The EDDYS

The EDDYS or The Entertainment Editors' Choice is an annual film event in the Philippines that honors craftsmen, actors, writers, directors, workers, and producers in the Philippine film industry.
The awards are given by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), whose members are the entertainment editors of national broadsheets and top tabloids in the Philippines. The group was established in 2015.
Categories.
The awards are presented in the following 14 categories:
Winners.
2020.
The 2020 Entertainment Editors’ Choice (Eddys) was cancelled. The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), the group which hands out the movie awards, released a statement in April announcing their decision to forgo The Eddys 2020.
2021.
The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, held the first digital edition of The EDDYS on April 4, 2021. The awards night, which streamed live on various platforms (Facebook via Manila Standard, The Daily Tribune, and SPEEd pages; FDCPchannel.ph; and on Nickie Wang's Youtube channel VERY WANG) was hosted by Robi Domingo and directed by Ice Seguerra. Among the presenters were FDCP's Liza Dino, actor Dingdong Dantes, and Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos-Recto.
Here are the winners:
History.
The inaugural The EDDYS was staged on July 8, 2017 at the Kia Theatre (now New Frontier Theatre) and was telecast on ABS-CBN. It was hosted by father and son Edu Manzano and Luis Manzano.
In 2018, The EDDYS collaborated with Globe Studios as major presenter while the awards night was produced by FM station, Wish 107.5. For the first time, The EDDYS staged a Nominees Night on June 3, 2018 at Valencia Events Place in Quezon City. It was co-sponsored by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), headed by Chairman Liza Diño.
The 2nd EDDYS was held at Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City on July 9, 2018. The show was directed by Paolo Valenciano and was hosted by siblings Ruffa Gutierrez and Raymond Gutierrez.
The third edition of the annual awards was held on July 14, 2019 at the New Frontier Theatre in Cubao Quezon City. The awarding ceremonies was telecast on Colours Channel. It was hosted by broadcast journalist and Rated K host Korina Sanchez with Lourd de Veyra as segment host.
In its 4th edition, EDDYS was supposed to introduce four additional categories to include local films that first premiered on streaming services like Netflix, iflix, iWant, and HOOQ. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the awards night, which was slated on July 5 and to be hosted by Boy Abunda, was cancelled.
Events.
The Nominees Night, which is one of the most anticipated run-ups to the main event celebrates the creatives, talented artists, and film workers who are nominated in The EDDYS. The first and second edition was in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Prior to the awarding ceremony for the 2nd EDDYS, cinematography, acting, scripwriting, and sound design workshops were held in partnership with FDCP. Two best film nominees (TBA's Birdshot and T-Rex Entertainment's Deadma Walking) were also screened at FDCP's Cinematheque Center Manila. The free film showing was in line with Globe Studio's #playitright anti-piracy campaign.
Organization.
SPEEd (Society of the Philippine Entertainment Editors), the organization behind the annual The EDDYS, is made up of entertainment editors of newspapers and tabloid circulated daily nationwide. The non-profit organization was established in 2015 initially as a social club.
The organization was Initially formed as a social group led by its founding president, Manila Standard's former entertainment editor, Isah V. Red. He was succeeded by Manila Bulletin's Jojo Panaligan (2018) and then by People's Tonight's Ian Fariñas (2019).
SPEEd currently has 17 members and two honorary members.
Philanthropy.
Apart from the annual awards show, the group behind The EDDYS also organizes events to give back to the community. SPEEd marked the founding of the organization with an outreach activity at the Anawim Home for the Abandoned and Rejected Elderlies in Barangay San Isidro in Rodriguez, Rizal. In its effort to advance entertainment journalism in the Philippines, SPEEd currently supports a Communication Arts student as the group's first scholar.


Shopaholic (novels)

Shopaholic is a series of novels written by the UK author Sophie Kinsella, who also writes under her real name Madeleine Wickham. The books follow protagonist Rebecca Bloomwood, an idealistic, but intelligent and hard-working financial journalist through her adventures in shopping and life. Each book typically centers around a large shift in Becky's personal or work life and details the trouble that ensues as a result of her quirky personality and unrealistic goals. As of October 2019, there are ten books in the series. The entire series has been optioned by a Hollywood studio. The first Shopaholic film was released 13 February 2009.
Film.
The first "Shopaholic" film, "Confessions of a Shopaholic", was released on 13 February 2009 and was based on the first and second books. It is directed by P. J. Hogan and stars Isla Fisher as Rebecca and Hugh Dancy as Luke.
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" has received generally negative reviews from critics. As of March 6, 2009, the film holds an average score of 38, based on 30 reviews on the web site Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a rating of 25%, based on 165 reviews with an average score of 4.37/10. The site's consensus reads: "This middling romantic comedy underutilizes a talented cast and delivers muddled messages on materialism and conspicuous consumption."


Anfora

Anfora is the largest Mexican manufacturer of vitrified ceramics. It is based in the silver mining city of Pachuca, in the state of Hidalgo, in Mexico.
History.
Anfora was founded in 1920 by Pablo Schmidt, Alberto Lenz, Julio Vermehren, Carlos Reichert, Enrique Hilger, Federico Ritter and Adolfo Goerz in Mexico City as a porcelain manufacturer for home and institutional ceramic dinnerware. After the Mexican Revolution, Anfora grew its production through German technology and Mexican labor, eventually coming to dominate the Mexican market for this type of products. In 1932, Anfora started to manufacture sanitaryware for the construction market. During World War II, the Mexican government under Lázaro Cárdenas intervened the company as the original owners were of German nationality. After a tumultuous period of poor decisions and lack of investment by government officials, the company was sold in 1947 to local investors. The period of explosive post-war growth, plus its installed infrastructure, allowed Anfora to grow exponentially and become a household name. In 1994, the factory moved to a facility in Pachuca, where it continues to operate with over 1,000 people in 2020.
Markets.
The company sells in Mexico through a network of distributors and wholesalers. In the USA, it is represented exclusively by Steelite for the foodservice market, where it competes against local factories like Homer Laughlin and Hall China. Home use dinnerware is sold through retailers like Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma. One of the most traditional Anfora pattern is the hand painted Blue and White Puebla, sold as a collector's dinnerware through individuals on eBay. Other customers include Starbucks and Mexican restaurants like Sanborns, Las Mañanitas and San Angel Inn.
In Japan, Anfora is represented by The Harvest Kitchen Store as well as by Royal Bussan. European markets are served through Steelite UK, while Latin America has its share of local importers.


Tina Williams Brewer

Tina Williams Brewer is an American quilting artist, recognized for story quilts about African American history. Brewer was born in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Brewer started in interior design and pottery, but moved to quilting in 1986, feeling it was more compatible with motherhood. She is currently based in Pittsburgh, PA and has served on the boards of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
Career.
Brewers weaves symbolism into her works to tell stories focusing on issues of family, women and children, and the spirituality of the African American culture, and her personal experiences associated with them. Much of her older works focused on the Middle Passage and her ancestors arriving to America on slave ships, but she also focuses on African American contributions to history and society, such as Jazz.
Brewer works in artistic community outreach, using her insight to encourage others in the creative and collaborative process. She mentors aspiring artists of all ages, and has brought the quilting experience to hundreds of individuals in schools and residency programs. She volunteers and works in a number of arts guilds, and is sought after for workshops and lectures.
Brewer's quilts have been featured in collections such as those of the African American Museum, Dallas, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio. Her quilts have been exhibited internationally via the “Art in Embassies” program of the U.S. Department of State. Her quilts are displayed at the US Embassy in Ghana. Her work was included in that program’s exhibitions in Accra (2003), Khartoum (2009), and Dhaka (2011). Brewer describes her design process as using the concept of the mandala. Friday, June 12, 2009 was proclaimed "Tina Willilams Brewer Day" by Pittsburgh City Council.
Personal life.
Brewer lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, John Brewer. She has two children, John Emery and Kristine, and four grandchildren.
Works.
"The harvest", 1989
"Migration blues", 1998
"Formation", 2002
"Rising from the thicket", 2014
"#1 of this place", 2016
"Whirling dance and the unconscious rhythm"
Exhibitions.
Her work has been displayed in more than 50 major venues in the United States, some of which include:


Buncheong

Buncheong ware, or "Punch'ong", is a form of traditional Korean stoneware, with a bluish-green tone. Pots are coated with a white slip, and decorative designs are painted on using an iron pigment. The style of stoneware arose in the 14th century and continues today.
History.
Buncheong ware developed from the earlier Goryeo celadon inlay technique called "sanggam" and rapidly distinguished itself. The style emerged in the early Joseon dynasty, largely replacing the style of celadon in common use. In contrast to the refined elegance of Goryeo celadon, buncheong is designed to be natural, unassuming, and practical. However, it all but disappeared from Korea after the 16th century due to the popularity of Joseon white porcelain.
Through a series of cultural and economic circumstances, Buncheong wares in its heyday were exported to Japan by practitioners of the Japanese tea ceremony. After they were adopted by the Japanese tea masters, they started to influence Japanese ceramics. And from Japan, Buncheong spread widely and became known as Mishima pottery.
In the 20th century, elements of Buncheong influenced many artists seeking insight into Asian ceramic traditions, and Buncheong continues to inspire artists to this day. Today, some Korean artists are working in stoneware with Buncheong techniques. The development of Buncheong is described in the 2011 book "Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art", published to accompany the exhibition "Poetry in Clay" in New York and San Francisco.
The National Museum of Korea houses a large collection of Buncheong ware, as well as the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul.
Characteristics.
Buncheong is characterised by the use of a dark, iron bearing clay, white slip for decoration and a clear glaze. Decorations can be white slip brushed on, drawing through white slip to reveal the dark body, iron oxide pigments applied with a brush and other methods all employing white slip on the dark body.


