"ROCK OF AGES" - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Rock of Ages

Although I have yet to see the Stage Version of Rock of Ages, I can say with complete confidence that its Film Adaptation stands magnificently on its own as a thrilling Moviegoing Experience. Adam Shankman (A Walk to Remember, Hairspray) delivers an electrifying display of Showmanship and he will forever be known as the Director who convincingly transformed Tom Cruise into a Rock Star here.

The Premise is familiar: a Smalltown Girl named Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and a City Boy named Drew (Diego Boneta) who meet in Hollywood, working at Hotspot called The Bourbon Room, with dreams and aspirations of making it big. They are brought together by their undying passion for Rock 'n' Roll, even though they are an unlikely pairing.  At the same time, financially-ailing The Bourbon Room faces the tight scrutiny of Mayor Whitmore (Bryan Cranston) and his Wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) due to some unpaid taxes and its promoting of immoral values; a watchful eye triggered passionately perhaps by a personal motive on the latter's part.  All the while, washed-up Rock Legend Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) soon is set to hit the stage in a highly-publicized performance which could be the Club's saving grace.  Rock of Ages however, is so much more than its Synopsis suggests.  It is a Celebration of the Power of Music; an embodiment of Rock 'n' Roll's rebellious spirit. It is an emphatic statement about believing in your dreams and fighting the fight for them.

Filled with superb performances from its Ensemble, Newcomer Diego Boneta wows at first asking in his Debut, while Dancing with the Stars Alumni Julianne Hough solidifies her place as a real Movie Star.  No one can deny the infectious charisma and energy of both Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin, while Oscar Winner Catherine Zeta-Jones gives us her tightest performance since Chicago - getting a chance to do exactly what she does best here.  Surprisingly good is Toronto's own Malin Åkerman as an uptight Rolling Stone Journalist. The biggest revelation of all here is Tom Cruise's jaw-dropping work as Stacee Jaxx - a mishmash of Jim Morrison, Axl Rose and Jon Bon Jovi. Many will be surprised, if not stunned by his performance which surely will garner some Awards buzz even this early in the Season.

ENTER TO WIN "ROCK OF AGES" - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

Official Artwork for Rock of Ages - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I've been going on about it at length on Twitter all week and now it's your turn to enjoy it. Universal Music Canada & Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven want to give Readers a chance to win a copy of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Rock of Ages, now in-stores!

Even if like me you haven't yet seen the Broadway Musical, you won't be able to resist some of these Big Arena Covers of our favourite Rock Tunes of the '80s-early '90s.  Better yet, did I mention that these versions heard/seen in the Movie are performed by Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diego Boneta ... and TOM CRUISE?  Your jaws will drop. Your socks will be knocked.

The superbly-infectious Soundtrack includes the following Tracks:

1. Paradise City - Guns N'Roses (Tom Cruise)

2. Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin' But A Good Time - Night Ranger & David Lee Roth & Poison (Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin)

3. Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Foreigner & Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough)

ADAM SHANKMAN IN TORONTO FOR "ROCK OF AGES"

Adam Shankman in Toronto - June 2012

They don't come more well-rounded than Adam Shankman. The Director/Actor/Choreographer/Producer landed in Toronto last night to do a round of Press for the widely-awaited Motion Picture Adaptation of Rock of Ages from Warner Bros.  Shankman got one of his first breaks dancing for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson and his directorial Efforts are v. familiar to us including 2007's Hairspray and 2002's A Walk to Remember.

The $80-million Musical Comedy centers around two Singers, Drew (Diego Boneta) and Sherrie (Julianne Hough) who arrive in Hollywood with dreams of making it big. In the meantime, they take jobs at famed The Bourbon Room and soon learn that life in Los Angeles isn't quite what it's cut-out to be.  The Film stars also Paul Giamatti, Alec Balwdwin, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige, Malin Åkerman, Bryan Cranston and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  Its biggest secret Weapon also happens to be its biggest Star Tom Cruise as sexy, washed-up Rock Star Stacee Jaxx, ready to impress the world with a full-on transformation in this is first Role requiring him to sing.  

Spirited Shankman was said to have taken a Photo on his Cell Phone of the Audience for Cruise last night at a Screening held at AMC - Yonge & Dundas, encouraging the Audience to have fun, dance and sing along.  

I caught-up with him earlier today as he finished a series of Radio Interviews following a Breakfast Television appearance at CityTV.  Host Dina Pugliese has nothing but raves for the Film, in theatres June 15, 2012 giving it "two thumbs up!" on Twitter.

 I'll be reviewing Rock of Ages shortly, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, preview its Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in full here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

DIEGO GONZÁLEZ BONETA CAST IN LEAD ROLE FOR "ROCK OF AGES" MOVIE

Diego González Boneta

After much deliberation, a Lead Actor finally has been chosen for the upcoming Feature Film adaptation of Rock of Ages from New Line Cinema (Warner Bros.). 21 year-old Diego González Boneta has been cast as Drew Boley, a young Man who moves to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of making it in the Music Industry.

He will be supported by a talented Cast which includes Julianne Hough as his love interest Sherrie, in addition to Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige and Alec Baldwin. Amy Adams is said to be in talks to star also as a Reporter who is the love interest of Cruise’s character, Stacee Jax.

