And that's what you really missed with Jenna.

And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast.

Welcome to you, and that's what you really miss podcast.

It is another movie.

Musical, specifically another zach Efron movie musical.

This is the zach Efron Movie Podcast.

Now next week we're doing seventeen again.

Don't say that we're not doing that.

Is there a musical number in seventeen again?

I don't think so.

But Shankman directed this and.

That also great film.

What a director, that guy.

He's just got I feel like he's just got like sleeper hits on hits on hits, meaning like he's not super famous like out there.

Yeah, but he is.

He he does it all.

Wedding planner walk to remember.

Yes, I'm like, get out of hearing.

Okay, all right, well but today is hair Spray and there's a lot of Glee over you know, crossover crossover, waterfalling, Shankman, Zach Woodley, There's that's a lot of dancer friends we have in this film.

So what a stacked cast.

I just when we were talking about what we were going to do with this podcast, and we were talking about films and TV shows and things, I feel like you know we're naming like Molan Rouge Chicago Cabaret.

However, when somebody brought up hair Spray, we were like, oh, I have to be honest.

I only want you to be honest.

I don't remember watching this film and being like and maybe this was because it was like in the in like I was so deep in the musicals that like everything just felt like, oh this is fun but whatever.

But watching it back now, like I was going in like, yeah, sure we'll watch Hairspray.

Unlike if we were to be like, oh, Chicago, which I know we'll do.

I'm like one of my favorite films of all time, musical or not, Hairspray not so much.

But watching this film last night brought me mm hmmm, immense joy and feeling correct.

It was wow, blown away.

When you're not a hater, the amount of joy that you can let into your life.

And I'm saying that as a hater m because I think I probably I remember thinking this movie was really good and you know, having some critiques like oh, well, this person's not a great vocalist or this like who cares?

This was so good, top to bottom, so good.

I didn't stop moving the performances were unreal.

It was just everybody was giving you You were texting.

We were texting each other last night because we were both watching this.

Yeah, and I think part of you know, maybe why this one didn't stick out to you or it was wasn't one of the first things that came to mind.

We were talking about musicals.

Watch is because we were sort of at that time, between like two thousand and this Camp two thousand and seven, there were a lot of great movie musicals or musical things happening.

We were done at a high level.

We were a bit spoiled, that's right, And I think we've sort of gotten at that point we were.

We were a little desensitized to like how hard it is to make a great sure musical, and like how to how it translates from the stage to film, and also the journey of this one.

This was film to stage to film, right.

I When I saw this on Broadway, I really enjoyed it.

It was not these feel good musicals were not what I was looking for at that time.

I was looking for an angsty musical that made me feel like I wanted to cry.

I was a teenager in my early twenties, like I wanted Michelle Schoenberg opera style musicals like Miss Saigone Lay, Miss like give Me the Big Ones.

So Hairspray at the time was like this, like wonderful ras sort of like a musical that like came in and was like it was powerful, the message was great and it was also feel good, right, and I don't know what it was.

But I didn't like, turn on Hairspray and listen to the cast album, right, But I'm turning on the album snacked to the cast album.

Now you had a different point in your life.

Now, Wow, it's wonderful.

You know, the music is great.

Yes, I have questions for you because I've never seen the Stage Musical.

And I was talking with Austin last night because yeah, I came up after I watched it.

I was like, oh god, that movie's so good, and he's like, it's amazing.

He's like that being said, he's like, I even like the Stage Musical more and he's and he was saying he loves the movie.

So what what was what is the experience like?

Because there are arson differences between the movie and the musical.

They changed some lyrics, they had some songs for the movie do you see that Morrison in it?

Yes, I did see that Marson in it.

I actually think I liked the movie more hmmm.

I don't remember vividly this Hairspray Broadway experience.

I was also seeing, like in volume I was seeing musicals at this point, and like, yes, you had to be really spectacular for to like really stick out of my mind.

I enjoyed it.

I remember that, and I remember seeing that, but I don't remember it being like life changing to me.

And I think that the camp was really harnessed in the film, yes, versus the camp on musical on a musical theater stage can come across as to musical theater e not campy.

So it felt a little too elevated without like the juxtaposition of like what was going on in the world and like creating the world more vividly in the movie.

I think that was one of the Yeah, because one of my favorite parts of the movie.

And I think this is a testament probably to Adam Shankman who directed it.

The you're as an audience member, we're able to buy into the absurdity and that camp that you're talking about out of the movie immediately.

Yes, there's a lot of sensitive topics in this show.

There's a lot of things that feel like they haven't aged well necessarily.

However, in context with like the world that they have created in this film and the show, it's all sort of when something is said like out of pocket, there's a character reaction acknowledging that in the movie, yes, and like that feels very real and I and I feel like that's such a delicate balance.