Be Our Guest

"Be Our Guest" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures' 30th animated feature film "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). Recorded by American actor Jerry Orbach and English actress Angela Lansbury as Lumière and Mrs. Potts, respectively, "Be Our Guest" is a large-scale Broadway-inspired musical number that takes place during the first half of "Beauty and the Beast", performed by the castle's staff of enchanted objects in an elaborate attempt to welcome Belle. Menken initially intended for the melody of "Be Our Guest" to be temporary but was ultimately unable to compose a satisfying one with which to replace it. The song had originally been intended for Belle's father Maurice. However, "Be Our Guest" had to be entirely re-written as the story evolved in order to return its focus to Belle.
"Be Our Guest" has garnered universal acclaim from both film and music critics who, in addition to dubbing the song a show-stopper, praised its catchiness and Orbach's vocal performance while applauding the scene's unprecedented use of computer-generated imagery. "Be Our Guest" has since been extolled as one of Disney's most celebrated and popular songs, establishing itself as one of the studio's greatest and most iconic. "Be Our Guest" received nominations for both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Original Song, being performed by Orbach live at the 64th Academy Awards, ultimately losing both to the film's title song. "Be Our Guest" has been ranked highly on several "best Disney song" countdown lists, garnering recognition from IGN, "M "and the American Film Institute. Disney has further used the song in the Broadway musical adaptation and the 2017 live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast". The song's title has been used for the Be Our Guest Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom, and as a tagline for promoting the 2017 film. The song has been parodied in an episode of "The Simpsons" and the film "".
Background.
Originally, "Beauty and the Beast", under the direction of Richard Purdum, was not intended to be a musical. Then-studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg made the decision to turn the film into a Broadway-style musical similar to "The Little Mermaid" (1989), Disney's previous animated film, after he, displeased with the film's initial story reel, ordered the film scrapped and restarted from scratch. As a result, Purdum resigned, and first-time feature film directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale replaced him.
Following the Academy Award-winning success of "The Little Mermaid", Katzenberg asked "The Little Mermaid" songwriting duo of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken to write the songs for and score "Beauty and the Beast". At first Ashman, who was at the time writing songs with Menken for a recently pitched idea for another Disney film called "Aladdin" (1992), was reluctant to join the struggling film project, but eventually agreed.
Musically, "Be Our Guest" is based on a simple melody that was composed by Menken, who initially had little intention of using it as anything more than just a "dummy." Upon singing the tune and presenting it to co-writer Ashman, Menken discovered that he was unable to come up with a melody capable of surpassing "that dumb piece of music that I wrote initially because it was just right." Subsequently, Ashman wrote the song's lyrics.
Originally, the filmmakers had initially intended for "Be Our Guest" to be performed by Lumière to Belle's disoriented father Maurice when the character first discovers the Beast's castle. According to co-director Gary Trousdale, "The song had already been recorded and the sequence partially animated when we decided that it would be more meaningful if it was directed towards Belle" because "she is one of the two main characters and the story revolves around her coming to the castle." Consequently, the song had to be re-written and the entire scene re-animated. Trousdale explained, "We had to bring Jerry Orbach and all the other vocal talents back into the studio to change all references to gender that appeared in the original recording."
Context, scene, and analysis.
"Beauty and the Beast"'s fourth musical number, "Be Our Guest" is set within the first half of the film, occurring shortly after Belle sacrifices her own freedom in return for her father's, becoming the Beast's prisoner. Confined to her bedroom when she, upset, stubbornly refuses to join the Beast for dinner, Belle eventually ventures into the kitchen after feeling hungry, where she is greeted by the castle's staff of enchanted inanimate objects – Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and Lumière. Upon insisting that they treat her more like a guest than a prisoner, Lumière decides to go against the Beast's orders and invites Belle to dinner. A "food chorus line," "Be Our Guest" is "a rollicking invitation to Belle from the castle staff." As one of the film's most poignant, large-scale, "all-stops-pulled production number[s]," the scene features "dancing plates and other fanciful dinner guests" as they "perform for Belle, hoping to make her stay a little more comfortable." As the film's heroine, Belle is served a meal in the form of "a Broadway-quality stage show." Commonly regarded as the "show-stopper" of "Beauty and the Beast", the sequence both visually and musically "derive[s its] insatiable energy and excitement from the gradual accumulation of participation." "The Washington Post" observed that "'Be Our Guest'" involves "the household gadgets enjoin[ing] Belle to live with them," comparing it heavily to the song "Under the Sea" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (1989), which was also written by Menken and Ashman. Longing to be human, servant and maître d' Lumière is also of the impression that he is worth nothing unless he serves, singing,"Life is so unnerving/For a servant who's not serving."
In terms of character development, "Be Our Guest introduces both Belle and audiences to Lumière's "musical expertise." Additionally, the energetic and flamboyant way in which Lumiere, a suave, French-accented candelabra, is personified and portrayed throughout "Be Our Guest" has often been likened to French entertainer Maurice Chevalier. "The Washington Post "commented, "The model for Lumiere seems to have been Maurice Chevalier, and the idea is so choice, and so deftly executed, that it places him immediately among the top rank of Disney characters." American actor and singer Jerry Orbach, who provided the voice of Lumiere, himself admitted to "People "that the character was very much him doing a deliberate impersonation of Chevalier.
Described as both a "musical montage" and the "magical set piece" of "Beauty and the Beast", "Be Our Guest" is "a big production number featuring dancing cutlery." Analyzing the scene's complex, elaborate choreography, film critics have observed the profound influence that American filmmaker and choreographer Busby Berkeley has had on "Be Our Guest", deeming its lively "Busby Berkeley-style choreography" both "joyous and charming" while commenting, "Without the confines of camera range, there are virtually no limits to how spectacular an animated Berkeley scene can be ... most notably ... 'Be Our Guest'." David Kronke of Amazon.com hailed the song itself as "an inspired Busby Berkeley homage." Similarly, the Dance Films Association wrote, "the 'Be Our Guest' number features practically all of the techniques employed by Berkeley in his musical comedies," while "The New York Times" called "Be Our Guest" a "Busby Berkeley-style number in which Belle is serenaded by furniture and dishes." Film critic Roger Ebert joked that the "Be Our Guest" choreography resembles "Busby Berkeley running amok." Additionally, Jerry Griswold, author of "The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook", observed several similarities between "Be Our Guest" and a scene from Maurice Sendak and Carole King's musical "Really Rosie".
Significantly, "Beauty and the Beast "was one of Disney's earliest feature-length animated films to fully employ computer-generated imagery and technology, utilizing it to a significant extent, as depicted throughout its signature musical numbers "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast." Significantly, "Be Our Guest" "marks the debut of the [Pixar Image Computer] system that is featured in the ballroom dance sequence and 'Be Our Guest'." Due to its elaborateness, the sequence has been noted for "tak[ing] full advantage of the advantages of animation."
Music and lyrics.
"Be Our Guest" is, according to the song's official sheet music, a Broadway musical-inspired song. Another inspiration for the song is a minor theme from Mahler's Third Symphony, occurring in both the first and third movements, which the Disney song copied nearly note for note as the main theme. An energetic, "turbo-charged Broadway chorus number," "Be Our Guest" was written in common time at a "free" tempo of 50 beats per minute, spanning a length of three minutes and forty-four seconds. In "Be Our Guest," Orbach's "low" tenor or baritone vocal range spans roughly three octaves, from the low note of F3 to the high note of D♭6. Described as a "scintillating," "jolly," "lavish and bouncy" song, "Be Our Guest" is, according to "TV Guide", a "boisterous" number, comparing it to songs from the Broadway musicals "Hello, Dolly! "and "Mame". Musically, the song, according to Film.com, has a total of four key changes and modulations, beginning slowly and "gradually build[ing] ... to a thunderous, bring-the-house-down climax."
Additionally described as "a spark of Gallic vaudeville that lights a flame to both [entertainers] Maurice Chevalier and Yves Montand," "Be Our Guest" depicts both "fun" and "humour." Extending a warm, energetic invitation towards Belle, the first verse of the song is preceded by a spoken introduction. It reads, at first in French, ""Ma chere Mademoiselle", it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents: your dinner," immediately succeeded by the sung lyrics "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test," continuing with ""Go on, unfold your menu / take a glance and then you'll / be our guest / oui, our guest / be our guest"." A nostalgic Lumiere muses about being human, pining for the "good old days when we were useful." Furthermore, Lumiere voices his need to serve, singing, "Life is so unnerving/For a servant who's not serving."
Reception.
Critical response.
"Be Our Guest" has been universally lauded, receiving widespread critical acclaim and garnering nearly unanimously positive reviews from both film and music critics. Hailing it as a "crowd-pleasing production number," "TV Guide" drew similarities between "Be Our Guest" and songs from the Broadway musicals "Hello, Dolly! "and "Mame". "The Globe and Mail"'s Jennie Punter called the song "show-stopping." Similarly, Drew Taylor of Indiewire echoed Punter's statement, writing, "when the enchanted wait staff dazzle the captive Belle, assuring her that she's not a prisoner she's a guest of the castle," the result is ultimately "show-stopping." Writing for the "Austin Chronicle", Kathleen Maher, who generally panned the film's songs and musical numbers, liked "Be Our Guest", describing it as "Beauty and the Beast"'s "only ... magical set piece." Ranking "Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" as Disney's greatest soundtrack, Moviefone's Sandie Angulo Chen highlighted "Be Our Guest", noting its "infectious quality" while hailing it as an "amazing food chorus line." JoBlo.com wrote that "Be Our Guest" is both "eye-popping" and "impossibly catchy." Orbach's performance as Lumiere has also garnered significant praise. Filmtracks.com commented, "the ever popular 'Be Our Guest' ... flourish[es] due to a spirited lead performance by Jerry Orbach." Similarly, Hollywood.com cited in the website's biography of the actor, "Among the highlights of ["Beauty and the Beast"] was Orbach's delivery of the showstopping number 'Be Our Guest'."
