Friday, November 29, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
Pheaturing Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel from "Frozen 2"
Come on, Sven!
Hey, kids welcome to the Phile for a Monday from Walt Disney World! How are you? Princesses, please stop asking attractive guests if they're "down to crown." Here at Walt Disney World coming next year are two new nighttime spectaculars! One will have fireworks, music, and lasers! The other will have lasers, music, and fireworks! Big changes coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. They're getting rid of all the animals. In just five days, we’ll be just two weeks away from the countdown to our week-long pre-premiere preview ten-day marathon! Please note that Uber and Lyft can't enter Disney property because it's technically not part of the United States. Haha.
Did you see Frozen 2 yet? It has truly been an epic journey for Elsa in Frozen 2. But is it possible that the story of the queen who could control ice is far from over? It looks like Disney is already considering a third Frozen movie. In Frozen 2, Elsa pretty much made the decision that would change her destiny forever: She abdicated her throne so Anna would rule Arendelle while Elsa became the protector of the Enchanted Forest. So could there be more to the story? Producer Peter Del Vecho told Cinemablend that it's probably best to leave the sisters with their current happy endings. "I think when we look at these two movies together, what I love about this is you've done an amazing job at weaving them," Del Vecho said to co-director Jennifer Lee. "[They're] one full story. So, now it feels like a complete journey." Sure, it feels like the conclusion of Frozen 2 was neatly tied up. However, Lee also pointed out that they shouldn't rule out a third film just yet since her co-director Chris Buck is leaving that option open. "It feels complete to me, but I don't know, Chris says ask him in a year," she said with a laugh. For now, I can't guarantee that Frozen 3 is happening. However, considering the film's astounding success on its first weekend alone, we wouldn't be surprised if Disney announces a third movie right away.
Wondering how to completely destroy your sex life? Tired of repelling people from your bedroom day after day after day, and looking for other solutions? Well, look no further than this Spotify playlist entitled "The Worst Songs To Have Sex To."
The list includes such sexual awakenings as the "Law & Order" theme song, “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “She’ll be Comin’ Round The Mountain,” and the "Reading Rainbow" theme song. Imagine, the night is heating up, you slowly go to the bedroom, put on some music, and it’s immediately “Yo-Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me).” You can’t write comedy without the amount of thought the person creating this playlist put into each and every selection. But nothing says “undress” like “The Christmas Shoes,” the Christmas song about a dying mother. With songs like these, your relationship is sure to deteriorate at an alarming rate. So next time you have a guest over, be sure to pull up this playlist. And then when they leave immediately, you’ll know you’ve succeeded. Before playlists, there was the mix tape. The films Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II used the mix tape as a plot point while introducing people to music of the 1970s and 80s. See how I tied this story to Disney. Ha!
Dame Julie Andrews is one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments. Brilliant actress, flawless singer, a ray of sunshine in a world gone mad... and think about it, who else more perfectly rocks a pixie cut? And who else could do so for decades? No one, that’s who. It’s simply not possible! We just flat-out do not deserve her. But even with all that perfection, every now and again Andrews goes on the ol’ telly and serves us even more reason to love her. And her recent appearance on "The Ellen Show" is just one such appearance. Dame Julie stopped by the Ellen studio to chat about her New York Times Bestseller, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years, and Ellen wanted to know about one thing: the sorts of wild Hollywood parties Andrews must have attended back in the swingin’ 60s and 70s. She demurred about the parties, but she did open up about something far more, um… interesting... walking into a staged orgy. Which, in true Julie Andrews form, she called “adorable,” bless her. It all happened during production of her late husband Blake Edwards’ celebrated romcom 10, in which there is a scene where Dame Julie’s character spies her boyfriend, the film’s main character played by Dudley Moore, engaging in an orgy with the neighbors. Edwards couldn’t believe what he was seeing and called Dame Julie to come over right away to bear witness. “He said, ‘Julie, you’ve just got to come on over here. It’s an unbelievable sight.’ So I went dashing over, of course I did.” Who wouldn’t‽ Andrews then went on to describe the scene as only she can. “And what Blake had done was hire an awful lot of people who really are very at ease doing orgy films, I guess! And I walked in and everybody was stark naked and lying around very happily and casually, treating it totally normally.” Who thought we one day would get to hear dignified Fraulein Maria talking so candidly about an orgy‽ Andrews went on to describe how diminutive Dudley Moore fit into this whole thing, “And there was sweet Dudley in the middle of it all, and you know, he wasn’t very, very tall. And Blake put him between two enormously statuesque ladies. So he was completely naked, and these two ladies were naked, but their bums were up here and little Dudley’s was down there. So sweet… It was more adorable than anything else, because Dudley was so adorable.” “Sweet” and “adorable”: a description of an orgy only Julie Andrews could pull off. As you might guess, folks on the Internet were absolutely delighted by this whole thing. And for some, the moment just underlined what a rare treasure Julie Andrews truly is. Okay, I'll let you into a little secret if you want, pulling the curtains back a little bit of the Phile... Julie Andrews' book Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years is going to the be 114th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club! There's still a bunch of books ahead of hers but hers is coming up, and yes, you know what that means... Julie Bloody Andrews will be on the Phile in a few months!!!