And I feel like because you have these ground, really grounded moments mixed with the complete opposite in every single scene, and it's just so so impressive.

And I think technically this movie is done perfect so well, it's perfect, Like the lighting is beautiful, it looks there's some shots of Michelle Pfeiffer there's like a pan, Oh, it's just Michelle Feiffer on film is also just like stupid stunning.

But there were some of these shots where I was like this, if you had shown me this movie and said this is from like the fifties or sixties, I would have believed you right, Like how it's colored, Yes, yes, it just looks really really stunning.

I mean how they did up like John Travolta, Oh my god, absolutely insane like so good.

I don't I don't understand how Shankman was able to accomplish that.

I know, yeah, it's it's pretty amazing.

I mean, a good director or a fabulous director, a really great cast, a great story, wonderful music, like you just have to buy in, right, And obviously it takes a village, but like all the pieces worked because they were all acting at the highest level.

Right, It's just how much we love this for an hour?

No, I know.

Okay, well, let's talk about some of the things and then we can get deeper into it.

We fully got the number.

You and I haven't like to sit so into it.

When we text each other about these things, we really keep it limited because we want to keep saving the past.

And then we don't do an intro.

We just go into it.

I also watched this on my computer last night because to save David usually watched TV at the end of the night together.

It's like something we do or like, you know, we converse or whatever.

And I was like, I'm going to save you.

I have to watch Hairspray Musical on my computer.

But all I wanted was to watch this on big screen, like so desperately.

I was like, oh please.

It's it's sort of an insane movie, like as you would say with an album.

There's no skips, you know, like you do this casting department, this casting director out of their mind.

This is Hairspray and it premiered July twentieth, two thousand and seven, and the number one song was Umbrella Byriama featuring Jay Z and.

We've never been the same Never No, that honestly changed the world.

Honestly, these number ones right now are hitting hard.

Do you know?

Two thousand and seven was a great year, great year minus the Writer's strike, great year.

Number one movie Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

I mean, one of the best Harry Potter films.

My favorite Harry Potter book, so good.

This was released the week prior to Hairspray, the fifth book and movie in the series.

And there's no glean news obviously since this is preakly, but here's some pop culture snapshots.

There was summer TV.

It means a lot of reality shows.

So American Idol season six had just wrapped in May with Jordan's Sparks as the winner.

Can you remember that?

Yep?

Ooh, and so you think you can Dance, one of my favorite shows at the time, was a big summer staple.

Obviously I watched every episode.

Shankin was eight was it Judge on that as well?

He's just in everywhere.

Disney Channel had Hannah Montana and Sweed Life, a second Cody pre High School Musical two release which came out in August, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book of the Harry Potter series, was released the very next day at midnight, and I dragged my mom to the.

Store, Oh, Burne's and Noble to.

Go get it.

We're on vacation.

Oh wow, which take me?

Oh yeah?

Yeah.

I was at Barnes and Noble for hours and I read it in two days.

Hey, listen, if you're if you're trying to drag your mother to a bookstore, Like if my child was like, please take me to this bookstore, I'd be like willingly, like you take sit what you do?

Yeah?

No, yeah.

Facebook was just beginning to explode beyond colleges.

We had talked about this in the previous episode Kevin, I Think and and my Space was still very big.

Also, it was like the golden era of like gossip magazines, Paris, Hilton, Lindsay Lowe and Britney Spears.

For better or for Worse, they were remember that everywhere, So as we've already been talking about.

Hairspray was directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman.

He is a director, a producer, a writer, a dancer and author, and actor and obviously a choreographer.

He began in musical theater and was a dancer in music videos for Paul Abdul and Janet Jackson.

He's choreographed a bunch of movies, including Hairspray.

He directed The Wedding Planner, as we said, a walkcher, remember bringing down the house, the pacifier, cheaper Bary that doesn't two Rock of Ages, which I'm sure we're gonna get to at some point too.

I was even more Glee crossover, Yeah, and disenchanted.

He's also produced the Step Up movies, the Step Up TV show.

That night was on seventeen again, the last song, And as I was watching this movie and as we you know, just got done recapping Glee, and how I keep coming back to the rocky horror Glee show and how beautiful it was and how it felt different than all the other episodes in a way he shoots and watching this movie.

Yeah, it all just came together.

That Shankman is the thing here.

Shankman also likes to put himself in his own films and make a very very small cameo.

Did you see him?

I sure did.

There were a lot of cameos in this movie.

Yes, yes, he also was he Yeah, he always makes a cameo in his film.

Maybe not in his TV show, not in Glee, but in all of his movies.

This screenplay was by Leslie Dixon Smashed It Smashed and the associate choreographers our very own Zach Woodley.

