The Nature of Nicholas (2002)

A while ago, I was told that this was a very “weird” film. When my friend said it was “weird”, I was expecting more along the lines of visual abstraction. This was not the case. This film takes “weird” to a whole new realm.

The acting is a bit average throughout, mainly from the support roles. I thought Jeff Sutton as Nicholas was outstanding as the lead. It’s a shame he didn’t go on to do much after that.

I thought the film started strongly in terms of story and was very clear and easy to relate to. The characters had clear wants and clear obstacles, which was good. After the kiss, though, I have to admit that I was a little thrown by the zombie. It just pops up out of nothing and turns into a whole new film. As the film progressed, though, I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Continue

Allan Clelland-Goddard on The Mystery Artist Show

The Mystery Artist Show is a weekly program on the radio at TheSkyKid.com. Each week Jeffrey, the program’s host, introduces a young artist from somewhere around the world. On 20-May-2012, TheSkyKid.com radio aired an exclusive interview (conducted by Jeffrey) with Allan Clelland-Goddard, a multi-talented young musician/singer who is well on his way to a career in music and entertainment.

Note: This publication is a transcription of the original interview aired on TheSkyKid.com radio. The clip included below features the whole interview and snippets of the songs that were played during the live broadcast. In this transcript, “TMAS” will represent the questions posed by the Mystery Artist’s Show and “ACG” will be Allan’s answers. Jeffrey has also provided some post interview commentary that were not part of the interview as aired, but rather represent his impressions of the interview after the fact. Those comments will be shown as “Jeffrey“.

Jeffrey: Having done as many interviews as I have so far, it was an extreme pleasure to actually sit down beside today’s Mystery Artist, Allan Clelland-Goddard, for my very first live interview with an artist. Having being born in England and spending most of his life in Trinidad-Tobago and now living in Orlando, Florida, I couldn’t help but ask…

TMAS: What was the reason for the decision for you all to move from Trinidad to Florida here in the US?

ACG: First of I’d like to thank you for having me on the show today Jeff. My parents decided we would have greater opportunities moving to the US for my music and future careers, rather than Trinidad. There’s lots of stuff that I’m engaged in. I’m in school, I’m doing bio-engineering which is like engineering of parts of the body for humans. Let’s say you have an arm cut off and you want to create a synthetic limb for somebody. It’s like engineering DNA and nerves for them. Music… well it’s been quite good. Eight months after I moved here, I heard of a competition on WMMO Radio. They had a free contest for the band YES, which of course is a famous band from England. They were having a competition to see who could open up for them by singing the National Anthem. You uploaded a song of you singing it a capella. Based on their decision and votes from the public, they’d decide who would get to go through and well I won, long story short. So I got to open for them, which was very exciting, especially after just coming here eight months earlier.

Allan singing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at WMMO’s ‘Yes’ rock concert

http://youtu.be/baCzb269JHw

TMAS: Was it hard for you, after being here only eight months, to remember the Star Spangled Banner?

ACG: HEHEHE. Not really. I just practiced it a lot. If I mess up, it’s in front of a huge crowd that’s easily 2,000 people. And, of course, it was for YES. It was astonishing.

Jeffrey: I was really surprised that, at only 14-years-old, Allan had already decided that as a backup to his music he wants to become a bio-engineer.

TMAS: What exactly is a calypso?

ACG: A calypso is basically a four-versed chorus song that originated in the Islands. I guess you can say it’s a reggae beat song. There’s no way to describe it unless you really listen to it and appreciate it.

Jeffrey: Of course, like so many young artists nowadays, not only does Allan sing, but he also acts as well. While in Trinidad, he played the role of Oliver in the musical Oliver, Kurt in The Sound Of Music and Chip in Beauty and The Beast.

TMAS: Since being here in the US, have you done any acting?

ACG: Not as much, no. It’s been primarily singing and putting videos up on YouTube. Acting was fun and I would really like to get back into it whenever I see a play that is close to where we live.

Jeffrey: Besides singing and acting, Allan enjoys playing the tenor steelpan (commonly known as steel drums to many), piano and drums. After doing a little research, I found out that the steelpan originated in Trinidad, so I couldn’t help but ask Allan about that.