Last night's "American Music Awards" ushered in a brand new season of awards show drama, and it looks like Jenna Dewan is the first celeb to spill some tea. Actress Dewan was recorded whispering to her friend and eye-rolling while Camila Cabello performed at the "AMAs" last night. What does Dewan say in the clip? That's up for debate... but fans are pretty sure it wasn't a compliment. In the clip, Camila is performing with her reported boyfriend, Shawn Mendes. Camila, in the crowd, turns to her seatmate and appears to say, "She's always extra." Of course, none of us are professional lip-readers... but it really, really looks like Jenna's saying, "She's always extra." Cabello fans think Dewan was saying, "She always sounds good." Either way, the clip quickly went viral, to the point where Dewan responded on her Instagram Story. Dewan said she's been getting comments saying she shaded Cabello. "I don't know what that's about," she said, insisting that she's a huge fan of the singer. Based on the video, it seems Dewan might not have seen the clip of her appearing to call Cabello extra... or maybe she did see it but she's still sticking to the "no shade" story. Fans are losing it over the interaction... and they're not really buying Dewan's no-shade defense. They couldn't help but notice her eye roll and the surprised face she made when she apparently realized she was on camera. And many agree with Dewan's assessment... Cabello and Mendes's double act is a lot to handle. They did a repeat performance of their new "will-they-or-won't-they-kiss" shtick. And they didn't kiss. Either way, it looks like Jenna Dewan might have some new fans this morning.
In case you missed it, "The Mandalorian" has changed the game in its awesome third episode. In addition to blessing Star Wars fans with an epic battle sequence, "Chapter 3" also made it clear that "Baby Yoda" is one of the most important characters right now. But what could the Empire possibly want with the Child? In "Chapter 3: The Sin," the titular bounty hunter immediately took "Baby Yoda" to the Client, who refused to tell Mando what they plan to do with the Child. Although the Mandalorian initially thought of leaving the planet, he ultimately decided to come back and rescue the Child. There's a lot of things that were revealed when Mando sneaked back into the bunker looking for the Child. He overhears the Client telling Dr. Pershing to "extract the necessary material and be done with it." However, the scientist insists that someone (perhaps their boss) "explicitly ordered us to bring it back alive." So what does that mean? It has already been suggested that the Child is actually a clone of Yoda created in Kamino since Dr. Pershing is clearly a Kaminoan. Alternatively, there's a possibility that the Kaminoan scientist was brought in to clone the Child as it might be the last member of its species. But why clone such a powerful albeit tiny being in the first place? The Empire (or at least, the remnant of the Empire) might have big plans for Force-sensitive creators that may or may not have something to do with resurrecting a Sith Lord. However, it's important to point out that this has not yet been confirmed so take it with a grain of salt.
Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this album...
I'd still see it though. They're already planning a Frozen live action version and already casted the Elsa and Anna...
Haha. Did you know in Avengers: End Game someone else was gonna be in the movie? I have a screen shot of the deleted scene right here...
Hahaha. That scene looks boring anyway. In Frozen 2 I think they took it to the next level... I haven't seen the movie yet but seeing this I think I wanna...
Hmmmm... Dis you know Frozen wasn't the first movie Olaf was in. Don't believe me? I have proof!
Told ya! When I first heard of Frozen I thought it was about Olaf... the poster for the movie helped me understand though...
So, if you have Disney+ and the steaming service gives you problems you might see this questionable graphic on your screen...
Poor Simba. If I had a TARDIS I would love to go to the Magic Kingdom in he early 70s. But knowing my lick they'd still be building the castle...
I was thinking of getting a new tattoo but someone had the same idea I had...
Damn them! Okay, so, one of the best things about the Internet is you can look at porn so easily and for free. But the problem is if you're in public, such as a theme park, you might want to think twice about that. So I came up with a solution...
You're welcome, kids.
Frozen is really a superhero origin movie disguised as a princess flick.
If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. You might think you have your winter survival kit on lock, but did you know Neutrogena body oil, your car's eco mode, and vitamin D tablets are also secrets to sub-zero success? No? Well, I'm here yo help. Here's a new pheatire called...