And this was based on the two thousand and two broad A musical, which in turn was based on John waters nineteen eighty eight film Hairspray The.

Year I Was Born Wow, which was also so it starred Ricky Lake.

Mm hmmm.

And did you see Ricky Lake?

What?

No, I didn't see cameo sitting next to Adam Shankman.

Did you see John Waters cameo?

No, I didn't see that one either.

John Waters cameo was the flasher Flasher in the beginning of the movie.

And Jerry Stiller, Yes, Jerry Sailor, but Jerry Stiller played Wilbur and the and the movie.

Yep, he's mister Pinky, the dress shop owner, and this Ricky Lake Zach Zach Woodley played one of the smoking guys.

I loved this is so out of but when she does go into the teacher's lounge and they're all smoking, I loved it.

I loved it.

I don't have anything else to say it beyond.

No notes, no notes.

This cast is stacked.

This cast is dumb.

John Travolta, what in their minds was like, I know who ed Na turn Blad should be, John Travolta, And I feel.

Like John Travolta is probably knocking down their door to play this.

You know what, I don't know.

I don't know.

Either way it worked, they both clearly wanted to do it.

Harvey Firestein, who originated this role on Broadway, is a goddamn national icon, hero icon and those are some big shoes to fill.

Right and and Harvey is so one of a kind to create a role like this, or to originate this version of the role, like to then have somebody step into it, like you were saying, like it's it's it's a tough one and has to be made originally again in a way, right, like you can't replicate Harvey's performance or him, so yeah, you have to create this new thing.

And I was reading about John Javolta playing Edna Turnblatt, and I was kind of curious about like having John play this role and like what the people thought, and like is this something that should have done and happened?

And of course, like this all started with a man playing Edna in the original right, right, And as we've gone through these different iterations of the film and musical, like John said that he wanted to not not make this an ode to drag like as it was originally kind of created, but really played this as a woman, not a not a man in drag like.

It just it was and that is his version that made this.

So this version is so there was something So I'm trying to look for the right word.

Endearing.

Yeah, yeah, close, warming, endearing, joyful, like honest, Like I just was like I sunk my teeth so deeply into this character, and I was like, I am in, I'm in.

I love Edna.

I think it is the sweetest.

I love their relationship.

I both totally believed John, like it was just everything it was everything.

And I believed I it makes sense that he would say that because I think if you try to come across what you can do on stage is one thing, and what right I can do on film is a completely different thing.

Right, And I think if you had someone playing it like they did on stage, it would probably work.

But it's a completely different feeling.

And how this role is written and how John Travolta played it so sensitively yep, just works on film.

And who is better who have the capability more than John Travolta who has been in numerous musical movies.

Is Danny Zuka, Yeah, exactly.

And like can dance, can sing and is also just as good at acting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And there's not a lot of those triple threats around.

No, but clearly in here there are.

So they're all in this movie.

Michelle Viiffer, lis Velma, Christopher walk In.

I mean one and only Michelle Pfeiffer.

So when I'm talking about someone who's let's say not a vocalist, yep, Michelle Viiffer might be that person actors first.

Yeah, However, I every second like you need a big vocalist for this role.

No, And I bought every minute of what she did.

Her presence is the most important thing.

And she's such an incredible actor, gorgeous.

Again, when you are in this hyped up musical, campy world, think about any scene she's in, how that could have been a caricature?

Totally and not for one second do you feel Yes, all of them, but I feel like especially her, like you know, like, yeah, you're dressed.

I think her John Travolta's rolls because it's so easily been caricatures.

Totally, totally and the most elevated Christopher Walking Amanda Binds.

Christopher Hawking makes me laugh.

It's the toy Shop, uh musical number.

I just was like, this is actually everything I've ever Walking can do anything.

Just like I was watching this and David was watching Dune and he popped up on the screen and I was like, man, this really this guy really can do it all.

Well.

I was just about to say the only time Christopher walking doesn't really work for me watching Dune too, and he pops up and he's just he's Christopher Walking, and do you know what I mean?

Like you know, he's always Christopher.

It totally works in this It works.

And catch me if you can it works in everything he does, and doone too, just like this is like, what's what's Chris walking?

I just picture Chord doing the accent.

You have Timmy shallow May who was like very serious and this whole thing is so serious and Christopher walk stop.

But I feel like he doesn't necessarily get a chance to be like when he's so sweet, like in this movie he loves Edna adores and and he loves his daughter, and like those moments are so touching, and I feel like we don't get a lot of Christopher walking like that.

Correct, that's right, that's right.

And he's so sweet and heartbreaking in these moments.

Like everyone really makes so much of their time.

And also you know, of course that's a testament to the writing.

Yep.

And yeah, it's a really big cast in a happens, But none of it seems cut short, Like none of it seems like you don't get the full picture right.

Amanda Binds hardly speaks in this movie.

However, in the back of my head.

She is a gigantary part part of this movie, huge part, huge part.

And I feel like she doesn't speak for like the first twenty minutes of this movie and when she does, it's like a word.

Like but with the lollipop and the hair and the looks and the reactions and the physical comedy and.

Like the whole thing is just and she just really sticks out.

Amanda Binds again not a vocalist, genius casting because she is a she is a community.

Yeah, like absolutely brilliant and what she can bring to that role like that is that's what she brought.

Was like Amanda to Penny and it worked beautifully.

Oh my god, we talked, but her Alison Janny plays her mom stupid every time I say stupid.

By the way, for those of you who don't know me, it's a huge compliment.

Alison Janny and Amanda Bynes his mother and daughter.

Are you kidding me?

Alison Jenny's in about three scenes in this movie, and is also makes a big.

Splash when she falls over that coffee table.

Oh my god, it's Alison God.

Everybody like you get like you get there.

Sorry to everyone listening.

I just keep saying, you get their revenge, you know, like all these characters like the Michelle Pfeiffer, like Velma and Prudy, you know, Prudy and all these characters that are like the evil characters Britney Snow's character, you know Amber, they're all they say such outlandish, terrible, inappropriate things.

They're mean, they're not good, but like you still they're still human to this movie, Like they're still human and their comedic moments are funny and they're the revenge of like them not winning at the end is it's fulfilling, and it's just really well like all the arcs are well played out and seen and shown displayed in like such a beautiful way.

It reminds me of high school musical of where good just always wins, right, And this obviously has a bit more of as some dialogue and story that would never be on a Disney Channel movie, right, But at the end of the day, we don't like we don't really drill down into those too far before we can get ourselves out of it.

And so at the end of the day, like our good people, our good characters constantly are winning, even when Christopher Walkin gets accused of doing something bad, you know, like that's the least bad thing to happen in this movie.

Right, right exactly.

But and the thing was that like Tracy knows the good, like she sees the good in him and is like she didn't.

You have to know he would never do that, right, Like there's this like level of trust and giving people the benefit of the doubt in this way, like Tracy in particular in this character that like she just believes so deeply and knows who they are and is like, but they would never do that, like she I like it pulls everybody else out of it.

Our main character is someone we can trust, yes, and she's smart, Like she's not stupid at any turn.

No, it's not just blind optimism exactly like she happens.

It's sort of like she's she's like anything she wants and she sees or envisions happens, and it's always a positive thing.

It's always a good thing.

And it's like even her love for Link, it's like it just happens and it's easy, and it's like we love her for it.

Before we get too deep in theos again.

James Marsden, Corney Collin, Queen, Latifa Motormouth, Maybell, Britney snow and Raman Telsa, zac Efron, Link, Elijah, Kelly Seaweed, Alison, Jenny Nicki, Blonsky, are Star, Taylor Parks, Lily Nez, Jane Eastwood, Miss w Lindsay, Paul Dooley, and just I could go on and on about these actors.

We should probably do a whole separate episode just.

Talking about this cast list, honestly.

So, I saw something on I think it was TikTok a couple of weeks ago about Britney Snow talking about getting cast in this movie.

Yeah, and how she auditioned the first time and didn't get it and she's like, I know this sounds crazy.

Yeah, She's like, I know this sounds crazy.

She went to a psychic or something like that.

Sam, did you see this too?

Am I Right?

So she went to a psychic and the psychic told her it was her part, so she like fought for and went back in and did it again, and you know the rest is history.

Hey, and I also loved as a huge fan of American Dreams, where her and Vanessa Lunji starred, which is also in this era.

Yeah, it feels just right seeing Britney Snow in the sixties.

Right, Oh, yes, yes, yes, I see what you're saying.

I I can't I can see other people playing this role.

This is probably the most castable role of them all in a way that's like the Regina George and the you know, Ameron Tusslo, like the beautiful blonde villain, right.

But Brittany, I don't.

She's so likable even in this character of like I think that's what I was talking about, like the human side of it, right, even though she's the villain and she says all these awful things and is in the wrong and is not a good person, right, Like, she's still human and I still like want to watch her and I want to see what happens, and I'm still like invested in it versus like somebody that you a character that you hate so deeply that you're like, I don't even I can't watch this movie.

You know, she does such a really good job with it.

But that's so interesting.

I love when people actors like campaign for things that they really believe because they're like, yeah, I'm like, get.

It, genius, genius move from all sides of zach Efron going from my school musical to this singing it's his real singing voice.

Oh good, like cut being one of the sort of bigger male characters in this movie.

And also I feel like when we write to high school musical.

The way he's able.

I think he's such a good actor mm hmm.

