Shakespeare and "Red-neck Crazy"

If you know me, you'll know that I love certain country songs. I hate others. I've gotten really good at hearing the first few opening strains and knowing whether it's time to turn it off, or whether it's a gem like "Would You Go With Me," "Runnin' Outta Moonlight," "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me," or "A Little More Country Than That." But by default, I've heard my share of stupid country songs - the songs that give country music a bad name among some people, because anyplace you go when you live out here, you're going to collide with country music.

Probably the worst song to come out recently (stupidity-wise) is "Redneck Crazy" by Tyler Farr. I just laugh in pain every time I hear the chorus in the feed-store. Besides containing a couple of cuss-words, this song is like Ernest T. Bass drunk:

"I'm gonna aim my headlights into your bedroom windows
Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows.
I didn't come here to start a fight but I'm up for anything tonight.
You done broke the wrong heart, baby, and drove me red-neck crazy."

Seriously. That's the chorus. That's the best part of this singularly inane song. By now you'll be wondering why the heck I decided to write a post about stupid country songs; here's the answer:

I've been on a bit of a Shakespeare kick in recent days, and I'm currently reading Twelfth Night. I was sprawled out on Mama's couch reading, waiting for Levi to fall to sleep the other night and I literally laughed aloud when I came to this part:

Olivia: ...a gracious person. But yet I cannot love him.

        He might have took his answer long ago.

Viola: If I did love you in my master's flame,

           With such a suffering, such a deadly life,

           In your denial I would find no sense;

           I would not understand it.

Olivia: Why, what would you?

Viola: Make me a willow cabin at your cate

         and call upon my soul within the house.

         Write loyal cantons of contemned love

          And sing them loud even in the dead of night.

          Halloo your name to the reverberate hills

          And make the babbling gossip of the air

          Cry out, 'Olivia!' Oh, you should not rest

          Between the elements of air and earth,

          But you should pity me.

Guys. Do you not get this? Either Tyler Farr is way better-read than we all assume from his lyric-writing abilities, or Shakespeare wrote "Redneck Crazy" before anyone even knew what country-music was.

I can't even.

Shakespeare: "Oh, you should not rest between the elements of earth and air..."

Tyler Farr: "Nah, he can't amount to much by the look of that little truck. He won't be getting any sleep tonight."

I still think it's a ridiculous song - that's probably why these lines were written for Twelfth Night which is a comedy about star-crossed lovers. It's hilarious, the way that man's nature has, evidently, not changed when it comes to dealing with rejected love suits.

There are two lessons to be learned from this episode:

• Never assume Rednecks don't read Shakespeare 
• Never say no to the proposal of a man who is crazy about you.

I....can't...even...

*Goes off in a puddle of laughter*

"For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Our hearts and prayers go out to the Tate family. On Monday, this godly man went to be with his Lord after suffering a heart attack. He left behind 7 beautiful children and a very godly wife. Please pray for them in this difficult and heart-breaking time. Mr. Tate left behind a fantastic legacy, and anyone who's ever met him, will tell you that he was a true solider for Christ. 

Ms. Gina, Grace, Daniel, Stephen, Nigel, Hope, Adam and Joel---this song is for you. <3 

Wordless Wednesday: Operation Shock and Awe Pt. 1

(photo credit: sherryspix, heirloomrosebud, noodleblonde, sammyyz, and themediagirl)

Celebrate Musicals Week Tag! :)

1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?
Rach and I chose Wicked. We are total musical-lovers and would've found it very hard to pick only one, but we went on a whim and this is what happened! Wicked is a wonderful story and the music holds up the integrity of it so much. Each piece has so much feeling and amazingness in it that we couldn't resist telling you about them! :)

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?
That would be the infamous Abigail's doing! I believe she showed us "Defying Gravity" first, and Pandora soon got us hooked on "What is This Feeling", "For Good", and others. :) 

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?
Ergh. This is challenging. Well, we already covered "For Good", so next up would be "I'm Not That Girl", "Popular" and "The Wizard and I". 

4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?
That'd be "Something Bad". Without a moment's hesitation. A goat professor....yeah. 

5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?
Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero. 

6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?
By far, our favorite is the OBC version of Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel!  We were overjoyed to see the touring Broadway cast when they came this way last winter!! The cast consisted of 

Anne Brumell as Elphie

Tiffany Haas playing Galinda

and 

David Nathan Perlow portrayed Fiyero. 

We really enjoyed the production and it was even more special as our first ever Broadway show (tour or otherwise) !!

7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?
No, I wouldn't say its our favorite.....there are so many we grew up on, for instance, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Cinderella, and Annie. More recent loves include Newsies, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, etc.  As a Broadway lover, I cannot pick a favorite. 

8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?
At this moment in time, the OBC Newsies album is played/sung a bunch in our house, but we tend to go through binges for certain shows. ;) 

9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?
Ok, first off. Emerald City has very many eccentric and quirky costumes in it, like this one:

Ahem. or this:

But I think the top pick (since Elphie's got one outfit the whole time) would be Glinda's bubble dress!

10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?
Well, as Wicked is supposed to be a sort of prequel story to the Wizard of Oz, there are several loose ends that don't line up with the traditional story. I know it'd be tricky, but it would've been fun it was a seamless connection. Also, there is a little objectionable content ("As Long as Your Mine" has beautiful music, but the lyrics are kinda sketch) in the beginning of the play that was one of the only not-so-great parts of the book that squirmed into the Broadway show. (More of a implication than anything) 

11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?
Elphaba, Katherine from the Newsies, and I used to want to be Annie. ;D

12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?

This guy as Fiyero!! I think Aaron Tveit could do an amazing job. :) 

13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?
I'd consider myself a fan. Musical theatre makes up probably about 60% of the music I listen/sing/play on a daily basis, and I'm also an unashamed Fansie. :D 

14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?
Never.

15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
"Without You", "Prince Ali" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin". Haha! We do listen to *quite* alot of Alan Menken/Disney soundtracks, My Fair Lady is always great (I'm a good girl, I am!) and that Oklahoma one is kind of random. We don't listen to that show very often. :) (and now it's "Chim-Chiminey!")
Til next time,
Sarah

How To Get Your Glitz On by Galinda

Dearest, Darlingest, Fellow Oz-ians:
     As terrifying as poor fashion-sense may be, let us put aside our bad taste for one day, and CELEBRATE!  What is there to celebrate? *Giggle* Oh my! You have been living in a bubble, haven't you?

 

Why, FASHION, of course! I'm here on this bee-YOU-tee-full day to give you the Oz-errific scoop on How To Be Glitzy. It's kind of a specialty of mine and I've decided to make you my new project. 

All the most important-est points will be highlighted in PINK because that is just the BESTEST COLOR in the history of OZ. (Besides. It's faaaaaabulous on me!) 

I know I don't have to do this but...that's what makes me so nice.  Because, whenever I see someone less fortunate than I (and let's face it: who isn't less fortunate than I?) my tender heart tends to start to bleed. And I get all worked up and excited about taking over makeovers to help everyone and show them proper ploys when they talk to boys: little ways to flirt and flounce. I mean, that's why they call me Galinda the Good--because I'm so Uh-mazing. If you want to look elegant and refined and gorgeous ('scuse me, those words back there are pronounced "ME".) then we'll have to start with the basics. Firstly and mostly important of all important things is your attitude!

We are looking for MODERN, people. Modern. If you wanna go a little bit cute and vintage, then do it with pizazz! Why can't people dress from history instead of always harping on the past? I think it's possible, and paired with the CUTEST attitude, you'll know exactly how to look pretty, chic, and fashionable  just like me! *Giggle*
The first thing I'm gonna help you with is how to flip your hair. Just... Flip it! Flip! Flip! Oh my. This is a bit more involved than I thought. Of course, gold hair with a gentle curl is the thing That Boy goes for, but any hair can be flipped if ya just know how to do it. To Oz-aggerate my point, I found some gals who do it right:

 

Oh wait: They're all me! Oopsies!

When I see depressing creatures with unprepossessing features, I take in consideration what sort of makeup they ought to wear. Makeup is how a woman wears her soul on her face and knowing how to do it right will make you Pop-u-lar...LAR. (Just not quite as popular as me!) It's so fabulous what a bit of lipstick will do to a gal...nailpolish too. Sparkly, of course:

Cirque even named this one after me: Galinda! Isn't it prettyful?

Look how Oz-ical!

Perfect for a night at the Oz-Dust Ballroom!

Some girls cake on the creams and powders and hide their natural beauty. Of course you'll never be as naturally beautiful as moi, but just look at what I did with Elphaba! Learning how to properly apply foundation, blush, and bronzer is essentialiffic!

As far as clothes go, SPARKLE. Who wants ta be dull when you could shizzle! We've got to work on your sad and sorryfullistic fascination with gingham. It's so...ordinary!

This is the stuff dreams are made of:

 But if sparkles aren't your thing (I know, I rockify them better than anyone!), you could go with a sweet pink something that will make you buh-loom like a rose! Even if you are unfortunate enough to have been born with green skin, y'know what I always say: Pink goes good with green!

Not My Creation

And every girl needs to have a black dress to look properly swankified! You know black is this year's pink! Go ahead and splurge: You deserve each other, this dress and you. You're both so...smart!

 

OOOOH!

And what every girl needs if she's gonna look as stunning and gorgeous as Galinda (that's me), is the perfect pair of shoes! 

Sweet and Sparkly:

Or a little bit Wicked:

There are shoes for every sorta kinda gal under the great big moon and the perfect pair is the key to finish off any dazzle-rama. With my tips on how to Dazzle, Shizzle, and Sparkle, is there any social event you can't rock? (Oh yeahhhhh. Any one I'm attending.) The only comment I have left to make is about the color yellow.
My advice on How To Wear Yellow? Don't even try. Everyone learns the hard way that unless you're Galinda, yellow's just not the thing. Me? The super-special green goggles help everyone to bear how brilliantly I shine in my sunny yellow gown.

Sometimes, though, you just don't have the money in your wallet to spend on buying gorgeous things like I have. Know what's good to do then? Take an hour to wallow in self-pity and go to Pinterest.com! And sing something pretty to yourself while browsing like:

"See that tragically beautiful girl?

The one in the chair?

It seems so unfair she should go on a spree

And not we...gee....I wish someone would be my hero,

If that someone were to go consign her....

Oh really, sir, you would do that for meeeeeee?"

You've followed all my tips?

You'll remember all my splenderifous advice?

Well....just look at you: You're beautifulllllll.

You have to go? Well...you're welcome.

 - ***Galinda***

** (with a "guh") **

P.s. And though you protest your disinterest, I know clandestinely. You're gonna grin and bear it: your new-found popularity! You'll be popular....just not quite as popular. As. MEEEEEEEEE.

P.s. 2. All credit for the publicity shots of my beautiful self and all the other bedazzle goes to Pinterest.com