Everyone knows you have to drink plenty of water in the summer... but it's also true in wintertime. Drink more water! In the summer, you don't need to be reminded to drink water and hydrate. But in the winter? You're wearing layers to wick sweat away from your body, the humidity in the air gets really low, and you're not feeling hot, so you don't always remember to drink enough water. Drink more water; kidney stones are no fun! Trust me, I had 14 of the bloody things in my life.
Phact 1. Walt Disney received one full-size Oscar for Snow White... as well as seven miniature ones
Phact 2. In 1943, Disney released an animated short called "Education for Death," to teach American children about Nazi life.
Phact 3. Ariel is the only Disney princess to have a child.
Phact 4. Disneyland in Orlando is its own city. It was built between two counties. Disney petitioned the Florida State legislature to let the company govern its own land, essentially making Disney World a separate city.
Phact 5. The Walt Disney Company makes about $1,110 per second.
The 109th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...
Chrissy will be on the Phile a week from today... next Monday. Weddings can often bring out the worst in people... While weddings are meant to be beautiful and emotional celebrations of love with friends and family, they've become TLC reality TV dramas whether you've chosen city hall or a 500 person capacity hotel ballroom. It's hard enough managing bridal parties, finding a dress and a venue, choosing the menu, sending invitations and learning how to be a professional event planner without also having to worry about your guests doing the one job they have which is to show up. It's rude to not RSVP to a wedding but it's an even more unacceptable crime to RSVP, show up so late you miss the ceremony AND do it all while being the bride's parents. A Phile reader emailed me and asked if she was wrong for getting married without her parents watching...
"Am I wrong for starting my wedding on time and not waiting for my parents? I got married on Saturday, and it was absolutely amazing except for one thing: my parents showed up late. They knew the ceremony time, and my husband and I made it very clear to everyone, both in the invites and in person, that we were going to start exactly at that time. The venue cost us a lot of money (we paid for the entire wedding ourselves) and we were only able to use it for a limited amount of time, so we wanted to make every minute count. So the wedding day came, and half an hour before we were scheduled to start, my parents still hadn't showed up. My husband and I both called them multiple times but nobody answered. We waited and waited, and still heard nothing. Finally, the start time arrived and my parents still weren't there. I was really pissed off at this point. The wedding coordinator asked if I wanted to go ahead and start the wedding, and I said yes. All of our other guests were already there, and we wanted to be considerate of their time. My parents showed up 15 minutes later and missed the entire ceremony. It turns out they did leave early but got rear-ended at a traffic light and had to deal with insurance, police, etc. They only have a landline, no cellphones, so they couldn't get in touch with me. Obviously there's no way I could have known this. I'm still frustrated with them for not making more of an effort to get to the venue early, and they're furious at me for not delaying the wedding 15 minutes so they could be there. Jason, am I wrong?" Hopefully this incident will inspire her parents to join the 21st century and get a cell phone... The piece of info I think is missing is: are your parents usually late or are they very prompt? If they’re chronically late I wouldn’t fault you for starting on time. However, if your parents are always on time my first thought certainly would have waited at least 10 minutes So, there you have it! I think nobody is directly in the wrong here, but the bride could've waited a little bit longer and had faith that her parents wouldn't want to miss their daughter's wedding.
Bench
Park couch
This is so cool... even frozen... hahaha... today's guests are two actresses that play sisters in the Walt Disney Pictures films Frozen and Frozen 2. Please welcome to the Phile... Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel!
Kristen: Pretty good.
Idina: Hi, Jason, I'm good.
Me: So, is it weird being back in Frozen world?
Kristen: No, because we've never been out of Frozen world. These movies take a long time to make. Usually they take about two and a half years but ours, because they of the meticulous script writing and paying attention to the story ours takes about three. So, we've never really been out of it.
Me: Are your kids Frozen fans?
Kristen: They like it but I think it's in our DNA to reject what our parents do or love in order to simulate into an outside tribe and local communities so they are sort of like lukewarm on Frozen.
Me: I disagree. My dad was the lead singer in Foghat and I was a big fan, and still am. So, how old are our kids, Kristen?
Kristen: Four and six. I'm pretty sure they are four and six. I'm 99% sure. LOL.
Me: So, when they first saw the movie did they know you were in it?
Kristen: Yeah, they always knew. You know what it was, I have done voice over work for a long time and when I first showed them Frozen, A) I couldn't contain myself and I wore the dress and B) when we would watch cartoons with them when they were REALLY young I would have to explain to them they don't have to be as scared because they can understand the context how it's made so that crazy dragon on "Paw Patrol" is actually a man making grumpy noises into a microphone.
