Travolta, "Big, Blonde & Beatuiful:" I Think Not

The new Hairspray the movie (2007) Trailer

Hairspray the musical and movie take place in 1962, which got me thinking that the '60s would have been so much more fun.

They got to protest a war, fight segregation, and they had amazing music to dance to. And what do we have now… We have a war that only a select few protest (yet we complain about it daily), we still have racism where nothing changes, and we have music where all you do is “back that thang up.”

What happened to society?

We – well some of us - were children of hippies, and what are we doing? Sitting around complaining about these issues and not doing anything about it!

Hairspray the movie, which comes out this Friday, touches base on numerous issues dealing with more then just a “big” girl trying to fit in, such as segregation/racism and slightly upon gay rights.

With these same things still affecting society today, it should be interesting to see how the iPod generation likes it. There will definitely be a follow up.

But anyway, back to the movie.

Ever since I first saw this musical at the Kravis Center a couple of years ago, I have been a “big” fan; you could even say I'm obsessed. Yet, the list of things wrong with the new film could go on for years, but I wont rant that long.

First, John Travolta playing Edna Turnblad – are you kidding me? When did Turnblad get a southern accent? When did she loose so much weight? What happened to her deep masculine voice? The things wrong with Travolta playing this character could take up pages. Watch the videos below to see the difference between the old Edna and the new.

The next order of business is Darlene Love vs. Queen Latifah for the part of Motormouth Maybelle. Well let's see… One has oodles more talent and is performing the part on Broadway as we speak, but the other one has a greater appeal to the iPod generation. What to do? Well, the makers of the movie chose the last one, which makes more sense, right? They want more money, so who cares about talent.

Seeing that everything I have said has been extremely negative, I might as well throw in two small positive points.

James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the X-Men the movies, plays “Corney Collins,” and who knew this super hero could sing? I sure didn’t, and that boy has the vocal chords to prove it.

Small town girl Nikki Blonsky got her dreams to come true. Her story is one that isn’t seen much in Hollywood. She auditioned for the part of Tracy Turnblad and this high school senior, working at Cold Stone Creamery, found out at work that she got the part. She got to skip all the b-list films and act with a-list celebs. Some people are just plain lucky.

After all is said and done, I think the majority of viewers who haven’t seen it live or seen the original will enjoy it. It is entertaining yet not up to par for the die-hard fans. But one thing is for sure: There is nothing better than live music on Broadway.

The Classics:


Hairspray the movie's 1988 Trailer


Hairspray the musical's Montage