind like a sore thumb.
My senior year in high school rocked because it was the first time that I really came into my own and began being true to myself.
The year I got sober, was like being born again. Although nothing around me had physically changed, everything seemed new and different as though I was experiencing it for the first time. Funny, because that year could have easily qualified as the most difficult year in my life, but I don’t keep tally of those. Because, again, every year sucks.
High school in general was something I used to pass the time. Really. I had nothing better to do. I went through a phase in 10th and 11th grade of not going at all. After a whille, I was like, “What the fuck else do I have to do?” So I stopped skipping. It worked out for the better.
messiestobjects said,
March 13, 2008 at 8:21 pm
So… you loved your senior year in high school because that’s when you came into your own and began being true to yourself?
Keeping in mind that according to you, you’re naturally a negative person whose every day, month, and so on sucks, I think you need to rethink the idea that being true to yourself is a good thing, Sis. Maybe you should try being true to someone else’s idea of yourself, preferably someone who doesn’t think of you as a miserable person.
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 9:50 pm
(wide-eyed)
I guess I don’t take into consideration what others think of me. And it’s been a very long time since I’ve contemplated the meaning of being true to myself. Back then, it meant that I wasn’t going to live by the standards that others had established for me. And I guess over the years it manifested into “fuck you all”. Which, in turn, translates into “I’m so busy being MYSELF that I can’t take the time to consider external perceptions”.
Thank you, MO.
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Do I have to pay you for that?
messiestobjects said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I’ll take it in trade.
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I have a stapler. And some raisans.
julieluongo said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Raisins? Where are the M&Ms? I know you have some there. Look in the drawer.
Sissy said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:44 pm
BY GEORGE! You’re right!!! Why are these raisins on my desk???? It’s like I’m falling apart at the seems down here! What would I do with you people? Disolve, I suppose. I mean, I could use a few administrative assistants to do some thinking for me. And to make it a fair trade, I’ll throw a few M&Ms in on the deal.
No, not the blue one that fell on the floor. I said FAIR trade. All of your M&Ms will be clean.
julieluongo said,
March 13, 2008 at 11:13 pm
By George, indeed. And holy crickets, by the hammer of Thor!
I can easily see myself through the eyes of people who think highly of me. But I’m very suggestible. It works with other stuff, too. Start talking about a delicious chicken dish, I’ll make it. Mention a bunch of times that I should be just about finished with that next book and, by golly, I’ll finish it. On the other hand, I can really dig my heels in. But mostly about Bush and religion and the merit of waking up early.
Sissy said,
March 14, 2008 at 7:17 am
Ah, waking up early.
I hate waking early. I think that if I didn’t have a life to show up for, I’d live in my bed with a good book.
I have some summer goals, and one of them is to not sleep until noon every day just because I can. The other is to finish one of my books and get it out there. I also want to start exercising and quit smoking. And this is my short list.
I’m still dumb-founded over my inability to see myself through the eyes of others. When someone acknowledges one of my achievements, my response is that I can do better.
julieluongo said,
March 14, 2008 at 10:31 am
Good luck! I’ve heard good things about the patch and Welbutrin for non-smoking. You can quit anything if you just take it one minute at a time, right?
That’s a lot of stuff though, lady. Well, I guess if you started with the exercise, the other things would fall into place. You wouldn’t want to smoke as much. Also, you’d sleep better and have more energy and concentration.
I figure I could always tell myself I could have done better. But, instead, I choose to qualify my efforts. I say, “given the circumstances, my resources at the time, my mental state, my energy, my knowledge, I did the best I could.”
messiestobjects said,
March 14, 2008 at 11:23 am
I suggest getting horrifyingly sick to quit smoking. That’s how I did it. I had things coming out of every orifice in quite disproportionate amounts for days, and smoking was not an option… I’d get sick even thinking about one. The whole withdrawal thing kind of got lost in the shuffle… by the time I got better, I still wanted a cigarette, but it was much easier to decide not to have one than normal, so I went with it.
Sissy said,
March 14, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Although it sounds delicious, I think I’ll pass on the oozing orifices and begin with exercise. You’re right, Jules, about the effects of moving. It will impact my other objectives.
I do need to start accepting that doing my best is good enough. I remember when I wrote my first book with two little ones in preschool and a baby at home. Everyone was astonished that I actually put 300+ pages together and that it was readable. But all I could say, then and now, was “But I didn’t get it published.” When I wrote my second book, again, it was “Anyone can write a children’s chapter book. And it’s still not published.” I’m going to attack the latter of the two in July.