TMAS: Can you tell me a little bit of the history of the steelpan?

ACG: When Trinidad was colonized, the African slaves were banned from playing music out in the streets and celebrating and stuff by the colonists, as punishment. After they left, they used all kind of leftover material, including oil drums on which the lids were cut off, and they realized they could make different notes out of it by heating it up and pounding it with a hammer, causing different tensions in the steel which produced the sound. It’s quite interesting and was developed in the last century and it’s considered a skill to be able to make one.

Jeffrey: Unfortunately Allan wasn’t able to bring his steelpan with him to the states because it was too big. I was really hoping to be able to find someone, here in Florida, who had a steelpan that I could’ve borrowed so that Allan could’ve played a few songs, but unfortunately was unable to.

TMAS: With your music and everything, do you have much time to spend with your friends?

ACG: I do, actually. Music isn’t my whole life. I’m still down to earth. I’m not completely focused on it. Whenever I get the chance, I’ll put out a song. I mean I’m dedicated to it, but I’m not a music head you could say. I like to spend time with friends and I like to play football (also known as soccer). Music is a passion, but it’s not my only passion.

TMAS: What’s it been like for you since you’ve moved here to the United States?

ACG: The initial months were kind of rough. Well… not rough… but, of course, you miss all your friends. Life otherwise, in school, isn’t really that much of a change. I miss the friends, I miss doing musicals in Trinidad, I miss the food, of course. There’s lots of good food, but other than that, coming over here, I’ve made a lot of new friends and the people are real friendly. It’s been nice.

TMAS: How big of a difference has there been as far as the school systems and the people compared to over there in Trinidad?

ACG: Well, the school systems are fairly different. The actually follow the British way of teaching. There’s something called primary school (standard 1, standard 2, standard 3, standard 4, standard 5), which would be grades 1-5 and you go to secondary school which is middle school and high school combined. You take examinations called “key” in all levels, instead of SAT’s, which determine colleges. Actually, in order to get into standard schools, there’s stream, there’s A standard schools, B standard schools, C and so on. At the end of primary school, you take a test known as Secondary Entrants Assessment, also known as the SEA exams. Depending on how well you do on that, you get into an A, B or C level school and I, not to brag, I actually got into one of the top schools in the country, St. Mary’s College. It was a fun school. Life I wouldn’t say was laid back, as you had to work. The community was nice; the teachers were friendly and friends, of course, they were great. Up here it’s not too different. The teachers are nice up here. The friends are great, as well. They’re very friendly. People walk up to you at lunch and introduce themselves. It’s a great environment to be up here in school.

TMAS: Do you still have people come up to you wanting to hear your accent?

ACG: Yea, all the time. On a daily basis, yea.

Allan Clelland Goddard Audio Article

http://youtu.be/fVNxYUN3iDY

TMAS: What kind of advice would you give to other young artists, such as yourself, who are just starting out?

ACG: I would say to stay grounded. Don’t let your head get too big. Remember that you need to do some work in order to reach the top. If it doesn’t work out, then you have to have a Plan B. You don’t have a definite chance of getting it, but still try for it and ask for all the help you can get from your parents, family, etc. Just take every opportunity to sing.

Jeffrey: Of course, when I asked Allan that question he looks over at his mom, Deborah, who is using her hands to tell him about not letting your head get too big. LOL Like any other young artist, Allan dreams of one day being known internationally as a singer and an actor.

TMAS: Do you still have those same dreams?

ACG: Yea. But you know what? If it happens, it happens. People always ask me on Facebook, my friends, are you famous yet? We’ll leave that up to God. We’ll see what happens. Because if I put all my effort into it and I end up not making it, what am I going to have as a Plan B? So, it’s not the only thing I’m focused on. I do put some time into it, though, because God helps those who help themselves.

Jeffrey: Besides Allan and his mom Deborah, there were also twin sisters Genevieve & Kiona (also singers who sometimes appear on Allan’s YouTube page) who also came along for the interview.

TMAS: How well do you and your sisters get along?

ACG: It’s frustrating, at times, but when we get along, it’s good.

TMAS: Do you three argue all the time and stuff like that?

ACG: YES! (laughs from mom and sisters).

Jeffrey: Allan’s song Street Children (written by his mother), focuses on homeless children all over the world who are living on the streets.

Allan Clelland-Goddard Street Children (Original song)

http://youtu.be/bSH9jlFMnEI

TMAS: Tell me a little bit more about Street Children?

ACG: I’ve always felt emotional about the situation. Street children, their government sees it as their humiliation and, rather than try to help them, they mask it to help beautify themselves so they don’t look bad to other countries. It’s a disgrace because there are millions of them. It’s not a problem specific to one country, it’s the whole world and I dream of helping them.

Jeffrey: Deborah had mentioned to me that Allan may re-record this particular song now that his voice has changed and all proceeds from the sale of this song go towards helping that cause.

ACG: Yea. I look forward to doing that in the near future. The video was done, I think, when I was 11. It’s gotten a lot of notice since then. It’s provided a lot of world-wide views. I have 28,000 views on that right now, which is exciting for me. Hopefully, when I produce it again with a new voice, people will like it as well and it will gain even more notice around the world.

TMAS: Has it been difficult for you once your voice changed?

ACG: Not really. I’ve been singing through it, trying to find out how to control it more. Because, once it breaks, it’s different. It’s a bit challenging because you lose some of those high notes that you were able to sing when you were younger. But, instead, you have to go into your head voice which is a different tone. It’s a challenge to produce that same sound in your head voice that you were able to in your chest voice. It’s exciting I guess.

TMAS: Do you by chance have a vocal coach?

ACG: Yes I do – Mr. Mark McKee. He’s fantastic and a great, great pianist. He’s guided me through my voice breaking and helped me gain more control over my voice. Overall, he’s fantastic. Great vocal coach.

TMAS: Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to add?

ACG: To everyone listening out there, thank you to all my subscribers, especially to Rod (Rivenmaster – owner and administrator). He’s done so much. Thanks a lot. To Chris from Thailand, he’s helped me a lot on my videos. And also to you Jeff, thank you so much.

Shortened version on the interview originally aired on TheSkyKid.com Radio

http://youtu.be/7gwPWGUtYnM

Jeffrey: I’d like to give a special thanks to Deborah for taking the time to bring Allan by for the interview and to Allan for being able to squeeze me into his busy schedule so he could sit down to do the interview with me. If you’d like to learn more about Allan, you can visit his website at www.allanclelland-goddard.com or his YouTube page at www.youtube.com/user/clellard.

Eye of the Eagle (1997)

In the style of Robin Hood and The Prince and the Pauper, a medieval adventure, the Danish movie Eye of Eagle has all it takes to keep viewers of all ages glued to the screen.

I read many books about knights as a kid, and this fairytale-themed movie allowed me to re-live the excitement I felt when I imagined myself as a character in the stories that captivated the imagination of my youth. Whereas the film is aimed primarily at a young audience, those of you who have managed to keep that adventurous spirit of youth will appreciate the tasteful way the story is offered.

Continue

For a Lost Soldier: An Interview with Roeland Kerbosch

In January 2012, the world lost Rudi van Dantzig – an acclaimed choreographer and writer. For twenty years, Dantzig served as Artistic Director of the Dutch National Ballet. Ted Brandsen, the current director of the institution, described Rudi as “inspiring, passionate, intense and true to himself ” [2].

In 1986, Dantzig published an autobiographical novel titled Voor een Verloren Soldaat (For a Lost Soldier) in which he recalls his youthful affair with a Canadian soldier when the Netherlands was liberated at the end of WWII. The first person narrative of the rite of passage experiences of Jaroen, the young protagonist of the film, is one of the most powerful and sincere accounts of growing up ever written. It consequently won numerous awards – despite the highly controversial theme of the book. It was translated into English and adapted for the big screen in 1992 by the Dutch director Roeland Kerbosch. The film, undoubtedly of the Coming-of-Age genre (though the first person narrative is lost in the transfer to screen), had a nationwide American theatrical release and consequently was distributed on VHS, DVD and, most recently, via on-demand streaming on both Netflix and Amazon.