Me: Don't you think that's scarier? Hahaha.
Kristen: Yeah, I suppose the threat was bigger when I explained it like that. They also come to the voice over booth with me a lot because I do a couple of cartoons and they have seen me in the booth quite a bit. And my first child was in my belly when I was doing a couple of songs in the first Frozen. Their pretty familiar with it.
Me: When did you know the movie had been so big, a pop culture phenomenon?
Kristen: When we first saw the screening of it we were all there, our cast, our producers, our director, I did feel something special but to me it was because I was half excited that I was in the Disney animation family and playing a Disney princess. How could I ever tell my 10-year-old self that I would do that in my life time. And half if it was that I was so bad to be part of a movie that broke some trope, and that was really about familial love and a love letter to the siblings. It broke the mold a little but, and also that I played a character that I needed to see when I was 10. I needed a princess that didn't have good posture, stumbled over her words, led with her heart and was kind of a goof ball. So I guess I had a special feeling about the movie but I didn't know. When I'm in this business I could think I made a movie that is brilliant but then it comes out and the public wasn't in the mood for it. But thankfully everyone was in the mood.
Me: Idina, when did you realize the movie had gotten so big?
Idina: Gosh, it's a weird question for me because I remember I was doing a Broadway show, eight shows a week and I was just trying to get through that. Someone mentioned the song "Let It Go" was getting a lot of attention being played on the radio. It was just so incremental to me, we weren't looking for it.
Kristen: We felt it was special when we were watching it and we were breaking the mold and were proud. I think with the success of it once a week we would look at the box office and go huh, that's a substantial climb from last week.
Me: Idina, what did you think about being in a Disney film again?
Idina: We were all so proud to be in a Disney film like the first Frozen. Everything we represented, our process, the people we worked with, the whole thing for me was just a wonderful process, the collaborative part of it and the rest of it was just the cherry on top. When I enjoy the process fully I don't worry about the result, it's usually much more fulfilling. Now this time there's more pressure on me and I start to think more about the stuff that people want me to think about it.
Me: Do you feel that pressure, Kristen?
Kristen: I don't. You know why, if I bake a cake with the same ingredients chances are it's going to come out just as good as the first time. Maybe I'm an optimist but I feel that we have the same exact recipe.
Me: So, how is it being in the second Frozen movie?
Idina: The integrity by the creators to really wait for the right time. It didn't feel like they were doing it to make a buck or to come out with a quick sequel. They really wanted to appeal to them, what should, this be about, and they were patient.
Kristen: In fact they got a lot of pressure from outside sources saying "you should make a second one, you need to make a second one." They were like they weren't ready, they don't know what it is and Jennifer Lee who wrote the movie and directed it she journaled as the characters for months before she found the story.
Me: What do you mean?
Kristen: She would sit down as a writer and the part of her process she would journal as Elsa, what is Elsa doing today, what's on her mind, it's phenomenal. What is Anna doing today, what is on Anna's mind...
Me: Why did she do this?
Kristen: To find a story that would have value and substance that wasn't just "episode 2." There's a lot of integrity behind it.
Me: That's crazy. So, Idina, how long have you been singing?
Idina: I've actually had the same voice teacher for almost 30 years.
Me: Do you do a lot of practicing?
Idina: I practice, I vocalize, I work on all my songs so that I understand them like little maps... kind of where I want to go with them, how I need to breathe and technically approach them. I really think about what I'm singing about and what they would sound like if they were a conversation to somebody else.
Me: Kristen, you weren't a singer originally I don't think, so what do you do?
Kristen: Not nearly as much as that. Jason, I studied music in college and so it's been a minute. I have relied on looking toward people like Idina and my voice teacher in Los Angeles to give me that kind of advice... to say, "Remember, stick with it. You're not humming to the radio. This is a job that you have, and this is a performance that you need to practice for." So it's really the practising and Idina just gave some great tips. I could tuck about the song in so many different ways as a conversation, as an athletic event, where do my breaths come and I write that down on paper and then I just drill it so my body just knows it like muscle memory.
Me: So, girls, what do you REALLY think of the song "Let It Go"? That song at first made me cringe but I actually like it now.
Kristen: Well look, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that "Let It Go" was one of my all-time favorite songs. It is such an anthemic piece of work. I sing to it and I get excited, Jason, when little girls sing to it... it reminds me that everybody is being told to think about who they are and that everything's okay.
Me: I could see Kristen playing Anna, but Idina, what do you have in common with Elsa?