For those of you who are Fans of the ABC Family Show Pretty Little Liars - and I know many of you are - you might remember Boneta as Alex Santiago. He also stars in TV series 90210 as Javier, also a Singer.

(Photo credit: Francis Bertrand)

REVIEW: ANDREA BOCELLI - MY CHRISTMAS

I am going to go out on a limb here and any risk coolness points that I might have left, but my motto has always been to appreciate art for an artist's craft and the heart put into it. Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas has put me into holiday mode completely and despite the many blockbuster releases that have hit the shelves in recent weeks, this one has preoccupied the Disc 1 tray of my CD player much of late. Inasmuch as a David Foster production can be safe and predictable, I cannot deny that this album is damn good. During the holidays, I want something heartwarming and festive, not cutting edge.

Bocelli tries some new things here, scaling back the operatic theatrics in his vocals for a new audience of pop music listeners like myself on secular classics like White Christmas, the über-cute Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells (featuring The Muppets!) and Silent Night; all epitomizing holiday spirit. The divo arrives in full enchanting force doing what he does best on numbers like The Lord's Prayer, Adeste Fideles, Cantique De Noel and Caro Gesu' Bambino. That is powerful stuff right there.

My Christmas unleashes a few unexpected surprise collaborations, the strongest being the chilling What Child Is This (featuring a subdued Mary J. Blige). Duets like The Christmas Song (featuring Natalie Cole) don't offer anything new we haven't heard prior and one slight veering in the country direction with Blue Christmas (featuring Reba McEntire) is well-intentioned, but the result is one of few non-gratifying moments on the album. Overall, a classic. Grade: A-

Preview What Child Is This by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige below (courtesy of Decca Records/Universal Music):

THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS - A 1.5 MINUTE RECAP

It's been an extremely busy day on the blog from naked Babydaddys to a review about a football film. You cannot criticize me for not trying to branch-out! I'm not going to go into too much detail, but as per multiple requests over Facebook Chat and text messages to my Blackberry, I am going to re-cap for you my highlights of tonight's American Music Awards. No nonsense, just straight to-the-point.

• Janet Jackson opening the show with a mimed medley of hits that included her latest track Make Me (not technically a hit) from her just-released Number Ones compilation. It appears that Jackson is back to the original weight she was at when she released her ground-breaking Control album and I love it. She looks healthy and content.
• Need I mention how amazing Lady Gaga is? Her medley of new hit single Bad Romance and Freddie Mercury-esque ballad Speechless was the highlight of the show. I do think though that her costume would have looked better with claws. I admit I was a little petrified seeing her play on a flame-ignited piano, as it looked as though her wig would get singed at any moment. I'm still trying to figure out what the deal was with the breaking of the empty (fake sugar-glass) Johnny Walker bottles. And yes, I feel truly that she was robbed of the Breakthrough Artist award which went to country band Gloriana. I'm so ready for her Toronto show this Saturday!
• It was amazing seeing Whitney Houston's celebrated performance of I Didn't Know My Own Strength from her I Look To You album. Although her vocals were all over the place, certainly she is getting there slowly but surely....
• Jennifer Lopez was stunning in her mimed performance of new single Louboutins. Yes, she did fall on stage after climbing on-top of her male dancers (as seen in the photo below), but being the consummate professional she is, she made it look deliberate and carried on. It is ironic though that she was wearing a pair of Louboutins and fell in them; product placement gone wrong.
• Although I am not a fan of the track, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' performance of Billboard Hot 100-topping Empire State of Mind was quite enjoyable. The New York, New York intro was a nice touch.
• Shakira is always a pleasure to watch and although I have my doubts about her choice for the second single off She Wolf, her performance of Give It Up To Me was stellar... as usual.
• Rihanna's new album Rated R sucks. She can call it "art" all she wants, but it still sucks. And seeing her perform a track live did not make it suck less.
• Is it just me or does Mary J. Blige's new track I Am sound like a Mariah Carey B-side?
• I love Kelly Clarkson but she really needs to step-up her game. Her performance of single Already Gone was far from engaging.

TIFF DAY 4 CONTINUED - PRECIOUS REVIEW

I am totally starting to feel a bit of burnout after attending three screenings today. Before I head to bed though, I just wanted to tell you that director Lee Daniels' Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire is everything that it is hyped-up to be. I arrived at the red carpet for the gala at Roy Thompson Hall two hours prior to its 9:30 PM start time and there was already a massive crowd waiting armed with digital cameras and clipboards. This made it virtually impossible to sneak a peak at any stars, so I gave up and proceeded to go line up for my seat with my BFFs. Alas, my hopes of getting close to Mariah Carey this year were dashed!

Due to the mass arrival of celebrities at tonight's gala, additional time was required for interviews with the media, delaying the screening start time by a whopping 45 minutes. It was well worth the wait though, as the audience was treated to a spectacle of stars that included Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Paula Patton, Robin Thicke (Patton's husband), Sherri Shepherd, Lee Daniels, Gayle King and the film's star, Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe. The audience was given a very warm welcome in a heart-felt introduction by Daniels and producers Winfrey and Perry. I didn't know who to take pictures of first. There were too many stars!

Pictures are below: