Reel Thoughts Interview: Chenoweth Chat!

Entertainer Kristin Chenoweth’s unmistakable voice and positive spirit will be on stage when the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts celebrates the grand reopening of the Virginia G. Piper Theater on October 24. The Tony and Emmy-winning singer/actress will headline a benefit that will unveil the new theater and help fund the arts center and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Chenoweth is known for her roles in Broadway’s Wicked, TV’s The West Wing and Pushing Daisies and the movie Running with Scissors (where she played Annette Bening’s lover). Lately it seems she’s everywhere:

• She recently guest starred on the Fox-TV show Glee.
• She won her Emmy in September for her role in the ABC-TV show Pushing Daisies.
• In August, she served as guest judge at the American Idol tryouts in Orlando.
• Last spring she released a memoir titled A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love and Faith in Stages,which describes her journey from small-town Oklahoma girl to Broadway star.
  

Chenoweth is supportive of her GLBT fans, and the open-minded Christian performer regretted it when she unwittingly went on The 700 Club to promote her 2005 album As I Am,unaware of what a hurtful figure the show’s host Pat Robertson is to the community. Later, Chenoweth was uninvited to a Women in Faith conference due to her support of the GLBT community. She takes that sort of attitude in stride with her trademark upbeat outlook.

NC: I’ve been a fan since you were Sally in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. What kind of treats do you have in store for your Scottsdale concert?
KC: Well, I've been working on some new material and am excited to share that along with some of my favorites. It's an honor to reopen the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.


NC: I am so bummed that Pushing Daisies was canceled. I don’t think any other actress could make a character named Olive Snook so lovable. It was great that you were able to sing on the show. How was that? Any fond memories you can reveal?
KC: I know! It was such a gem of a show and I loved playing Olive. As for singing, I love when it makes sense for a character to sing. I am a singer and an actress and I always say that we sing because we can't speak anymore. When Olive sang to express her feelings it was such a treat for me!

NC: Wicked is such a phenomenon, and much of that comes from your original performance as Glinda. Did you know how huge it would become when it began? What’s one of your favorite experiences from that show?
KC: I was definitely a part of something very special with Wicked. It is once in a lifetime that you can look back on something and know how unique it is. Wicked was always something I knew was different, but it has exceeded my expectations. I loved getting on stage every night and playing Glinda and I love that the love story was actually between her and Elphaba.


NC: I think that people really admire your commitment to your spiritual beliefs, while you are also very accepting of others. Have you faced challenges in maintaining that balance?
KC: Thanks for asking that. You know, I didn't set out to be this "Controversial Christian" but that is just sort of what happened. People challenge me on my beliefs all the time, but I just try to do my best and love people for who they are, no matter what. That's what I believe and I simply live my life as best as I can, trying not to judge others and loving everyone.

NC: You have won fans from your Broadway, opera, television, movies and recording work. What makes you happiest as an artist, and where would you like to see your career go?
KC: What makes me happiest is being able to do everything that I love. I love being able to shoot a movie in Canada, do a show on Broadway, and be on a TV show in Hollywood. I love making things people love to see or sing!

I sometimes get approached because someone will recognize me and I never know what they will know me for; for instance, I'll meet a trucker that'll know me from Wicked and a 3-year old that will recognize me as Miss Noodle (from Sesame Street). I just never know, and I love that because I get to do so many fun and different things. I just hope I can continue to work with such variety.


NC: If you hadn’t become a performing artist, what was your next biggest love?
KC: I would definitely have become a private investigator. I know it sounds strange but I am obsessed with any show on TV that has to do with crime scenes, investigating, et cetera. I would love to fight crime and work on crazy murder investigations.

NC: What if any roles or types of characters would you not want to play?
KC: Well, I love to play all kinds of different parts, so this is tough to answer. Many of my fans are young, so I like to make sure that the parts I chose aren't too risqué, but I am dying to be in a horror film.

NC: You have a huge following in the GLBT community. What kind of response do you get when you’re able to interact with your fans?
KC: I love my fans no matter who they are! I love seeing fans out and about, whether it is at a mall or after a performance. Everything I do is for my fans and I love hearing them say, "You are such a role model to me" or "Thank you for what you do." It makes my day to hear things like that.


NC: What would you tell young people who love your work and want to pursue a career in theater or music?
KC: Stay in school! I got my master’s before I pursued Broadway and I am so grateful my parents encouraged me to do that. Hollywood will be here.

NC: Have you ever felt star-struck when you met another performer? Who do you really admire?
KC: Gosh! Well, I was listening to Judy Garland as a kid, so all the greats. I recently met Bette Midler after her show in Vegas and was blown away by her performance. I was so moved and speechless. She was amazing.

NC: What else would you like your fans to know?
KC: I would want my fans to know that no matter what people tell you, you should follow your heart. I am 4'11’’ and have a very interesting speaking voice. I was told I would never make it as a dancer/actress and here I am. Don't let anyone stand in your way.

ARTrageous featuring Kristin Chenoweth will be performed this Saturday at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets and more information, visit their official website.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

MD News Desk: One Single Sensation

Keep up to date with all the latest from the entertainment world with the MD News Desk:

Cinematic Crushes:
- Gaze upon the angelic beauty of A Single Man's Nicholas Hoult in this photo spread by his director Tom Ford ... and try to forget that he was the kid in About a Boy. Out Magazine chats with the Single duo in separate interviews here and here.
- James Franco talks about being a stoner icon, what he did with his fake Milk penis, and buying the film rights to the Hart Crane poem The Broken Tower.

Off the Shelf:
- Attention Vintage Beefcake Connoisseurs: David L. Chapman’s American Hunksexplores "The Muscular Male Body in Popular Culture", including such stars as Charles Atlas, Johnny Weissmuller and ... Anthony Perkins?! Check out the (slightly NSFW) slideshow at Out.com.


The Latest on TV:
- "Toon" in to Cartoon Network this Friday for the special musical episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold guest-starring Neil Patrick Harris.
- Miss True Blood? Disappointed by The Vampire Diaries? Than be sure to catch all six first season episodes of Being Human this Sunday on BBC America, followed by the special Being Human Unearthed. This excellent British series stars Russell Tovey as a werewolf who shares a flat with a hunky vampire and a girl ghost.

Tune in to TCM:
- On Saturday you'll find a marathon of movies based on the works of author W. Somerset Maugham, including the Bette Davis classic The Letter.

Awards Watch:
- And the Oscars go to: Hairspray director Adam Shankman and Pandemonium Films' Bill Mechanic named the producers of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The Los Angeles Times chimes in on the announcement.
- Star Trek, Twilight and True Blood among the winners of Spike TV's "Scream 2009" Awards, to be broadcast October 27.

From Screen to Stage:
- In more Adam Shankman news: he'll bring the Tony Award nominated 1980s rock musical spoof Rock of Ages to the screen.
- Another out director, Lee Daniels (who's current Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire was a fest fave and is gaining strong Oscar buzz), is working on the film adaptation of the Tony winning musical Miss Saigon for producer Cameron Mackintosh.
- The Terrence McNally/Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty musical A Man of No Importance (recently named one of the top "screen to stage" shows of all time by our own Chris Carpenter) will make its London debut next month.
- Could the notorious, the infamous, the one and only Carrie: The Musical (recently named one the worst "screen to stage" shows of all time by our own Neil Cohen) actually be headed back to Broadway?
- The Off-Broadway musical hit The Toxic Avenger is now sliming Toronto.
- The Beatles film Backbeat to get a UK stage version next year.


Out in Film:
- Eating Out: All You Can Eat’s Leslie Jordan dishes out quite a mouthful about wise elders, closeted actors, his out co-stars (such as the hunkalicious Rick D'Agostino) and his prized gay-for-pay poodles.
- The Big Gay Sketch Show's Julie Goldman on her big gay romantic comedy Nicest Thing.
- Lance Bass butches it up as a beefy boxer.
- Looks like Thom Bierdz' (and Phillip Chancellor III's) return to The Young and the Restless will be short-lived after all.
- Reality TV star Ryan Brown on his Flipping Out ex Jeff Lewis.
- Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry reveals he will be killing off a character (or two ... or three ...) in the series' mid-season cliffhanger.
- Kelly Osbourne and her Dancing with the Stars partner Louis Van Amstel visited Chelsea Lately recently ... and brought his cute boyfriend along too.


Videodrone:
- Call Wallace and Gromit! The 30 Second Bunnies do The Wolf Man.
- Gerard Butler ends DADT in Sparta.
- Homer Simpson goes gay for Halloween.
- Here it is: Adam Lambert's 2012 music video. (In related news, the glam rocker and Lady GaGa are collaborating on what will no doubt be the gayest song ever made.)

Kish:
- One Life to Live’s fabulous Tika Sumpter on Layla’s men.

