Essie May did some prognosticating yesterday about Oscar award winners. Why do critics pick the movies, musicals, and plays they do? What makes them better judges than the viewing public of what's good and what's not?
I've written earlier about Rowlett High School's decision to perform "Rent," a Tony-winning musical, and about North Lamar High School's decision to perform "Urinetown," another Tony-winning musical. In both instances, people who opposed those selections based on their messages were ridiculed as backwoods, uncultured, and ignorant. "Why, you've not even seen it," the proponents argued. "This is a Tony winning musical," they shouted. "Are you going to argue with the critics?"
So what do the critics see in these third-rate musicals that we don't? My contention is that the critics pick those plays for the same reason decent folks oppose them -- their messages. "Urinetown" presses the message of the haves vs. the have-nots and stirs up class envy. Of course, the haves are crooked, terrible people, and the have-nots are virtuous and brave. "Urinetown" presses the global warming message -- a theory that is about as goofy as evolution but is being shoved down our throats. "Rent" presses the homosexuals are just like you and me and we should accept them as they are message. "Rent" presses the judge not message. I am so tired of hearing people pull that scripture out to justify sin. They can't quote you anything else from the Bible, but they run around yelling "Judge not" everytime someone points out sin. God never intended us to accept sin under the guise of "judge not"!
Anyway, what got me started on this was a letter to the editor about "Rent." Grant Creeger of Plano sees that the emperor has no clothes. He said he was surprised that no one writing letters (mostly supporting the production) had mentioned seeing the musical. He says he paid top-dollar to see it performed by the primary touring company in Los Angeles. He says the professional company did not "disguise the fact that this is a third- or fourth-tier musical with one or two decent songs." "I barely made it through to the end," he says. Three cheers for one of the backwoods, uncultured, ignoramuses with enough courage to stand up and tell it like it is!
"'Rent' a yawner." The Dallas Morning News; December 16, 2008; p. 18A.
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7 comments:
"...backwoods, uncultured, ignoramus...?". Are you referring to yourself Sir? Grant Creeger of Plano, TX was a refined, highly educated, well-spoken chap from Ca. Your leap to "profiling" all TX residents as "backwoods, uncultured, etc," clearly reflects a severly closed, myopic mindset that reveals an "uncultured and ignorant" predisposition to people you know nothing about. Behavior typical of backwoods, uncultured, ignoramuses... E. Creeger (his ex-wife)
LOL! Well, Mrs. Creeger, perhaps you better read that post again. I agreed with Mr. Creeger -- and if you think Essie May is a sir, you name people differently than we do around here. LOL!
P.S. If you don't understand the post after another reading, then perhaps you can get someone with a third grade education to explain it to you.
Hahaha! Consult a "third grader?" Why thank you for that well-thought out, highly-deliberative, and sensitive response. Dear Essie May (a pseudonym to be sure), even a third-grader can see clear through to the back-handed compliment you delivered against Grant Creeger in your award-winning "Rent" commentary. Please do not pretend that this is not the case. Furthermore, the fact that I addressed you as "Sir" rather than "Madame" does not negate the author's clear lack of discernment when referring to persons unknown to him or her in a derogatory manner simply based on geographical location. Humph ... I hate to say it but isn't "Essie May" a name derived from the "backwoods" mountain people of Kentucky? Hahaha. A little bit of the pot calling the kettle black perhaps? LOL!! Have a good day Madame Mae. I am rather enjoying our repartee. E. Creeger
Sent from my iPhone
PS: In the final paragraph, the author's failure to use quotation marks (to indicate the comment was derived from another source) leads one to believe the comment was the author's original idea. Journalism 101...
Wow! The more you post, the more you show your ignorance. If you would take a few moments and read for ideas instead of words, you just might pick up on the meaning of the post.
Do you think Essie likes "Rent" or "Urinetown" when she calls them third-rate musicals? Do you know the story, "The Emperor's New Clothes"? Do you not understand that the moral of that story was that the one who said he had no clothes was the one with the wisdom? How am I extending a "backhanded" compliment to Mr. Creeger by pointing out that he has wisdom and discernment the critics don't possess? Do you understand the sarcasm I employed by applying the critics' analyses to Mr. Creeger when I lauded his courage for speaking the truth?
Obviously not, so let me spell it out for you -- I was making fun of the critics who say that these musicals are great while ascribing the characteristics of ignorance and lack of culture to those of us who recognize that they have no substance. When I gave three cheers to Mr. Creeger, it certainly was not because I disagreed with him.
Maybe Grant Creeger was refined and highly educated, but it appears he reached down a rung or two on the ladder when he chose a wife!
BTW - your "Journalism 101" comment is out of place. I was not directly quoting anyone - I was summarizing an idea. If you look to the first paragraph, you will see the reference. "The author" assumes "the reader" will have enough intelligence to connect the dots.
Hahaha. Touché. I appreciate your passionate and (this time around) well-thought out response. Good stuff. I still hold that the final paragraph, which contains a "summary" of a thought or idea derived from another source, needs quotation marks to make it definitively clear to the reader. I guess, in this case, we will not see eye-to-eye. Oops, lazy journalism. To rephrase, we disagree on that particular point. Still enjoying this repartee, insults and all (on both sides, to be fair).
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