Several critics have awarded specific praise to "Be Our Guest"'s choreography, comparing it extensively to the work of director and choreographer Busby Berkeley. In addition to hailing "Be Our Guest" as "delightful," Candice Russel of the "Sun-Sentinel "wrote, "In setting the table for Belle, Lumiere and friends concoct a Busby Berkeley song-and-dance extravaganza." The "Deseret News"' Chris Hicks described "the Busby Berkeley-style 'Be Our Guest'" as "first-rate." Lisa Schwarzbaum of "Entertainment Weekly "highlighted the scene, writing, "The set pieces are narcotically pleasing, especially the Busby Berkeley-style dancing-kitchenware spectacular, 'Be Our Guest'." James Berardinelli of "ReelViews" coined "'Be Our Guest' ... the animated equivalent of Broadway show-stoppers, with all the energy and audacity of something choreographed by Busby Berkeley." Calling it a "wonderful musical number," Roger Ebert enthused, "'Be Our Guest' is a rollicking invitation to Belle from the castle staff, choreographed like Busby Berkeley running amok." In review of the 2011 3D re-release of "Beauty and the Beast", Stephen Whitty of "The Star-Ledger "commented, "The illusion of depth does add more life to the enchanted housewares — particularly the 'Be Our Guest' number, with its Busby Berkeley geometrics."
While "Beauty and the Beast"'s several theatrical re-releases and reissues have been met with generally mixed reviews, critical response towards the "Be Our Guest" musical sequence has remained predominantly positive. Reviewing the 2001 IMAX re-release of the film, the "Los Angeles Times'" Charles Solomon felt that the inclusion of the deleted song "Human Again" was unnecessary, preferring "Be Our Guest" and writing, "a second major production number simply isn't needed; 'Be Our Guest' is sufficient." Similarly, the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer"'s William Arnold wrote, "On the other hand, it's understandable why ["Human Again"] was cut from the original. It's almost too similar to the film's show-stopper, 'Be Our Guest'." Reviewing the film's 2012 3D conversion, Todd Gilchrist of "Boxoffice" wrote that "Be Our Guest" is "effective, immersive and maybe even memorable." Meanwhile, Annlee Ellingson of "Paste "wrote, "It's thrilling to experience this film's major set pieces on the big screen again, especially the Broadway-infused 'Be Our Guest' number." "The Times-Picayune"'s Mike Scott wrote, "But then the 3-D all but disappears until the 'Be Our Guest' number -- with its artfully surreal dance of the dishes." Andrew Pulver of "The Guardian", who otherwise criticized the film's songs, praised "Be Our Guest", writing, "Apart from the spectacular Busby Berkeleyesque [']Be Our Guest['], the film pretty much grinds to a halt whenever one of the songs ... starts up." Likewise, Neil Smith of "Total Film "concluded that "only ‘Be Our Guest’ and the ballroom swoop really benefit from a stereoscopic make-over that doesn't do the hand-drawn remainder many favours."
Although vastly critically acclaimed, the song did receive some minor criticism. Lukewarmly, Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic commented, "numbers like 'Be Our Guest' provides evidence that Lumiere and co. are infinitely preferable as entertaining flatware." On Lansbury's performance, Tan joked, "The singer's delightfully personable contribution is "almost" reason enough to forgive Disney for thinking her English accent ... would not look out of place in a film set in 18th century France." A more negative review was written by Pete Vonder Haar of "The Houston Press". Observing that "Beauty and the Beast" "was Disney's first stab at incorporating computer animation," he felt that "the results are, now, pretty primitive," concluding, "I recall thinking the dancing forks during 'Be Our Guest' ... looked pretty bad and time has not been kind." The song has also been compared to "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid", most of which have been mixed. Jay Boyar the "Orlando Sentinel "opined, "'Be Our Guest' ... is the closest thing in "Beauty and the Beast" to the bubbly 'Under the Sea' extravaganza in "The Little Mermaid"," while "Entertainment Weekly"'s Owen Gleiberman's review was much more negative, describing the song as "merely serviceable" and concluding, 'Be Our Guest,' ... sorry to say, is no 'Under the Sea'." Likewise, Desson Howe" "of "The Washington Post "panned both the song and Lumiere, writing, "the Candelabrum's Maurice Chevalier accent is clearly intended to substitute for the Caribbean-lilted lobster in "Mermaid". And the ensemble song, 'Be Our Guest,' in which the household gadgets enjoin Belle to live with them, is an obvious attempt to reprise a similar "Mermaid" number, 'Under the Sea.' But it's just under par."
Awards, accolades and legacy.
Alongside the songs "Beauty and the Beast" and "Belle," "Be Our Guest" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992. Having garnered three separate Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, "Beauty and the Beast "became the first film in the history of the Academy Awards to achieve this rare feat; this would not be repeated until "The Lion King" had three songs nominated for the award. Ultimately, "Be Our Guest" lost to the film's title song. In an interview with "Entertainment Weekly", "Beauty and the Beast "producer Don Hahn revealed that Disney feared that having three songs nominated for Best Original Song would result in a draw or three-way tie. Therefore, while "Beauty and the Beast" received heavy promotion from the studio, significantly less was given to "Be Our Guest" and "Belle." "Be Our Guest" was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 49th Golden Globe Awards in 1992, losing again to "Beauty and the Beast." In 2004, the American Film Institute nominated "Be Our Guest" for its "100 Years…100 Songs" ranking.
Allwomenstalk believes that "Be Our Guest" represents "what Disney is all about." Dubbed one of the most memorable songs from "Beauty and the Beast", while lauded as a "favorite," a "classic" and "one of the greatest showstoppers" in film history, "Be Out Guest" is commonly cited as one of Disney's greatest songs. As "Beauty and the Beast"'s "most frequently heard song," BuzzSugar ranked "Be Our Guest" third on the website's list of the "25 Disney Songs We Will Never Stop Singing". Calling the song a "gem," author Maggie Pehanick wrote that "Be Our Guest" was "one of the first [Disney] songs to get permanently lodged in your brain." Oh No They Didn't ranked "Be Our Guest" eighth on its list of "The Top 25 Disney Songs of All Time", while IGN ranked the song third, with author Lucy O'Brien writing, "Of all the brilliant numbers peppered throughout "Beauty and the Beast", it's the turbo-charged Broadway chorus number [']Be Our Guest['] that's the stand-out," describing it as "one of the best songs ever devised by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman." "Be Our Guest" was ranked seventh on "M's ""Top 20 Disney Songs of All Time" list, with author Stephanie Osmanski citing "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test" as her favorite lyrics. Meanwhile, HitFix ranked "Be Our Guest" sixth on their own list o "The 20 Best Disney Songs of All Time." Additionally, while ranking Lumiere the thirty-ninth "Best Animated Movie Character" of all-time, "Empire "hailed "Be Our Guest" as the character's best moment and "Stroke of genius," writing, "The song ... sees Lumiere introduce perhaps the greatest dining experience in animation history." While ranking the "50 Greatest Fairy Tale Movies," on which "Beauty and the Beast "ranked second, "Total Film "highlighted "Be Our Guest" as the film's "Most Magical Moment." Film.com ranked "Be Our Guest" the thirteenth "Greatest Musical Number ... in Movie History," describing the song as "a masterpiece of showtune construction" while lauding its Busby Berkeley-inspired choreography. "Be Our Guest" was the only animated musical number included on the website's list of 50.
Live performances.
In 1992, Jerry Orbach performed "Be Our Guest" at the 64th Academy Awards.
Cultural impact.
Covers and parodies.
In "The Simpsons" sixth-season episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" (1995), "Be Our Guest" is parodied by the character Mr. Burns when he performs the song "See My Vest". "New York" magazine-run website Vulture.com ranked the song eighth on its list of "The Ten Best "Simpsons" Songs". An Oscar-themed rendition of the song was performed by Seth MacFarlane at the 85th Academy Awards. In 2013, English television personalities Ant & Dec appeared in a Christmas television advertisement for the supermarket Morrisons. In the minute-long commercial, a computer-animated gingerbread man named Ginger serenades Ant & Dec to the tune of "Be Our Guest," inviting them to enjoy the store's products. In 2020, the song was parodied under the name "Wear a Mask", a song that tells people how to defend themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic and lampoons criticisms from politicians and "mask debaters", all in the style of the 1991 animated film featuring Lumière and his appliances.
Broadway musical.
"Be Our Guest" was also featured as an elaborate production number in the Broadway musical adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast", which ran from 1994 to 2007. Originally performed by American actors Gary Beach and Beth Fowler, who originated the roles of Lumiere and Mrs. Potts, respectively, "Be Our Guest" was "a spectacular dance of illuminated saucers, showgirls bedecked with spinning plates, and giant-size bottles spewing streams of brilliant sparkles." In addition to "performance[s] by eye-catching cutlery, plates, a tablecloth and napkins," the musical number featured "a show-stopping routine [from] a dancing doormat." When the Broadway production transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1999, they also incorporated confetti and streamer cannons that erupt at the end.
Reception towards the Broadway treatment of "Be Our Guest" has been generally mixed. While some theatre critics, such as Alex Bentley of CultureMap, felt that "Be Our Guest" "remain[s] as timeless as ever," "The Christian Science Monitor"'s Karen Campbell criticized the number's lavishness, feeling that it compromised the story Campbell wrote, "Only in the fantastical 'Be Our Guest' number ... does the show's extraordinary technological magic threaten to derail the story line." However, some critics did positively comment on the fact that the Broadway adaptation of "Be Our Guest" was more than simply a "cookie-cutter" carbon copy rendition of the original version featured in the animated film.
"Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway".
On 8 April 2017, English television personalities Ant & Dec performed a special rendition of the song for the series finale of Series 14 at Walt Disney World.
Live-action film.
"Be Our Guest" is featured in the 2017 live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast". In addition, the phrase "Be Our Guest" became the tagline in promotional trailers and posters for the film. The song is performed primarily by Ewan McGregor, with contributions from Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Ian McKellen. This version is very similar to the animated film, except that Lumiere sings ""Too long we've been rusting" where he sang "Ten years"" in the original, as well as when Lumiere sings "We'll prepare and serve with flair a culinary "cabaret"," there is a musical nod to Kander & Ebb's 1966 musical Cabaret's "signature, campy, percussive sound."
"The Lion King".
The song appeared briefly in Jon Favreau's CGI remake of Disney's "The Lion King", performed by Billy Eichner as Timon the meerkat. In order to distract the hyenas, Timon sat on top of Pumbaa the warthog (Seth Rogen) and sang the opening lines of the song, but only got to "Be our", and then screaming as the hyenas began to circle.