The majority of the reviews, on the film’s IMDb page and on Amazon.com, are positive – as evidenced by the ratings on the sites: 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon, 7.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb (rating figures are as of 03.05.2012). One of the reasons for such high ratings may be read about in Stephen Holden’s review published in The New York Times. He writes: “One of the strengths of the film is its refusal to load the story with contemporary psychological and social baggage… the film assigns no blame and assesses no damages” [3]. The powerful story by van Dantzig, an author who “…. felt acutely the intolerance of the times” and made it “… a major theme in his ballets and writings” [1]. For a Lost Soldier became one of the most controversial Coming-of-Age films ever released.

Twenty years after the date that the film was first screened, TheSkyKid.com contacted the film’s director, Roeland Kerbosch, for an exclusive interview. In the interview that follows, TheSkyKid’s questions will be represented by “SK” and Mr. Kerbosch’s answers will follow with the designation “RK“.

The Interview

SK: The movie For a Lost Soldier is based on the autobiographical novel with the same name, written by Rudi van Dantzig. He passed away few months ago. How well did you know him?

RK: Although it was difficult to get to know the real Rudi van Dantzig, I think I knew him quite well.

SK: Recently I talked with a friend, who mentioned that some years ago he had a conversation with Rudi van Dantzig in which he mentioned that he wanted to make a sequel to his story as it appears in For a Lost Soldier? Are you aware of that idea and if such a sequel were written would you have been interested in doing a sequel to the movie as well?

RK: The idea for a sequel must have been a misunderstanding. Rudi wanted to write a novel on the same subject but from the point of view of the soldier.

SK: When one sees the film for the very first time, the mis en scene in the small Frisian village where the action takes place makes quite an impression. One of the reasons for the popularity of the book in the Netherlands is the fact that many of the readers went through the experience of being sent away during the “hunger years“ of WWII. In fact, I read somewhere that you were also sent to Frisia as a kid. How has your personal experiences contributed to the adaptation from the book to the large screen?

RK: The novel was successful in The Netherlands; the film was not. Only a very few readers could have had the same experience as Rudi and myself during the so-called hunger winter in 1944-1945. Mostly just kids from Amsterdam were sent to Friesland and, because of lack of transport, only a few could escape the lack of food in Amsterdam. Rudi and myself we were lucky. I fully adapted my own experiences in Rudi’s story. It became a mixture of his and my story. The relationship with Walt was Rudi’s sexual experience, not mine as I was only four at the time. The atmosphere of the film and the visual impression is my personal memory, added to the novel.

NLD-19929691-HILVERSUM: Actors Jeroen Krabbe, Wouter Smit (m) and Andrew Kelly in For a Lost Soldier ‘. COPYRIGHT KIPPA

Image source : http://www.anp-archief.nl/page/95573/nl

SK : The talent of an actor, combined with the direction of the production, is what makes a character memorable to moviegoers. The role of Jaroen requires a great deal of talent from the young actor, mainly because of the wide range of emotions he is expected to portray on screen. Maarten Smit did a marvelous job, but because of his age and the controversial subject matter of the film our readers would be interested in the casting process for the role. What made Maaren Smit stand out from among the other candidates for the role and do you have any memories from your work with him while filming the movie?

RK: Maarten Smit (Jeroen) indeed did a marvelous job. At the casting sessions, he was self confident and intelligent, not at all behaving as a kid actor who wants to do this role; that’s why I choose him. I could easily communicate with him. He read the novel, didn’t think much of it. He understood it very well though, the implications of the story, and what his performance should look like. And that’s what he did: a professional.

When For A Lost Soldier had its successful release in the USA, he was approached through me by Disney Studios. He turned down the invitation to come to Los Angeles for an audition. That was typical Maarten Smit: the job was done, get on to something else; not acting.

NLD-19929691-HILVERSUM: Actors Jeroen Krabbe and Wouter Smit en in de Nederlandse speelfilm ‘ Voor een verloren Soldaat ‘. COPYRIGHT KIPPA

SK: Having mentioned Maarten Smit, we must also ask you about the casting of the other protagonist of the film, Andrew Kelley, in the role of the young Canadian soldier Walt. Was he really a dancer at the Royal Dutch Ballet and did this play any role in the casting process?

RK: I knew Andrew Kelley as a dancer at HNB (Dutch National Ballet). It was his features, his introverted character, and, moreover, his vulnerability that convinced me. As a dancer, he had tremendous discipline and, of course, some acting experience. He was extremely insecure during the difficult scenes with Jeroen. But Jeroen helped him quite a lot on the set to get through it.

SK: Are there certain things you think that you could have done differently if you made the movie today?

RK: If I would do this movie again, I would ask for much more money for the dancing scenes. The way these scenes were written originally in the screenplay would have given a lot more production value to the film.

SK: For a Lost Soldier is a film with sensitive subject matter and, even to this day, many people consider it one of the most controversial films ever released. Yet the sensual way in which the story is portrayed has resulted in many people liking the film, as evidenced from its high ratings on IMDB, Amazon.com…etc. By now, one can safely say that the film has become a classic as people recognize the value of the story and learn to reach their own conclusions to the many questions that the movie raises. That’s nowadays – but what was the public reaction like when the film first came out? How was your film received in other countries? Was the film ever banned or not respected in some parts of the world?

RK: The response to the film in Holland was, for me, disappointingly low. The outspoken Dutch homosexual scene expected and wanted “raw meat”. For A Lost Soldier is a romantic love story, a homosexual love story that could have been a heterosexual love story as well. The homosexual part of it is less important than the love story as such.

.

The film won the Public Award and the Jury Award at the Torino Film Festival, was internationally successfully released especially in the USA where the film figured in the Variety Top Twenty for several weeks. The film was released theatrically all over the world without any restrictions. Only TV release was impossible, but who cares? Video and DVD took over in time.

.

SK: Having read the biography of Rudi van Dantzig at the web site of the Dutch National Ballet made me wonder if the dancing scene in which Jaroen dances with Walt was your way to pay tribute to the successes of the author as a dancer and choreographer?

.

RK: Rudi van Dantzig himself made no secret of the fact that he was never a very good dancer. As choreographer and director of HNB (Dutch National Ballet), he inspired many dancers, composers, painters, and filmmakers like myself. His influence went much further than ballet. My personal tribute to Rudi was the movie For A Lost Soldier.

SK: Let’s finish the interview with a question I always ask filmmakers. As theSkyKid.com mainly focuses on Coming-of-Age films, it would be interesting to know if you have a favorite Coming-of-Age film that you could recommend to the people reading this interview.

RK: While not really a true Coming- of- Age film in the strictest sense, I’d recommend the French film Etre et Avoir . It is “between the lines”.

I would like to dedicate this interview to the memory of Rudi van Dantzig.

In Memoriam Rudi van Dantzig 1933-2012

Sources used :

1. Rudi van Dantzig. The Telegraph . 02 Feb 2012 <> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/dance-obituaries/9057493/Rudi-van-Dantzig.html

2. Brandsen Ted . “Rudi van Dantzig” The Dutch National Ballet – Het Nationale Ballet. 01/19/2012 <> http://www.het-ballet.nl/en/news/news/2012/01/19/rudi-van-dantzig/

3. Holdens, Stephen. “For a Lost Soldier (1993) Review/Film; Treating a Delicate Story of a Soldier and a Boy Tenderly”. The New York Times 07/05/1993 <> http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CEEDD1F3DF934A35756C0A965958260#

For a Lost Soldier (1992)

In short

4.6

Watch on Demand

Amazon

Look to the Sky (1993)

As soon as the film started rolling, I knew I would spend time with tears in my eyes. And I was right. By the sixth minute, I was fighting back the tears. Look to the Sky is a drama based on the autobiographical novel Childhood by Dutch writer Jona Oberski. The action opens in Amsterdam, where Jonah, a five-year-old boy, lives happily with his family. Jonah narrates the story (first-person narration is the best way to approach a movie adaptation of an autobiographical novel), and one immediately feels a closeness to the little boy, which makes the scenes that follow all that much harsher to watch.

Continue

Look to the Sky (1993)

In short

Character/Acting

Score/Soundtrack

Cinematography

Storyline/Screenplay

Production

Direction

Reader Rating0 Votes

0

Our rating

Razvan Dobai on The Mystery Artist Show

The Mystery Artist Show is a weekly program on radio at TheSkyKid.com. Each week Jeffrey, the program’s host, introduces a young artist from somewhere around the world. At the end of April 2012, TheSkyKid.com radio aired an exclusive interview (conducted by Jeffrey) with Razvan Dobai, a talented young singer from Romania. From early childhood, Razvan has participated in numerous festivals and competitions in his native country of Romania.

When I finally received the answers from Razvan to be able to put the show together, his mom told me that he had re-recorded his answers several times because he wanted to make sure that everything was just right, since his English isn’t that good. I wouldn’t consider this as being a perfectionist, but rather someone that takes pride in what they do to make sure everything is just right.

Continue

Annie the Musical

In 1977, the original Annie opened on Broadway and ran for nearly six years (2,377 performances) at the former Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). The show was based on the comic strip, Little Orphan Annie (1924-2010) and it won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Musical. The show had its pre-Broadway previews at Connecticut’s Tony Award winning Goodspeed Opera House.

Continue

Introducing Avishay Rosen

For some weird reason, the Western media pays little attention to the talented young performers from Israel. One reason might be the choice of the most young Israelian singers to perform their songs in their native Hebrew.

Yet, one does not have to be a polyglot in order to enjoy a nice song sung by a talented young performer. Or, as the famous Greek philosopher Plato used to say “… rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul”.

A month ago, tipped by a boy (@grte1) I follow on Twitter, I discovered the music of Avishay Rosen who is a 13-year-old singer from Israel. Avishay Rosen had a head start on his music career thanks to the extensive vocal training he received during the four years he spent singing and performing in the boys’ singing group Kinderlach. October 2011 saw the release of his debut album Give Me a Sign (Ten Li Siman), which features 11 upbeat pop-rock songs, some of them composed by Avishay himself.

A musician of many talents, Avishay plays drums, piano and guitar. The extraordinary vocal capabilities of this young Jewish singer helped him to get noticed by and work with some of the most prolific professionals in the music industry in Israel — such as the producers Uriel Maor and Avi Tal.

Avishay Rosen – Give Me a Sign

The hit singles of Avishay’s debut album Give Me a Sign and Avishai are accompanied by wonderfully filmed music videos shot in Jerusalem. Both clips are quite energetic and radiate with positive vibes. They show to the world an image of Israel that is rarely seen on the newscasts nowadays.

Without any doubt, the future holds great things for this young musician from Israel.

Avishay`s Rosen Youtube , Avishay Rosen on Twitter

A Swarm in May (1983)

Coming-of-Age stories in which music plays a significant role are quite rare. One such story is told in the film A Swarm in May, which is based on the classic novel by William Mayne. The protagonist of the film is ten-year-old John Owen (Oliver Hicks) who, upon his return to the British boys’ Cathedral School he attends, is challenged to accept a traditional role in a religious ceremony that requires him to recite a poem in Latin and perform a solo in front of the Bishop.

Continue

Jack Vidgen – “Inspire”: A New Album

When you listen to Inspire, you enter the realm of spiritual influence. You hear classics from the ’70s and ’80s that influenced an entire generation-a generation grown older like myself. These interpretations by Australia‘s Jack Vidgen, whose prowess and vocal skills were evident in his first album, do indeed carry inspirational memories.

I am, however, somewhat disappointed that Vidgen has chosen to sing eleven retro songs. The exception is Beyonce‘s already classic I Was Here, which is a fitting piece for Jack‘s deeper voice — black velvety smooth and mysterious! This song is all about AMBITION with beautifully clear passages by the older teen voice, sounding almost harshly determined in places; traces of sorrow for that which was lost by striving for fame.

Starting with a soulful, confident cover of Michael Jackson‘s Man in the Mirror (from the album Bad 1987), Jack shows off his somewhat deeper voice. But to turn this soul searching, self scrutinizing song into gospel at the end does not appeal to me.

The other Michael Jackson comparison from The Jackson Five (1970) is highly interesting. It supports my theory that Jack is actually capable of singing with three voices, not just one! In the original I’ll Be There, Michael’s older brother sings the deeper parts and young MJ belts out the high lines. In this cover, Jack Vidgen handles both tonal levels gracefully. Jack3Voice is more stylized and versatile. One voice is a boyish sweet falsetto. The second is a creative R+B voice, bending notes, turning almost harsh at times. The third is the new deeper teen voice, below tenor. Michael‘s child voice was a single voice, more rounded, holding notes longer, hardly capable of deep tones.

Jack carries the over sung What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong-1970) nicely with some special key jumping patterns, but it’s a poor song choice for him as is You’re the Inspiration (CHICAGO-1984-written by Peter Cetera+David Foster), which is another tune for a mature male voice.

In Lean on Me (Bill Withers 1972-album Still Bill), Jack again presents his deeper voice, useful here in a hymn to sharing and friendship. But, again, the gospel improv at the end is not convincing.

Jack Vidgen`s new album – Promo

Another song which is brilliantly styled, but not to my taste, is Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon+Garfunkel-1970). In this Gershwin-like jazzed up version, JV‘s sweet, tender falsetto toggles with the grainier, wide open, clear voice which reaches its limit here; a touch strained, but wonderfully rounded at the end. It would have been more rewarding to me to hear Jack sing the original melody without the trills.

What the World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick-1967 from the album Here Where There is Love) has Jack soaring spritely above a background ladies chorus, in piano lounge-style–hardly the kind of thriller we have come to expect from him.

In contrast to this, and suiting Jack well, is the Higher Ground cover (Stevie Wonder-Inner Visions-1978), a funky, difficult to master song, which challenges the inner kangaroo. But JV booms it out with aplomb.

What an interesting comparison to make between True Colors (Cindi Lauper-1986-written by Billy Steinberg+Tom Kelly) by Jack Vidgen and the same by another Aussie singer, Jordan Jansen!. Jack‘s version is more refined, controlled, but somehow less emotional than Jordan‘s. And this song is pure emotion: about seeing someone’s true virtues.

If you don‘t listen carefully to the end of Oh Happy Day (1967 gospel interpretation of an 18th-century hymn), you will miss the highlight of the album: Jack jumping briefly into what I believe is the Whistle Register!! Why the producers have chosen to fade this into oblivion is a mystery to me!! I missed it listening to the first time! Check the 3:24 mark! Turn up your volume! Uncannily, that’s Jack sounding like a dog whistle!

Finally, John Lennon‘s pacifist single and plea for peace Imagine (1971) is wonderfully done with guitar and orchestra tastefully integrated. The tonal quality of Jack‘s voice is brightly audible and upfront here, clearly amazing to hear.

My final comment about Inspire is double-edged. On the one hand, there are many entrancing vocals on the album that confirm Jack as a brilliant singer. On the other hand, to truly inspire is to risk going forward with original material. That is my hope for Jack Vidgen‘s next album.

Coming-of-Age Movies Featuring Girls

Over time, movies have touched our lives in ways that will never allow us to be the same. As bigger blockbuster hits come to the big screen, we have seen many emotionally filled movies. The comedies give us quotes to live by, the cult classics that we never forget, and the romantic movies that define the relationships we all want. However, there is one genre of film that has come a long way over the years.

Coming-of-Age movies have always seemed to concentrate on boys. The more popular movies in this genre seem to believe that boys are the only ones that have growing pains. It seems that Coming-of-Age movies about girls are not all that popular. But there are some great themes to look at in many of these movies.

Continue

Shelved: The Rise and Fall of 11:11

Have you heard of a Coming-of-Age movie titled 11:11?

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t, as we just found out about it ourselves a few days ago thanks to an email with a copy of David Boyne’s article titled Happy Accidents: The Film About A Film That Never Was. The article appeared to be a publication at the IndieSlate Film & Video Magazine and led us to a press release of the Independent Film Production/Distribution company Hourglass Pictures. From it we have learned that the film telling the story of two boys experiencing reincarnation through the 11:11 phenomenon has been in the making since 2004, but won’t be released (not for the time-being anyway).

Continue

TheSkyKid.com

TheSKyKid.com

Allan singing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at WMMO’s ‘Yes’ rock concert

Allan Clelland-Goddard Street Children (Original song)

In Memoriam Rudi van Dantzig 1933-2012

Avishay Rosen – Give Me a Sign

Jack Vidgen`s new album – Promo