Idina: I think what I have in common with Elsa is that I can be both shy sometimes and insecure about my life and then other times, like when I'm singing, I'm really bold, strong and courageous. I find in my life that I'm often trying to find that balance and the older I get, I've realized that that's a really nice balance to have. But when I'm younger, it's something that can be scary. When we have something that we're really good at, it's scary to let the world see that, because how will they perceive us? And so what I love about Elsa, especially in Frozen 2, is that she's not apologizing as much for her special gifts. She's ready to share them with the world.
Me: Okay, what do you think you have in common with Anna, Kristen?
Kristen: Everything, Pretty much everything.
Me: Hahaha. How so?
Kristen: Because, this is a fun fact, when the original script was written which was a script we actually scrapped before Jen Lee came on the project, the character of Anna was just seemingly much more of a standard for a Disney movie princess and in my mind was just a little more finicky and a little more uptight. I read it and I was caught in this place for being very grateful for having this job and also knowing that I was allowed to say what my instincts were and thankfully Chris Buck and Jen Lee were so collaborative. I said, "Listen, I really want to play me. I want to play who I NEEDED to see when I was a little girl. I want someone who is goofy and who is weird and doesn't fit a mold and who leads with her heart and has a ton of naïveté and a little bit of smarts but she hides it because she doesn’t know how to use it and he believes in everyone around her and goodness and kindness and for her words and we found that in the first script really well because Jen would write a scene and then let us sort of improv throughout it and say what do you think Anna would and I would go "I think she should..." and she would just say go. That's where the "oh, wait, what" came from because I say that. So she's who I saw myself being when I was 10-years-old and probably who I've become because I trip a lot as well.
Me: So, I have two sisters, what can they and other sisters learn from Frozen?
Kristen: Oh, wow. I think, very simply, that good results come when we believe in the people that we love and we give them the benefit of the doubt. It's hard on earth to believe in everyone around us and to fight for them because our feelings make us selfish often. That's normal and that's fine but I find I have two sisters and I fight against any judgment I have toward them. Their decisions are their decisions, and their path is their path. My job is to believe in them and remind them of that all the time because we cannot underestimate what that does for someone when they feel like their sibling believes in them.
Idina: I don't think I can say anymore to that. That was beautifully said. I have a younger sister, and actually, Kristen reminds me of her in a lot of ways. My younger sister is more of an old soul and has more wisdom about certain things than me, and I often feel that Kristen has more wisdom than I do in certain parts of life. It's when you can look up to each other, no matter what age you are, and find that thing in each other that inspires you. I think what Anna and Elsa do so beautifully is that they push each other, they push each other to be the best human beings that they can be. They want each others dreams to come true, they want joy and fulfillment in each others loves.
Me: Do you think they're competitive?
Idina: They might be competitive in some ways.
Kristen: It's okay to be competitive. It's okay to have all the emotions we have to our siblings, And what I love about Anna and Elsa so much is that they recognize in almost every moment that they are an extension of each other. That's not just emotionally... physically. If we are from the same parents, even if we're not blood related, if we grow up in a house we are an extension of each other. We won't get that special relation with anyone else on the planet. Hold those people close.
Me: So, have any of you ever built a snowman like Olaf? What kinda question is that? Hahaha.
Kristen: You know, Jason, I grew up in Michigan, right on the border of Detroit and Windsor, so it was very cold there. I will say, I don't know the specific snowman, but what I do remember is that I would go inside and take some of my mother's clothing outside and make sure that my snowman had really cool '80s dangly earrings and perhaps a pair of her heels that eventually got ruined in the snow. So my snowmen were dressed like '80s businesswomen. I say get creative with those snowmen... or snowwomen!
Me: The Murphy Brown of snowmen... or snowwomen. Ha. So, does Anna have superpowers in this new film?
Kristen: Here's what I'll tell you about Anna's powers: everyone says, is Anna going to get powers in Frozen 2? And my answer is that Anna has always had powers. Anna's power is her unending belief in other people because love is actually the biggest superpower you can have. And Anna has that coming out of her ears. That will be the power in this one too.
Me: So, there's two new girls in this movie, right?
Idina: Yeah, there's mom. Evan Rachel Wood plays our mother in a flashback when you'll see us as little girls and there's Honeymaren, a member of the Northuldra tribe who we meet on our adventure.
Kristen: Played by a wonderful actress named Rachel Matthews who helps us on our quest.
Me: Thanks, ladies, for being on the Phile. This was so cool... no pun intended. Please come back on the Phile again soon.
Kristen: Thank you, Jason.
Idina: Thank you. This was fun.
That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to my guests Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. The Phile will be back on Friday with filmmaker Chris Butler. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Have a good Thanksgiving. Bye, love you, bye.
I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon