Comments on: CHER – “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)”

By: Free

Free — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:34:11 +0000

#1 Danny De Vito was not in Moonstruck. Just saying

By: Kit

Kit — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:40:51 +0000

“an eccentric single mom (apparently – like most people, I didn’t see it).”

Tom are you saying just your circle of acquaintances didn’t see it, or the movie didn’t succeed in the UK, but the song became a hit despite this? I’m not sure if my perspective is skewed bcz TEENAGE GIRLS around me were big into it, but I think of the film as being quite a big hit in Australia, and the single riding on its coattails – being a widely popular hit at the time, but then disappearing from the culture once the movie left cinemas.

The film certainly hung around as a weekend afternoon telly staple here, and I’ve gone from disliking it because it’s about MUMS and FAMILIES and Winona being EMBARRASSED, to feeling fond of it, from having caught some or all of it in that context a few times. In fact, I’m smiling now just thinking about mini-Ricci running into the kitchen cupboard with a bucket on her forehead. Aw!

@9: “In 92/93 Caligula (another Australian hard rock band) covering ‘Tears Of A Clown’”

Tim if I had read this before last night I would have berated you for this grotesque calumny! On their first EP* they were industrial/sampledelic enough to get PWEI support slots; the second EP was a bit more sub-Box The Jesuit grunge-before-America-picked-up-on-the-word (and on CD, came padded out with the first EP, suggesting they were themselves alarmed at how uninspired it was). Then they added a pretty** boy singer and did two further EPs of glorious samplery hooky bouncy stuff, like a goth Cut Copy. By the time of their sole album, which had the Smokey cover, they’d pretty much come out the other side of indie-dance and become just a pop group. “Hard rock” indeed…

*released on “dog’s dick pink” vinyl, per the print advertisements, a fact which shall never tire to amuse me
**later in the 90s, he could be seen leaving [an indie club] on 45-minute intervals, taking a different girl with him each time. Ten years after that, I went to see an ILX friend’s band play there, and he was still there: working behind the bar…

Thanks to WL for the Linda Lewis cover!

By: El boludo

El boludo — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:32:37 +0000

Haha, that’s me kicked out of the Clueless fan club then! I think I must have been thrown off by all the talk of Winona Ryder. Speaking of which:

“WR is very pretty but she’s not really capable of funny and I think this rendered her ultra-winsome shtick quite tiresome quite quickly.”

PAINFULLY spot on.

By: Weej

Weej — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:46:01 +0000

Re:55 What’s the name of Alicia Silverstone’s character in Clueless?

By: El boludo

El boludo — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:28:32 +0000

I have no problem with this. Might even stretch to a 7. I fondly remember annoying the neighbours with the Sandie Shaw version one very sunny Brighton afternoon pre-Pride.

Haven’t seen Mermaids but I am curious as to why the “Related Posts” sidebar links to a review of my possibly 7th favourite movie of all time CLUELESS!!!

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 23:43:57 +0000

#44, #47: Apart from the self-realisation stuff, the other attraction of Rand may be that she writes sympathetic (sometimes) strong women. Dagny Taggart is the only half-way bearable character in ‘Atlas Shrugged’.

You can see why that would be particularly appealing.

By: weej

weej — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:53:21 +0000

Re: wichita @50 – the story I heard was that he just had the ‘na’ removed, not sure which version I prefer.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:44:43 +0000

or alternatively, “Gypsy Woman” one of the most irritating records of all time!

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:49:12 +0000

#2 watch for Cher’s long reign presents us with two records of superior quality; after two weeks of the KLF, a week of Crystal Waters’ great ‘Gypsy Woman’, sort of deep house but all the better for being slightly flat and fudgy-sounding. La da deee da da da…

I’d be interested to see Robert Altman’s ‘Come Back To The Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’ again – Cher, the always-great Sandy Dennis, Kathy Bates and Karen Black as a transexual. Seeing it late at night on Channel 4 turned my head around when I was 15 (a regular occurrence!), but I rather suspect that, as with a lot of American plays, I’d find it mawkishly sentimental now.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:27:10 +0000

Sonny Bono, Moby and Paul Westerberg would get on like a house on fire, I’m sure.

A rather amusing tale told on stage by Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. He once met Johnny Depp and asked him “What did you do with the ‘Winona Forever’ tattoo? Did you have it removed?”

“Nah”, replied Depp. “I just changed it to ‘Winona For Everyone’.”

Bah-DUM!

By: LondonLee

LondonLee — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:15:40 +0000

Another cover that used to drive me into one of my “but the original is so much better! If only people heard it!” rants that would bore my girlfriend to tears. I’m a lot mellower about that sort of thing now but this is still too bulldozing for me, the original is brash too but this is just shouty, and I like Cher normally.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:26:10 +0000

re 43: I vote for Gene Simmons for Cher’s contribution to the worst. Probably that sad sack from Soul Asylum for Winona’s worst. And Gene Simmons in the same group with Moby basically rules: so Simmons-Pirner-Moby for the worst.

Best: Elvis (stretching it), Jack White or Grohl, Stipe (Did Ricci really date Stipe? News to me.)

By: a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît

a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:10:37 +0000

Randianism and Scientology are both very much about self-validation, so it’s not terribly surprising they appeal to actors: as a profession, acting entails dealing with constant rejection — not getting roles because you look/speak/ARE wrong… the thing that brought you success at 20 (or indeed 7) being the thing that cuts you off from it at 25 (or 12), and that has to be incredibly demoralising and disorienting, in ref who you “are”.

Winona’s been no cop to speak of* since Reality Bites, a (fairly dimwitted) “portrait of a generation” pic which Janeane Garofalo totally stole from her. WR is very pretty but she’s not really capable of funny and I think this rendered her ultra-winsome shtick quite tiresome quite quickly.

As a child, Ricci was pitch-perfect funny in a very strong ensemble, in the Addams Family movies. You can’t hold Sleepy Hollow against her — it’s a Tim Burton movie and he just can’t tell stories.

*All the same, anything ANY of the Mermaids have ever done >>>> everything Nick fvcking Broomfield has ever done or will.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:08:51 +0000

Ricci’s is getting increasingly bobbleheaded as she gets older, and appears to have a bit of a rep. Being in your early thirties and not being romantic lead fodder is generally going to scupper you. She only got the Speed Racer gig cos she looks like an anime character (and she was fine in that). Ryder is OK in Black Swan, but its not really a role that needs any work, and the heightened tone means she could be overacting and you wouldn’t notice. It strikes me both need a TV series to stretch into.

Cher had of course retired from acting pre (and quite possibly during) Burlesque.

By: Mark M

Mark M — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:04:44 +0000

Re 43: here’s a grim trio for you:

Sambora-Jay Kay-Moby

By: Mark M

Mark M — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:57:37 +0000

Re 42: CR is far from alone in her Rand enthusiasm – I'm pretty sure I seen a number of (book reading) starlets enthusing over her work. Presumably goes with a sense that they are about to show the world they aren't to be ignored, or something. In any case, considering the political standpoint of Buffalo 66's director, a co-star with a bit of bonkers libertarian reading matter should be no surprise, surely? The Moby sex thing is a whole other matter.

By: a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît

a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:47:36 +0000

Hilarious pub game: the MERMAIDS SUPERGROUP

Rules: members of the supergroup to drawn from rock musician boyfs of Cher, Winona and Christina
Extra rule: for purposes of game, Vincent Gallo counts as Christina’s ex. This travesties actual history, in which they made a film together, and he was v. poisonous abt her three years later (= she told him NO).

Winner = deviser of best and worst supergroup.

My opening bid: Allman, Bolton and Stipe

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:25:16 +0000

Re 30/33: Yes, sorry, I knew Cher wasn’t 56 (otherwise she’d be 76 now!) – I just meant she sings The Shoop Shoop Song like a 56 yr old mom.

I don’t think Christina Ricci helped either her Hollywood case or Buffalo 66 indie-cred by being a fan of Ayn Rand and having a lot of sex with Moby.

By: Mark M

Mark M — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:07:30 +0000

Re 40: No, I’ve never seen Monster – after the two Broomfield docs I felt I’d seen as much of that depressing tale as anyone ever needed to – but I did hear Ricci was really good in it.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:09:55 +0000

@Mark M., 37. I assume you’ve seen _Monster_ from 2003/4: Theron got the headlines and the v. deserved awards, but Ricci was *great* in the supporting role. I do think you’re on to something with saying that ‘cute, stroppy’ roles tend to fade out for actors in their late 20s. It’s brutal too, but registering as ‘short’ on camera (for gals, 5′ 3″ and below, unless you’re hella skinny like say Huppert) is a liability for a lot of adult lead roles.

By: anto

anto — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:28:22 +0000

While we’re taking about Christina Ricci – She’s superb in
The Opposite of Sex.

By: MikeMCSG

MikeMCSG — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:14:01 +0000

# 37 I agree “Black Snake Moan” is good but only when Timberlake is offscreen.

By: Mark M

Mark M — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:56:18 +0000

Re 35: "Nobody's writing roles especially for her" – it's a cliche but nonetheless true that Hollywood considers a stroppy twelve year old cute, a stroppy eighteen year old girl exciting and a stroppy thirty year old woman not something anyone wants to see on screen. I loved Ricci in The Ice Storm and Buffalo 66 and Desert Blue, but a quick look at her filmography reveals the only* films of hers I've seen in the last ten years are Miranda (weird and not in a good way) and Black Snake Moan (really weird, but good – although not many people thought so). She seems to made some atrocious choices – this, for instance looks like a shocker. *Except for ten minutes of Speed Racer on a plane…

By: thefatgit

thefatgit — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:28:56 +0000

I liked her in Buffalo 66.

By: weej

weej — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:19:41 +0000

Mark M @#32 – Christina Ricci is one of my favourite actors, it’s just unfortunate for her that everyone’s got such a strong impression of who she is and what kind of character she can play – only ten or so actors in the world can afford to just play themselves, and nobody’s writing roles especially for her. If you take a look at some of her recent films you’ll see she’s got a much greater range than people give her credit for, but I fear her time to break through as a major star may have passed now.