RIP:
- Joseph Wiseman, who played the very first James Bond movie villain as the title character of Dr. No, passed away Monday at the age of 91.
- Vic Mizzy, composer of the iconic theme songs to The Addams Family and Green Acres, died Saturday at the age of 93.

GLBT Entertainment:
- Ugly Betty’s Marc, played by Michael Urie, will get a new Bahama boyfriend.
- Spoiler Alert! A certain Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character (played by a certain actor) will (finally) come out of the closet.
- 8: The Mormon Proposition is a new documentary (narrated by Dustin Lance Black) about the Mormon Church's involvement in the passage of California's Proposition 8. Watch the trailer here.

Glee:
- Model Behavior: Cory Monteith (Finn) is the face of Five Four’s Fall/Winter 2009 Collection.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog creator Joss Whedon will be directing a future episode.
- Spring Awakening reunion: Jonathan Groff will join the show for a few episodes as a(nother) love interest for Lea Michele's Rachel.
- More Michele: she sings "Out Here on My Own" at the HRC National Dinner.
- Dressed for Success: an interview with Glee's costume designer Lou Eyrich, wherein you'll find out her favorite character to dress.
- And forget the Thanksgiving parade: the Glee cast will sing at the World Series!

The Latest on DVD: Les Liaison Dangereuse

Twenty-one years after Dangerous Liaisons, director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and star Michelle Pfeiffer have reunited to bring the lustful tale of Chéri to life. Based on the novels by Colette (best known for Gigi), Chéri is a slender volume of a period piece brought to vivid life by some excellent performances and top-notch production designs. Overlooked in theaters earlier this year, hopefully the film will be discovered by new admirers with its DVD debutthis week.

Set in Paris toward the end of the Belle Époque, Pfeiffer plays aging courtesan Léa de Lonval, who is asked by her frenemy, Madame Peloux (the always welcome Kathy Bates), to teach her listless son Fred (Rupert Friend) — the chéri of the title — how to be a man. Although his mother just wants him groomed to be married off to produce grandchildren, Chéri and Léa fall deeply in love and cannot survive without each other.


Pfeiffer digs deep into her role as someone whose whole worth is based solely on their beauty, now fading (although, let's face it: even glammed down, Pfeiffer is nothing but stunning). Necessarily, Friend plays Chéri (who has a fondness for ... pearl necklaces?!) as a spoiled Bosie Douglas type, which is a bit off-putting for a character we should be rooting for; however, his frequent nude scenes (showing off his milky skin like a marble statue) more than makes up for his petulant nature.

As in his previous films such as Dangerous Liaisons and The Grifters, Frears displays a knack for stories about morally ambiguous women facing the consequences of their lives in their autumn years. Hampton (who won an Oscar for adapting his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses to the screen) shows an economy in his writing here, employing a slightly sardonic narrator to comment on the action throughout.


Special mention must also be made of the finely crafted contributions of cinematographer Darius Khondji, composer Alexandre Desplat, production designer Alan MacDonald and especially costume designer Consolata Boyle, who deserves recognition come award time.

Too bad their works won't be showcased in high definition any time soon, as no Blu-ray release is scheduled at this time. Bonus materials on the DVD include a short "making of" feature and two deleted scenes.

Reverend's Reviews: Her Name is Chita

You've got to give Chita Rivera serious props for recording her first non-cast album at the ripe age of 76. And Now I Swingwas just released last week by Yellow Sound Label.

Rivera, who was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to the arts, is best known for her dance roles in such blockbuster Broadway productions as West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is preparing to go on tour in January, obviously having little to no intention of retiring.

While Rivera is a fine singer, she's never possessed what most would consider a "pretty" voice. Hers is a strong alto that she tends to employ forcefully. It certainly works for her on stage, but her voice on film and CD has been another matter.


That being said, And Now I Swing is well worth a listen by her fans as well as by Broadway aficionados and jazz enthusiasts. Her selection of songs on the CD is unique. There are several to-be-expected Kander & Ebb compositions, which Rivera gives a more intimate treatment here than is possible on stage. She also includes lovely renditions of the standard "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and Carol Hall's sentimental "Circle of Friends."

The CD's only misstep is the inclusion of "Carousel," written by Jacque Brel. Rivera handles it very well, technically speaking, but the song is repetitive to the point of inanity. It made me want to rip the CD out of my car's player and throw it out the window! Fortunately, I restrained myself.

Be sure to check out the photos of Rivera on the CD's jacket and within. I hope I look and sound as good when/if I make it to my 70's! And remember, as any Forbidden Broadway fan will tell you: Her name is Chita, and not Rita!

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.