Jatra (theatre)

Jatra (, origin: "Yatra" meaning procession or journey in Sanskrit) is a popular folk-theatre form of Odia theatre, Bengali theatre, spread throughout most of Odia, Bengali speaking areas of the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh and Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Tripura As of 2005, there were some 55 troupes based in Calcutta's old Jatra district, Chitpur Road, and all together, is a $21m-a-year industry, performed on nearly 4,000 stages in West Bengal alone, where in 2001, over 300 companies employed over 20,000 people, more than the local film industry and urban theatre.
The word means journey or going. The origin of intrinsically a musical theatre form, is traditionally credited to the rise of Sri Chaitanya's Bhakti movement, wherein Chaitanya himself played Rukmini in the performance of "Rukmini Haran" ("The abduction of the Charming Rukmini") from Krishna's life story, a first definite presentation of this theatrical spectacle. The performance, which lasted through the night in 1507 AD., has been described in "Chaitanya Bhagavata", Chaitanya's hagiography by a disciple Vrindavana Dasa Thakura. Though there are evidences of existence of a form of singing called the 'Carya', which was popular between the 9th and the 12th centuries in Bengal, which existed in Orissa simultaneously as the popular 'Carya Padas' form. performances resemble the Nautanki of Uttar Pradesh, the Tamasha of Maharashtra and Bhavai of Gujarat.
Though its birthplace lies in the religious landscape, replete with various Bhakti movements of Hinduism, by the end of the 19th century it was replaced by morally didactic content, and eventually became secular, when it gained entry into urban proscenium theatres during Bengal Renaissance. The survival of the form over such a vast period of rapidly changing social milieu, while catering to a heterogeneous audience, has been credited to its innate malleability and ways of adapting to changing social dynamics, and thus staying not just relevant and alive, but also thriving.
Jatra performances.
 are usually epic four-hour-long plays, preceded by a musical concert often lasting an hour, used to attract audiences. The dramatic performance itself is liberally interspersed dramatic monologues, songs and duet dance routines on the folk tunes, which often serve as scene transitions and sometimes mark the end of an act. plays are usually performed on stages that are open on all sides in open-air arenas. The stage often had minimal or no furniture or props, it was rather seen as a neutral space, free to be given a meaning befitting the scene, this technique continued even when started getting performed in proscenium theatres. Sets, props and lighting came in much later, when its started interacting with Western theatre in the late 19th century, as urban educated youth started joining the tradition.
The cast is predominantly male, whose members also play the female parts, though since the 19th century, female actors started joining the cast. Actors often joined the troupes at a young age, and worked their way up the hierarchy of roles, and strive for virtuoso acting and are judged on their vocal prowess, as this determines their ability to capture a large audience with thundering dialogue deliveries and improvised dialogues. The modern version of , features loud music, harsh lighting and dramatic props played on giant outdoor stages, and actors are hired for a season under written contracts. Sometimes ramps are built around the stage and used for dramatic effects as in Kabuki plays.
 are often very melodramatic with highly stylised delivery and exaggerated gestures and orations. Music being the key element of the , much attention is placed on its selection, popular tunes are created and incorporated. Musicians sit on two sides of the stage, carrying Dholak, pakhawaj, harmonium, tabla, flute, cymbals, trumpets, behala (violin) and clarinet, all used to heighten the overall dramatic effect of performances that are already frenzied, plus most of the singing is done by the actors themselves. Many of the songs were based on classical Ragas. A generic character, unique to and part of most performances even today, is the allegorical figure called "Bibek" or Vivek (Conscience); it performs the function of a moral guardian, commenting on actions of actors and their consequences, sometimes it elaborates on the feelings of different characters, and often steps into a scene unannounced and presents an alternate or philosophical point of view, and all done through singing, something which is done by the chorus in a Greek tragedy. Like Conscience, a character called niyati (Fate) often played by a woman, while commenting on the scene, foretells or warns the actors of impending dangers. Another distinct feature of is that the plays begin with the climax, a device used to captivate the attention of the audience.
The season begins in the autumn, around September, around Durga Puja the beginning of harvest season, when the travelling troupe head out to interior rural regions, and ends before the Monsoon sets in, and the beginning of the planting season, around June. Performances of are commonplace after festivities and religious functions, ceremonies in traditional households, and fairs, throughout the region, where these troupes get invited in advance.
History.
The recent origins of the can be traced back to rise of Vaishnavism, and the Bhakti movement especially in Krishnaism, in the 16th century, propelled by the advent of mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The "Krishna Jatra", evolved through the devotional singing and dancing of the followers of the Krishna Bhakti movement, inspired by Raslila and dramatic poetry like, "Gita Govinda" written by Jayadeva in the 12th century and "Srikrishna Kirtan" by Chandidas in the 15th century. Historians also mention, the existence of "Nata Gita", an operatic folk drama for in medieval Bengal, filled with singing, dancing and music sans dialogue, which provided an early model for the "Krishna Jatra".
In an era, when there were no theatre houses or fixed stages in Bengal, evolved its idiom in or religious processions (yatra) of devotees that moved from one place to another singing and dancing to the tunes of kirtan or religious songs, often amongst them were artists, adept in singing and dancing, who would often enact scenes from mythology. Later these troupes found place on moving tableaux, which became part of the processions organised on special occasions such Rath Yatra. Gradually these small plays started being performed also at the end of the processions, and on open arenas, known as "asar" in Bengali, surrounded by people on all sides. In time, these open-air stages became the mainstay of these plays, though the name stuck with the genre; and as it evolved it absorbed all the prevalent folk traditions of music, dance and singing, be it Jhumur, Gambhira, Gajangan, or Panchali into its folds, to create a new template for folk theatre in the coming centuries.
After Chaitanya, his followers like Ramananda Rai and Rupa Goswami wrote plays based on the life of Sri Krishna, and many received royal patronage as well, like from the King of Puri, Prataprudradeva, which helped this form evolve further. Gradually this evolved into performances of traditional mythological plays with stories of Rama (), Sita, Krishna and Shiva (), taken from the Ramayan, Mahabharat, Puranas, various historical tales and folklore. Soon the form was adopted by devotees of other Bhakti cults, like Chandi devotees brought in "Chandi Mangal", a narrative poem by Mukunda Chakravarti, to start , the Behula myth gave rise to , while a Manasa serpent myth took form of the "Bisahara Yatra"
The movement gradually moved to the urban areas, and even brought literary works to the rural masses which were predominantly illiterate at the time, this meant that the plot, storyline and narrative remained simple, and often didactic. Another development that occurred in the 19th century was its departure from the format of musical, as dances were introduce which were to become staple in the coming years, and prose dialogues and free verse speech soon made inroads into this traditional theatre format, giving rise to , or the New Jatra. Another new trend in during this period was introduction of secular themes, in what was traditionally a religious theatre.
In the early 20th century, at the onset of the Indian independence movement, jatra which had already experienced its artistic and popularity peak in the previous century, now evolved yet again, with the changing tide of Indian milieu. It took on political themes and became a vehicle of political satire and protest, and was called . It began to reflect the rise current of social and political awareness, and depicted far ranging social themes from Mahatama Gandhi's anti-untouchability movement to the non-violence movement in the coming decades, many of the plays opposing colonialist ideologies, oppression and eulogising patriots were even banned by the British. This was also the time, when Communism was taking roots in Bengal, and increasingly saw dramatisation of the life of Lenin, and portrayal communist ideologies and thought. During World War II, Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) used to garner support of Communist Party amongst the Allies, when Germany invaded Russia. Even after the war, noted directors like Utpal Dutt continued to use the element in urban theatre of IPTA, as did Sombhu Mitra with his Bohurupee Company. When the art form travelled to the Tripura region, with its performers, it gave birth to the Kokborok drama, amongst the Kokborok speaking population of the region.
With the rise of Western theatre in Bengal it acquired the themes of political protest and social radicalism, and finally fell into disrepute in the post War era, and especially after the entry of Radio and television and the rise of upmarket theatre industry, though it continued to exist in the rural areas. remained a living tradition of musical theatre, and some of the popular songs got recorded and became popular Bengali songs, once more ever widening audience base, also scripts of old found their way into books, and newspapers started reserving space for discussion.
This revival seen in the recent decades, started in the early 1960s, with various theatre groups experimenting with the form, and started attracting serious theatre patrons along with official recognition. 1961, saw the first festival organised in Kolkata and every year since, and in 1968, Phanibhusan Bidyabinod became the first artist to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Earlier most companies were owned by actor-managers or singers, today most are owned by businesses and are more prone to commercialisation, both in the content as well as in presentation. Even today, in majority the presentation style still is inspired by cinemas of the regions and television soaps, many a times reflected in the risque content. Yet, within its musical theatre genre remains highly adaptable and rapidly evolving form. Several today pick contemporary news events like the London bombings, 9/11 or the war in Iraq, and highlight local issues as well. Further as productions are often put up within a month, a clear advantage over theatre and film, remain topical by drawing upon current imagery of the populace, like when Phoolan Devi became notorious the 80s, a play staged by the same name gained immense popularity not to mention big revenue.


No Matter What (Boyzone song)

"No Matter What" is a song from the 1996 musical "Whistle Down the Wind" and popularised by Irish boyband Boyzone in 1998 when they recorded it to tie in with the show's first UK production. The song was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, while Lloyd Webber, Steinman and Nigel Wright produced the track, with additional production by Franglen & Lupino. The song was also featured on the US edition of the soundtrack to the 1999 film "Notting Hill", and was released to American radio on 10 May 1999.
The song became their fourth number-one on the UK Singles Chart, with its three-week stay atop the chart making it the band’s longest-running number-one single. It also became the first and only Boyzone song to have any chart success in the US. Jewels & Stone did a remix for the song for dance clubs which was popular. In the UK, the song has sold 1.15 million copies and another 3 million worldwide. The song was performed by Meat Loaf as a B-side to his "Is Nothing Sacred" single in 1996.
Critical reception.
"Birmingham Evening Mail" wrote, "Tina Arena has already had one hit from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman stage musical 'Whistle Down The Wind' - but expect this one to do even better. As a change Stephen Gately shares lead vocals on what is essentially a simple but hugely memorable ballad. Prepare that number one spot now." "Daily Record" noted that it "shows a depth of maturity that bodes well for the future." They added that the band "are continuing their efforts to evolve into a group which will be able to appeal to an older audience."
Music video.
A music video was made to accompany the song. It shows an African man leaving in a hot air balloon. The members of Boyzone are standing on the ground watching him depart. The African man eventually drops a small golden cross, in reference to the Christian themes of the play, "Whistle Down the Wind", from which the song originates. The video is filmed in The Roundhouse, London.


The Bowery (song)

"The Bowery" is a song from the musical "A Trip to Chinatown" with music by Percy Gaunt and lyrics by Charles H. Hoyt. The musical toured the country for several years and then opened on Broadway in 1891.
Description.
The song is written in 3/4 time in a major key. The lyrics describe an incident in New York City and have nothing to do with the plot, a story set in San Francisco. They consist of six verses interspersed with the chorus, which ends with the vow:
The Bowery, the Bowery,
I'll never go there anymore!
Although the Bowery neighbourhood of New York City was where theater life flourished from about 1860 to 1875, by the 1880s it had become a sordid district. The experience of the singer is described in part by the Village Voice newspaper:
He's [the singer] buttonholed by a grifter and conned by a shopkeeper before entering "a concert hall," where he starts a row because he thinks "A New Coon in Town" is directed at him. Bye-bye rube: "A man called a bouncer attended to me./I'll never go there any more."
History.
The Producer / playwright / lyricist, Charles H. Hoyt (1849–1900), collaborated on at least 11 musicals with conductor / composer Percy Gaunt (1852–1896). Hoyt, who has been called the Father of American Farce, developed a style in his musicals based upon fast action, outrageous situations, witty dialogue, dancing, acrobatics, and singing. The meager plot of "A Trip to Chinatown" did not remain constant during its long run but varied with changes in novelty acts, songs, characters, and lines. One constant was "The Bowery", which had been interpolated initially to shore up the musical's appeal. The strategy proved successful, and "The Bowery" became a major factor in the show's success. It was introduced on Broadway by comic Harry Conor. "A Trip to Chinatown" ran for 650 performances and set a Broadway record which would stand for 20 years. "The Bowery" sold more than a million copies of sheet music and has remained a familiar song.
Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album "Join Bing and Sing Along " (1959)


Martha Crossley

Martha Crossley, born Martha Turner (3 February 1775 – 26 May 1854), was a British carpet manufacturer in Halifax.
Life.
Crossley was born in Northowram in 1775 at Folly Hall, Ambler Thorn. Her father, John Turner, was a farmer and he was married to Sarah. Her father had been a worsted manufacturer.
She married on 28 January 1801 to John Crossley, despite her parents' objections. She had other suitors but John pressed his case and showed her the house she would have if they married. She did not like his family but it was agreed that this was not a problem. They had eight children. Her husband worked for a carpet manufacturer and in time he partnered with Robert Abbott and Francis Ellerton to form Abbott Crossley & Co. Her husband's contribution to the business was not capital but expertise. The business continued but her husband started a new business to do the spinning called Crossley, Travis and Crossley; she was involved in finding their building. This business lasted for twenty years and each partner made £1,200 when it was sold up. Martha operated a loom and would get up early to do so. She was keen that the Crossley family should profit-share and that that their success should be shared with the poor of Halifax.
Her husband died at the age of 64 at Dean Clough, Halifax, on 17 January 1837.
Death and legacy.
Mary died on 26 May 1854 at Dean Clough in Halifax. She and John had three sons, John, Joseph and Frank, who took over the running of the mills after her husband died.
Her gravestone, which had been at Square Chapel, was moved in the 1970s to allow building work. The stone was lost but rediscovered in 2010 at Elland cemetery. The find was timely as a play, "Woven in the Fabric", had been written about Martha's life and was staged in that year at the Halifax Festival.


Farnham Pottery

Farnham Pottery is located in Wrecclesham near Farnham, Surrey. This is one of the best preserved examples of a working Victorian country pottery left in England and is a grade II listed building. Its significance in the local area is shown by it featuring on the emblem of Wrecclesham Cricket Club.
History.
A major pottery industry has existed in the Farnham area since Roman times and in the 16th century supplied London with a substantial part of its pottery requirements. In the Middle Ages, Farnham clay was shipped by river to Kingston upon Thames and surrounding villages, where it was potted; collectively this is known as "Surrey whiteware". A letter in 1594 mentions that white clay was dug in Farnham Park to make drinking vessels used by lawyers at the Inner Temple in London. At its height, the pottery operated its own clay pits, had four working kilns and employed up to thirty men. A lightweight tramway connected the pits to the pottery, with tubs being pushed along the temporary tracks.
In 1872 it was owned by Absalom Harris. The early work was utility wares including drainpipes and tiles. Around 1880, he was asked to copy a French vase. After many trials, Harris managed to produce a reasonable example using a lead glaze made green by the addition of copper oxide.
After that, the production of art pottery featured more prominently in the company's agenda, and Farnham Greenware, as it was known, established itself. A strong connection with Farnham School of Art was formed.
W. H. Allen designed for Farnham Pottery from the turn of the century until 1943. The pots were sold at Heals and Liberty. The company was widely known for its 'owl jugs' which were produced up to the 1950s.
The pottery is now no longer owned by the Harris family. Farnham Buildings Preservation Trust (FBPT) bought the site in 1998 and they have their own group of potters (West Street Potters) producing pottery there. The pottery still contains many examples of the original moulds and a number of local houses were built using architectural fittings made on this site.


Gaston (song)

"Gaston" is a song from the 1991 Disney animated film "Beauty and the Beast". A short reprise is performed later in the musical.
It is sung by Jesse Corti and Richard White in their voice roles of Le Fou and Gaston, respectively.
The song also appears in the 2017 live-action remake, where it is again performed by the characters of LeFou and Gaston, played by Josh Gad and Luke Evans, respectively.
Synopsis.
"Gaston" sees Gaston and the village people singing about how great he is, in an effort to cheer him up after Belle's rejection. Gaston's talent ranges from fighting, to spitting, to eating excessive quantities of eggs with no apparent negative health impacts, to interior decoration. Gaston, however, is portrayed as somewhat unintelligent, or at least as a relatively poor chess player.
"Gaston (Reprise)"' sees Gaston hatch a plan with the help of Le Fou to send Maurice to an insane asylum in order to force Belle to marry him in order to stop him.
Composition.
The Globe and Mail described the song as a "Lerner and Loewe-flavoured drinking song".
Versions.
In the theatrical version, the section where Le Fou forgets how to spell Gaston's name was cut, but was retained in the soundtrack. It was reinstated in the 2017 live-action version, with Le Fou explaining that he is illiterate.
The 2017 film includes lyric changes which Menken described as part of the original lyrics by Ashman that were cut from the animated film.
Critical reception.
MDTheatreGuide deemed it "one of the highlights of the show". The Herald Sun noted the song "delivers the punches of humorous lyrical accomplishment as well as memorable choreography". In a review of the musical version, The Globe and Mail said it "stops the show midway through Act 1". ColumbiaUnderground called it "the second best song and dance number of the musical".
SputnikMusic wrote "Ever one to recognize a true gem, Disney then decided to employ White and Corti for the subsequent song "Gaston" and its reprise as well. These numbers are from the scene in the local tavern just after Belle's capture by the Beast, and are perhaps best remembered for being the manliest songs in the entire film. White manages to come across as a pure paragon of maleness, sporting rippling musculature and bristling chest hair all at once. Herein, White comfortably busts out lines like "As you see I've got biceps to spare!" and "I'm especially good at expectorating - ptooey!" with much gusto. The gaggle of incompetent, second-rate buffoons in the background do a stunning job too, rolling out accompanying refrains like "No one plots likes Gaston!/Takes cheap shots like Gaston!/Likes to persecute harmless crackpots like Gaston!" to rousing effect. Take it from me - it's ridiculously hard to come out of this one without having the burning desire to eat five dozen eggs per day and become roughly the size of a barge."
Soundtrackgeek wrote "For me...not much can beat the musical and lyrical genius of Belle and Gaston and their respective reprises. The two greatest character pieces in Disney's canon, these tracks introduce the story and style of the film staggeringly well, showing brilliant lyrical detail and hilarity, as well as giving a sublime showcase for Menken's talents".


Thou Shalt Not (album)

A 77-minute original cast recording of Harry Connick Jr.'s Tony nominated score from the 2001 Broadway musical "Thou Shalt Not".
Music and lyrics by Connick who does not sing on this album, but plays the piano as an "additional musician", and does the orchestrations and arrangements, and is a producer on the album.
External links.
Audio samples of these songs can be heard as a request at BroadwayWorld Radio


Starlight Express (song)

"Starlight Express" is the 'showstopper' number from the musical "Starlight Express". In the show, it is performed by Rusty, the show's protagonist. Before the song, he has been told by the old steam engine Poppa of a magical locomotive, named the Starlight Express, who will aid him in need.
The song has been rewritten in many languages, but has always kept the same title, apart from when the production opened in Mexico, when both the show and the song were renamed "Expreso Astral".
Music and lyrics.
The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, in the key of E flat major, modulating to E major at the instrumental. In the Broadway production, Greg Mowry sings the song in the key of G major and modulates to Ab. The lyrics were written by Richard Stilgoe.
Before the song starts, Poppa and Rusty have the following (sung) conversation;
The song begins, and the introduction is the main theme played on a harmonica, and this is repeated for the instrumental.
Revision.
The song has undergone some revision since the show was premiered in London. The first draft started with the line
However, the verses were rewritten when the show opened on Broadway, in Germany, Japan and Australia. To fit the new tune, new words were written, starting with:
A new middle eight was added as well.
When the show was revised in London, both drafts were fused together, with the verses from London and the middle eight from later productions. This draft has become the most popular and well-used.
The original London tune has been revived for the revised Bochum production.
Thematic value.
The tune to the chorus is used throughout the show, for instance, when Rusty first hears of the Starlight Express; during the 'Starlight Sequence'; and when Rusty triumphs over his challengers (see main article). It is probably meant to show a point where there is a strong development in Rusty's character.
Starlight Express Introduction.
The Starlight Express Introduction was performed on Broadway and in London by Poppa and Belle. In later revisions, it is performed only by Poppa and has been shortened significantly. The number uses the first verse and chorus tunes from the London Production, and is used for the moment when Rusty first hears of the Starlight Express. In the first Bochum version this part was sung by Poppa and Control.
Recordings.
All versions of the song can be found on the following recordings;
References.
Starlight Express


Susan McCord

Susan McCord (October 7, 1829 – December 12, 1909) was an American quilter. She is best known for her innovative designs and exquisite craftsmanship. Thirteen of McCord's quilts are included in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Biography.
Early life.
Susan Noakes was born on October 7, 1829, in Decatur County, Indiana to Amos and Mahala Noakes. In 1849, at the age of twenty, Noakes married schoolteacher, Green McCord in Hancock County, Indiana. In 1853, the McCord family moved to Iowa where they farmed for four years. In 1857, the family returned to Indiana and rented a farm near McCordsville, a town founded by Green McCord's family. They cleared twenty of the farm's eighty acres and built a small log cabin for their growing family.
Like other nineteenth century farmwives, McCord was responsible for the care, feeding, and clothing of her large family of nine as well as domestic chores. She managed the dairy, poultry and vegetable garden. McCord was also an avid flower gardener and participated in community gatherings and sewing bees. She hand sewed and knitted clothing and accessories for her family, embroidered linen and bedcovers, and created at least thirteen quilts during her lifetime.
Quilting.
McCord created her quilts with left-over material that she had on hand, including pieces of her family's worn-out clothing. The fabrics she most often used were roller-printed cotton calicos, wool flannel and dress velvets. For the backing of her quilts, McCord often pieced together small scraps of muslin. McCord found inspiration for her quilt designs from the world around her. Quilt historian Barbara Brackman writes, "McCord was an artist. She saw everyday things in the way that other's didn't, drawing inspiration from her flower garden, the dishes in her china cabinet, the leaves on the trees in the farmyard."
McCord produced all of her quilts between 1860 and 1900. She was an imaginative quilt maker. She based each of her quilts on traditional patterns, but interpreted the patterns in her own unique way. She was a brilliant designer, who crafted her quilts with original details and techniques that were new to quilt making. Her interesting color choices, precise attention to detail, along with her unique interpretation of traditional designs make her work truly exceptional. McCord was also a talented needleworker. She used thousands of tiny, even stitches in her work, typically 10 stitches to the inch.
Later life and death.
In December, 1909, at the age of 80, McCord contracted pneumonia after being kicked by a cow she had been milking; she lay on the frozen ground for hours before being discovered. She died December 12, 1909. McCord and her husband are buried in the Oaklandon Cemetery in Marion County, Indiana. McCord's quilts were passed down to members of her family.
Recognition.
American folk art revival.
During the 1970s, the nationwide celebration of the United States Bicentennial inspired a renewed interest in American History and American folk art. In 1971, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City held the first major quilt exhibition in the United States. Quilt collecting and quilt making soon became so popular in America, a new word, "quiltmania" was born. Handmade quilts that had been stashed in basements and attics were brought out of storage and re-examined. "Grandma's quilts" were now being viewed as important and possibly valuable antiques.
1n 1973, McCord's granddaughter, Ruth Canaday, sold ten of her grandmother's quilts to the Henry Ford Museum. The museum later acquired two more McCord quilts. The last quilt belonging to the McCord's family, the "Triple Irish Chain" quilt, originally made for McCord's daughter, Millie McCord Canaday in 1900, was sold to the Henry Ford Museum by her great-great grandson's family in 2012.
Exhibition history.
On display at the Henry Ford Museum during the early 1970s, Susan McCord's quilts soon gained national attention. In 1981, McCord'a work was featured in a major art exhibition of 100 American quilts at the Oakland Museum of California. The four month long show, titled "American Quilts, A Handmade Legacy", broke all previous attendance records. Placed in a prominent position near the entrance of the exhibit was McCord's most famous quilt, "Vine", described in an exhibition art review as "a masterful work" and the "Sistine Chapel of quilts". Made from clothing remnants from her children and grandchildren, the quilt consists of thirteen panels of appliqué vines. Each vine is made with over three hundred leaves and strip-pieced buds, with over 9.000 pieces hand-sewn in intricate detail.
McCord's "Vine" quilt was included in the one hundred quilt, "World of Quilts" exhibition, held at Oakland University, Rochester Hills, Michigan in September, 1983. The show included some of the best examples of American quilts from museums and public and private collections throughout the world.
Works.
Thirteen Susan McCord quilts are in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford Museum.


The Master Puppeteer

The Master Puppeteer (1975) is a historical novel for children by Katherine Paterson. It won the 1977 U.S. National Book Award in category Children’s Literature.
Synopsis.
Thirteen-year-old Jiro finds himself caught up in the political events of late eighteenth century Osaka, Japan when he accompanies his father, Hanji, to deliver a puppet to the Hanaza theater. Yoshida, the owner and master puppeteer, offers to take the boy on as an apprentice. To Jiro’s chagrin, his mother, Isako, does not take Yoshida’s offer seriously. Determined not to be a burden on his family during the current famine, Jiro runs away to the theater, where he becomes an apprentice. He begins his career by opening curtains and memorizing scripts and eventually graduates to a role as a “foot operator.” Along the way, he is helped by an older boy, Yoshida’s son, Kinshi, who does not seem able to please his father.
Worried about his father, who is said to be ill, Jiro briefly returns home to discover that Isako has taken his father to recuperate at a relative’s farm in Kyoto. When Jiro again returns home on New Year’s Day, he discovers that his mother is near starvation, and when he returns to the Hanaza he realizes he forgot to pray. One evening, Saburo, the mysterious bandit who steals from the rich to help the poor, leaves a notice on the door of the theater demanding a special performance of the current play, “The Thief of the Tokaido.”
Jiro later finds the sword that Saburo used for the performance day special in the second floor of the storage room, a shed-like room with walls lined with puppets which is off limits. He asks Okada for advice on whether to give the sword to Kinshi as an opportunity to talk to Saburo, who was believed to be Yoshida. Okada later tells Jiro that he is Saburo. Isako and Okada eventually agree to exchange the boys - Jiro to remain with Okada and the theatre, while Kinshi will stay with Isako on the farm - and live a happy life.
Characters.
Teiji: a young apprentice who stutters and is hated by Yoshida


The Perfect Year

"The Perfect Year" is a 1993 song by UK artist Dina Carroll. It is originally taken from the 1993 musical "Sunset Boulevard" and was released as a single only. Later, in 1996 it was included on her second album, "Only Human". Becoming one of her most successful songs, it peaked at number 5 in the UK and number 4 in Ireland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 17 in January 1994. In 2001, the song was included on Carroll's compilation album, "The Very Best of Dina Carroll". A music video was also made and has a sepia tone.
Critical reception.
Alan Jones from "Music Week" gave the song 5 out of 5. He wrote, "This heartwarming ballad from "Sunset Boulevard" with sweeping strings, a powerful vocal and optimistic, seasonal lyrics could easily end Carroll's perfect year by becoming her first number one single." James Hamilton from the magazine's "RM" Dance Update complimented it as a "gorgeous Lloyd Webber radio ballad". Culture Beat reviewed it for "Smash Hits", giving it 4 out of 5. Jay Supreme said, "This is a real sweet song though and a great song if the mood is right." Tania Evans stated, "I'd say this is the best she's done so far. Dina is brilliant."
References.


Barkley (Sesame Street)


Candis Pettway

Candis Mosely Pettway (November 25, 1924 – May 22, 1997) was an American artist. She is associated with the Freedom Quilting Bee and the Gee's Bend group of quilters, alongside her daughters Qunnie Pettway, Sally Mae Pettway, and Edwina Pettway.
Life.
Candis Mosely married Tank Pettway and together they raised sixteen children. For a time, they also took care of their niece Loretta Pettway. After most of her children grew up, she began working as kitchen staff at the local elementary school. In her late 50s she developed heart problems and could no longer work. She passed in 1997 at the age of 73.
Work.
After she fell ill from heart complications, Pettway frequently gathered a small quilting bee at her home to make painstakingly meticulous quilts. Her bee typically comprised her aunt Allie Pettway, Lucy Mingo, and Allie's daughter, Lola Pettway.


Eugene Higgins

Eugene Higgins (1860 – 1948) was the rich heir to a carpet-making business, known as a "bon vivant", sportsman, and philanthropist. A bachelor, when he died in 1948, his estate went to establish the Higgins Trust, at that time, the eleventh largest of its kind in the USA.
Background.
Eugene Higgins was born on January 14, 1860, in New York City. His parents were Elias Smith Higgins (1815–1889), a carpet manufacturer who made a fortune with "labor-saving devices," and Emma Louise Baldwin (1827–1890). In 1882, he graduated from Columbia University, where he was a classmate of future Columbia president Nicholas Murray Butler.
Career.
Higgins never worked for a living, though he did maintain a private office at 50 Union Square East. In 1908, his steam yacht the "Varuna" wrecked off the Madeira Islands; he received a medal for saving lives of several guests aboard.
A sportsman, Higgins won the 1890 American fencing championship and was a proficient golfer, hunter, fisherman, and yachtsman. He maintained a townhouse on Fifth Avenue in New York City and a country house in Morristown, New Jersey.
In 1910, he ran into trouble with customers officials. In 1932, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Higgins was "not entitled to deduct for Federal income purposes the expenses of managing his securities in 1932 and 1933."
Personal life and death.
Higgins was reputedly the "wealthiest bachelor in New York," ahead of George Washington Vanderbilt II, Mehmet Ali (brother of the Khedive of Egypt, Frank W. Riggs, and members of the Goelet family. He never married.
Higgins died at age 90 on July 29, 1948, in Torquay, United Kingdom. He bequeathed $10,000 each to his brother-in-law Henry Mortimer Brooks (for his nephew, Reginald Brooks) and two nieces, "merely as a token of affection... knowing that they are all well and amply provided for."
Higgins Estate.
In 1949, The United States Trust Company issued more than $18 million of "outstanding tax-exempt bonds" owned by Higgins' estate. In 1952, his personal secretary asked for $150,000 in recognition of his extra duties as chess and yachting expert. In 1953, the Higgins Estate was valued at more than $40 million (more than $385 million in 2019 dollars).
Higgins Trust.
Eugene Higgins Scientific Trust (aka "Higgins Trust"), also known as the Eugene Higgins Science Fund, was founded upon his death.
Eugene Higgins Scientific Trust.
In 1948, the trust donated $40 million to Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton. In 1949, the trust gave another $600,000 to each of these universities for advanced scientific studies. In 1951, the trust donated another $1 million, shared equally, to Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton universities.
The funds from this trust endowed chairs at Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale universities.
Eugene Higgins Charitable Trust.
In 1976, Eugene Higgins Charitable Trust was founded, now based in Providence, Rhode Island.


St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival

The St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival is a festival that hosts fringe theatre, repertory, dance, music, and drag-queen performances in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The festival is held annually and lasts for 20 days in June. The festival was previously run by Jeremy Hechtman and Patrick Goddard, but Hechtman stepped down in 2010 after being in the position for 15 years. The festival has been run since 2011 by choreographer Amy Blackmore. McAuslan Brewing sponsors the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival and several other festivals in Montreal, including Pop Montreal, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Fantasia Festival. The 2007 festival featured a mass fake marriage for theatre-goers at the beginning of the festival and then a corresponding mass fake divorce at the end symbolised by the eating of timbits.


Giorgio Beverly Hills

Giorgio Beverly Hills was a luxury goods store established in 1961. It was the first luxury boutique to be founded on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California.
History.
Giorgio Beverly Hills was founded by Fred Hayman and George Grant. The name was derived from Grant's first name. Giorgio Beverly Hills opened in 1961 at 273 Rodeo Drive at the junction with Dayton Way, which was then a very ordinary street. Gucci, Tiffany and others established Rodeo Drive stores in the mid-1970s. Hayman recognised the potential of the site, as it was close to The Beverly Hilton hotel, where he had been working. The store used a signature yellow-and-white striped awning, which came to symbolise a Beverly Hills lifestyle. Hayman bought out Grant in 1962.
The store had a reading room, pool table and oak bar, so that men could amuse themselves while the women shopped.
In 1979, it was determined that there should be a signature fragrance; two years later in November 1981, "Giorgio" was launched. In that year, the Rodeo Drive store had an annual turnover of $6 million. Fred Hayman and his wife Gale spent $260,000 on a huge launch party for the perfume, hosted by Merv Griffin, and with food from five of Los Angeles' top restaurants. The "GBH" fragrance business would soon turn over $100 million a year.
In 1987, the fragrance business and the Giorgio Beverly Hills brand was sold to Avon for $165 million. The store's name was changed to Fred Hayman Beverly Hills.
In 1994 the Giorgio brand was acquired by Procter and Gamble for $150 million that combined it with other luxury fragrance brands such as Hugo Boss, Laura Biagiotti and Otto Kern into what is now the P&G Prestige Beauté division.
Clientele.
Customers included Natalie Wood, Princess Grace, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Diana Ross, Charlton Heston, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Present day.
The location 273 Rodeo Drive is now a branch of Louis Vuitton.


Annie Bell Pettway

Annie Bell Pettway (1930–2003) was an American artist. She is associated with the Gee's Bend quilting collective, along with her daughter Belinda Pettway.
Early life.
Annie Bell Pettway was the oldest daughter, and second oldest child, of Clement Pettway and Cherokee Pettway. Her father became sick and inexplicably immobile when Annie was six years old. She and her oldest brother, Eddie Lee Pettway, took on all of the farm's responsibilities at this time because their father required their mother's around-the-clock care. She recalls being sick for most of her childhood.
She married her close childhood friend, John L. Pettway, when she was eighteen and he was twenty-one years old. They raised seven children total-- four boys and three girls. Two of her sons live in Connecticut and two live in Gee's Bend. Of her three daughters, one lives in Georgia, one lives in New York, and one, Belinda Pettway, remains in Gee's Bend.
Annie Bell Pettway died in 2003.
Work.
Pettway's mother, Cherokee, taught her to quilt by re-purposing used work pants. She learned to quilt at six years old, and passed down the tradition to her daughters.


Moon jar

Moon jar is a type of traditional Korean white porcelain which was made during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). The Joseon white porcelain was adopted as imperial ware in the fifteenth century. The name comes from its shape and milky color of the glaze to resemble the coloration of the moon
Often it consists of two hemispherical halves that have been joined together in the middle. The slightly uneven natural shape added to its appeal during the Joseon dynasty. Usually jars are made in a stable shape due to their wide bottom and smaller mouth, but moon jar has a wider mouth than the diameter of the bottom, causing instability, making it feel like the jar is floating in the air.
It has inspired many artists such as Kim Whanki and Bernard Leach.