And he's able to do heightened things like anything with Disney or even this, yes, where it's not easy to sort of be like the well, your whole character trait, we were one character trait is that you're hot.

Yeah, yeah, right, like.

There's nothing else to you other than oh, he's just really good looking and he's nice, Like that's that that can get tired.

It's like a superhero.

Yeah.

And he's so charismatic and you never see the doubt in his eyes or the corniness in his eyes of like what he's doing.

He's so fully invested and committed.

And you can tell the difference obviously when you see someone who's not naturally as good as he is, and he was super young when he's doing these things and it's so good.

Yeah.

I wish there were more opportunities for people to do movies like this, because you get to see other sides of actors like this, and so many actors can do what he's able to do.

I don't know if they're as good as him, but he's.

He's very i mean excellent what he does, and he does it all right, but this is Yeah.

Did you know I know Elijah Kelly.

No, I grew up with Elijah Kelly.

Oh my god, wow.

My boy band days.

So Elijah was out in La.

Yes.

And Elijah Kelly was always maybe the most talented person I've had ever known.

I mean, like I remember meeting him.

I heard him saying we were in the recording studio.

Actually, I don't know why he was there.

I don't know who he knew.

He got on the drums, he started playing the drums like he is just so musically gifted.

Wow, I saw him.

I saw him like a year and a half ago, two years ago, first Simon a while and I remember when he got this, and I it just made so much sense.

I need to know he acted, and I knew him as like a musician and yeah, of course, of course he's gonna be incredible in this.

And it was like at the time zac Efron had blown up and it's John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Like Elijah Kelly is on these billboards like Hollywood where we all used to like hang out, and like there's Elijah.

He's seaweed, yes, and he's a standout in this movie talk about one of my naturally gifted and charismatic Yeah, like, he's up there.

I don't doubt for one second that he does not belong with Zach Effron and Michelle Pfeiffer and John Travolta and Christopher Walking and Queen Latifa.

Oh he held his own for sure.

I mean he was that.

He was extraordinary.

He's so good, He's so good, and his voice is something else.

Oh my god, have you seen the original movie, the John Waters version of this movie.

No, I am not.

I should.

I have either no need to watch it.

I barely have time to watch the movies for this podcast, so I guess.

We'll have to make it an official assignment.

So then yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

No, but I can imagine in the eighties what this musical movie was.

I mean I've seen pictures, you know, film styles from it.

But like, h even more so, I think this musical probably meant it was a lot of it was so relevant to the political times and to the I'm sure that some of the other topics were a little more digestible at that point as well, in terms of like having Tracy Turnblad be a Kurby girl as the lead of this musical, right, and having I'm sure having uh Edna be played by a man also because it was always played by a male actor.

Right, Yes, it was the drag queen and actor Divine.

Wait, Divine was in the original Hairspray.

Yeah, good god, Jenna, we are bad gays.

We have to go watch that now, I know.

Wow.

Hi, I'm Terry Hatcher and you may remember me as Susan Meyer from Desperate Housewives.

I'm Andrea Bowen, though you may know me as Terry's on screen daughter Julie Meyer.

And I'm Emerson Tenney, Terry's real life daughter.

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Listen to desperately devoted on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I was thinking about like kind of the all the different things that didn't age as well right in this movie.

But I'm sure how meaningful it is to have Tracy term blad be this adorable young like curby girl is not what you normally see as a young angenou in a movie or a musical leading a show, and how you know that's like it's another part of like having such representation for women out there saying like young girls out there saying, Wow, that's looks like me.

That's me.

I can do things just like anybody else, even though I'm not this like leading lady m mirror thing that we've created, right.

And she's like complex, she doesn't fall fall.

I feel like when you have like stereotypes and cliches of certain types of people as characters, there's obviously certain archetype features that you fall into, and I feel like she doesn't that balance and like no.

Question that like link just falls like falls for her, right, She's so charming, she's she's outspoken, she's smart, she sees the world like in a different way, Like she's exciting, and like there's no question that, Like, yeah, he's with like ambervon Tussle, but like she's also a terrible person.

So he just naturally gravitates for Tracy and that's it.

Like there's no huge ifans or butts about it, which I get loved.

I wanted to talk about some of the the behind the scenes of how this movie actually got made real quick.

Okay, great, great.

Obviously, the movie came out eighty eight.

The musical was in two thousand and two and won eight Tonies, no big deal, and the New Line started developing the film project in two thousand and four because Chicago did so well and had the same producers.

But it took a year to find Shankman to choreograph and direct this.

And in the meantime, the original book writers for the stage show wrote the first draft and this is why I think this is probably so good, as we keep saying, they brought in Leslie Dixon to rewrite it, and Leslie Dixon famously wrote Missus, Doubtfire and Freaky Friday.

Yeah, talk about being able to be funny, heartfelt, satirical, all these things all at once, and warm, which also I feel like matches Adam's directing style so well where I was.

Whoever decided to call up Leslie Dixon to write this thing just absolutely brilliant.

M Did you also notice there were several cameos.

We saw Zach but Jamal Simms, I noticed he's in it a lot.

Really, Yes, Jamal Sims a US for drag Race.

Jenna and I worked with him Celebrity drag Race.

He's all in this movie.

And then Anne Fletcher also had a cameo.

And Anne and Adam are like via Fax and so they always worked together.

They were all on as assistant choreographers all in this movie.

Pause for a second.

Do you also remember the open casting call, uh for like the little nationwide search for Tracy startin Blood?

Yes, I remember when that was happening, do you I.

Remember this very vividly because this was around that time, Like I think they had done it for Annie as well, back in the day when we were a little bit younger, and so, like I remembered, they were doing like the legally Blonde one for finding the star for the musical, and I remember Nikki worked at a cold streamery on Long Island.

Really yeah, And when Shangrin called her that she got the job, she was working at Coltstone.

I remember like she was wearing her uniform and like they called her, and I remember like, I don't remember, I don't know, it messed up, been in the news.

I guess.

I don't think it was like a show of Uddy Start.

But I always remember being like, oh, yeah, she's from Long Island, that's right.

They filmed it over four months in two thousand and six in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wow.

The opening clouds plus news newspaper drop are the only shots actually from Baltimore.

And they made it for seventy five mil.

Wow it made.

It ended up making two hundred and three million dollars, and Don made for a Golden Globes two hundred and three million.

We have a couple of Hairspray Glee crossovers.

We had some songs that we covered on Glee from Hairspray, one of them being you Can't Step the Beat, which we performed.

Which I feel so stupid because I sing the apart.

Elijah sings and last night.

I last night.

My thoughts in this morning, my thoughts were about how cool is it that Elijah and I saying the same parts?

And I am so dumb because I never realized it.

Oh, and then because I'm seeing it with Chris and like Kurt says Artie instead of Seaweed.

And then I was thinking about, oh, does any other character in Glee get their name put into so many songs?

Larti is mentioned in several songs you do yeah mentioned?

Anyway, That's where I was going last night, falling asleep.

There's also uh, the icon I know where I've been sung by Unique in season six.

Which makes me want to talk about Queen Latifa, who Shankman you know, worked with on Bringing Down the House, which was a classic movie.

Yeah, yeah, died laughing.

Chicago, obviously, there's such a Yeah, there's such a good amount of crossover from different things happening here.

There's Chicago, there's Grease, Yeah, there's high school musical.

Yeah, there's Grease too between Michelle Pfeiffer, right right, And it's just so like Shankman is so good at doing these intentional things, and he does them tastefully and it's not just like, oh, we have cameos, or we have these people that you know have been a famous musical.

They're also right for these roles and they're making this story even better.

Yeah, there was supposed to be a sequel that ended up not happening.

It was announced in two thousand and eight and John Waders actually wrote a treatment and it's going to be set in the late nineteen sixties.

It would talk about British invasion and psychedelic hippie culture in the Vietnam War, and Shankman was supposed to direct again, and then it got canceled in twenty ten.

While I would have loved a second Hairspring, I'm also like, don't touch it.

Don't touch it.

I'm just the way I feel about sequels in general that have really strong original pieces that like, I just don't touch it.

What why you said you wanted to talk about all the Queen Latifa did?

We cover everything?

Queen Latifa has been a staple our entire lives.

Can do everything.

She raised us.

Is there anybody else who has done why variety of things?

And successfully?

Is her?

Like?

Do you know what I mean?

Like, she's an iconic hip hop artist, She's an Oscar nominated actor.

She's an incredible singer, Like what can't she do?

She's hosted TV shows.

It's just it's I love that we keep her around and I feel I hope as a public she knows how grateful we are, and I don't think you can cast her too often.

I have a question, isn't that people didn't like John Child's casting?

Yeah, people didn't like it.

Do they not like it because of him or because of the role itself?

Like casting him as a woman.

People want to cast a drag queen, which I understand, especially when Divine originated the original role.

Yes, yes, yes.

I think that's a fair complaint.

I think I think if John Travolta was trying to.

Do drag, that would be a different story.

That would be an issue.

It's also not for us to say either way, but right right, I know John Waters was heavily involved in this, and John Waters gave Adam Shankman the blessing to like put his spin on it, right, right, So I feel like if John Waters is co signing this this version of it, yeah, yeah, I think if he was trying to do drag and it was going to be compared and being you know, those performances.

I think that's a whole different story, right, And maybe I also feel like I'm wondering if people were more upset speculating about it until it came out, or once it came out they were also no.

I'm sure that when I came out there was some issues.

I think also because John was in the costume and given a fat suit, and also in prosthetics.

There's just a lot of things that I think, no long like we've learned from and so I think that it's definitely not something that would have happened now given the situation that he was in with what he had.

I thought he didn't want job, and I loved it, but I understand the the pushback, of course.

And I would have loved to see a drag queen do this.

Oh yeah, Like there's a lot of there's a lot of really incredible drag queens that are It's like some of our favorite stars that I think would be really good.

Maybe there's another version of this.

Who played who played that role in the NBC was the NBC did the live version of it NBC Live with Ariana and Christian Shannaman.

Oh was Harvey Firesteine.

Oh, Harry Firesteine came back and did it okay?

Hell yeah?

Then yeah, that's fine.

There's so much music in this I'm not even to name on these songs.

None of these musical members are filmed, simply that most of these musical numbers take place in multiple locations.

Yes, and it's not a lazy shot.

There's not a lazy shot to be seen, right.

I know that this last number of you can't stop the beat like Hairspray, So you can't stop the beat took like days to film, like multiple days.

Yeah, that makes sense.

There's so many moving parts in that.

Yeah.

There's a lot of friends that we have in this show, in this movie.

And so I actually texted our wonderful friend JP Faery, who was in one of the dancers.

I don't know JP was in this, and when he came on, I started screaming.

It was just like baby Jp, Baby Spencer neat baga Like what?

Yeah?

So I texted Jp, our dear friend, and he wanted to say Hi, Hi Jenna, Hi Kevin.

It's crazy to think now because this upcoming July, it's going to be twenty years since we started rehearsal.

And filmed it.

So one thing, You Can't Stop the Beat I remember took about I think two to three weeks just to film that whole number in the entirety because there were so many moving parts and other scenes involved.

Started off with the whole.

Hairspray and the whole Miss Hairspray pageant, all of that, and then into the actual you Can't Stop the Beat number, and I remember we were filming all the way, you know, all the way until you know, four o'clock in the morning towards the end of the week, and.

Yeah, it was crazy.

One thing for me that was cool was that I remember Adam Shankman telling me that I was one of the first or yeah, I was the first dancer to hire, which was kind of crazy to me.

But yeah, Hairspray it's going to be twenty years and twenty twenty seven, which is kind of crazy to me.

But but yeah, I love you guys.

Grandma we call him Grandma, but we love Grandma.

JP was one of the council members, and JP is also an amazing dancer.

Was also in Newsy's the Musical and uh, I can't believe that it was in the days it.

Was weeks weeks, which again makes sense.

You get two thousand and seven different time, you have budget, you have the time.

I mean that opening number, Good Morning Baltimore, Like, think about all the places Tracy goes, all the little things that are the hijinks, all these.

Numbers so long.

Oh god, I love that Tuck.

It got me so good.

He's so good, you know what.

Some of those moments reminded me of like the Truman Show, Yes right where like the garbage truck drivers, like, what the hell is happening?

No, no, no, no, I thought she was gonna get hit.

Yeah, And there she is on top of the world.

Oh man, James Marsden when the nicest kids in town, like who knew?

What a what a heart throb you have?

Don zach Efron in one movie What heart?

What heart Throbs?

I gave her.

Also, I can hear the bells.

It's just it's Tracy's I want song, right, And she comes out of the classroom and the spotlight on her in the hallway and beautiful, my gosh, her voice.

Oh she's she's incredible in this, you see.

It's just the tone is just like, oh, it's so good.

So Lady's choice which is zach Efron's song they wrote for this movie.

They wrote Lady's Choice, they wrote Come So Far, Got So Far to Go, and the New Girl in Town, which was originally written for Broadway but it got.

Cut and then they brought it into the film.

Is the Dynamites numbers?

Yeah, I loved all those things as well.

I loved using the dynamites.

I loved all the interaction in different musical numbers with TVs or looking at the picture that moved.

Yes when in link song.

Also how funny, like the physical comedy again with a man of mines, Like when Tracy ends up on the show and she's running home, running to Tracy's parents' house, She's like, yes, it's so good, it's so memorable.

Yeah, these numbers obviously I know where I've been.

So beautiful.

It's also a really nice moment to slow the film down because it moves so fast.

It's not too fast, but it's like, I think this music takes up half the film, if not more.

Right, Oh yeah?

Do you think that's because for something to get to Broadway and then to work on Broadway, it has to go through so much, right, like so much sort of like vetting, workshopping and previews.

All these things get so much attention to make sure it works properly, and you're getting real feedback from audience and from producers and the director, you know, all these different departments.

And because this show probably works so well on stage, do you think that's why, like in movie form, it is able like that pacing is so great or are they not necessarily directly correlated?

Now?

I don't think the directly correlated.

I think it's all based upon the director and the pace of the filming because I think you can mess up paste very easily, I think.

Yeah, And like getting the beats in between the music is just as important, if not more important, because that's part of you know, that's the story lead into the bigger you know, the elevated story of the music.

Yeah.

I think it's just like the magic of having a really great musical that has really good story, really good characters, really great pacing.

Really like all the pieces come together in a way that's like this will make for a really great film if it translates and you do it well, but like it could also just fall flat.

So like imagine like Spring Awakening, which is so such an incredible musical.

The music is so good.

The the music is a bit superior to the story because the story is so old and it's it's more about the duxtaposition of the you know, the time in which that was happening, all happening, and then like the the modern music, right, and the lights and the neon lights and the microphones and all that.

I mean, you really need to like, I don't know that that would translate correctly, Like I think stage might be the place that that actually should live forever, right.

Especially because of the ages of the kids doing these things right, right, that'd be very complicated.

No, no, exactly exactly, And it's all about that, right, the awakening, the exploration, you know, all of that.

So yeah, no, I do think that there's a part of it that like, of course, if you get a musical, right, it's because of all the work that went into the workshopping of it again it right, But I don't know that translates to like the film inevitably being really good.

But there are plenty of instances of stage musicals that are great and they do not necessarily work on film, right, We won't we won't mention those, but should we rate some of these performances while we're here.

Well, we just talked about Good Morning Baltimore, and I give them an A plus.

Plus, absolutely a plus plus.

And uh, is this just gonna be a's all around.

Saying nicest Kidston Town.

Yeah, it takes two.

I can hear the bells.

Yeah, I feel like across the board today, like obviously I know where I've been.

Gets like an A plus plus plus for me, actually, definitely.

I was just thinking about me miss Baltimore Crabs.

The choreography in this movie.

The choreography in this entire movie is incredible, and everybody is so clean.

Obviously, JP said they started rehearsing in July.

They didn't start shooting n till September, so they had months of choreography.

And obviously there are so many musical numbers, and their long musical numbers, many of them.

It just it makes so much sense.

Yeah, And I think you also coming off of watching High School Musical, where this obviously is a much bigger budget.

They have much more time to do these things.

You see the difference in that the scale of it is obviously very different.

Yeah, and so even you can a be it with Zach Efron's performance because he's in both of them.

And see he's a great dancer in high school musical, but in Hairspray he's just as good as all.

The professional dancers totally.

And you have that with time, I mean Adam Shankman, and you have all those those three incredible choreographers as assistant choreographers on this movie.

Bryan Fletcher jamals so like.

The way you shoot people, you make them look good.

You play into their strengths, you play into what's going to make them look really good, right, And he.

Had a beautiful balance of shooting choreography and also shooting stories where he did fit in a lot of close ups, but you also did get a lot of beautiful wides about this choreography.

Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I got distracted.

No, no, no, I think you're right though.

I think they all go across the board as like as.

So Lady's Choice, how do you feel about that?

You know, I actually gave Lady's Choice a B and I don't know why.

I just feel like it.

It didn't push the story along as much as like some of these other ones that also had such a great hook in the song and was like a bigger number.

I think it kind of it's great, but I don't I don't know that I necessarily was like, oh I should, I should just give it an A because it's great.

Right as far as songs written for a movie musical, I feel like it fits in pretty seamlessly.

But I think you are pointing out the reasons why it may bump.

Yeah, right, yeah, yeah, because every something else does further the story a lot.

Yes, New Grown Town I loved.

I also thought it was so, for lack of a better word, up how detention had all the black kids?

Yeah, I mean, I think that one of the critics issues in some of the things, the qualms that they've had with this film in general, which I agree with, is like it undermines the story of the civil rights movement and segregation and how you know it wasn't so easily fixed, right, There wasn't just a march and everything is seemingly right.

You know, people are hugging and together right, like, Yes, the journey and the experience.

Feels like this is the white version of it, right, with a white lead.

Yes.

Part of it though, did feel like a little satirical though to me, because there's those moments where Queen Latifa's like, you know, you're like chipping away once up at a time.

But it also feels like this movie isn't that serious, right, where like it feels.

Like they're making it trying to be.

It feels like they're making fun of how easy they're making it seem right.

But maybe that's me doing a lot of work as an audience member.

Yeah, but I felt like I felt like it was a little edgyar in that way mmmm or like, you know, there's other things to do.

I appreciate, like Tracy being the the like the one who kind of sways back and forth and does the right thing.

I just I really like that hero aspect from her.

I don't know.

I just and it wasn't a love story, Like her story wasn't didn't have to be right about.

Her finding a man right right right, that was.

Just part of her story.

Run until that A plus plus, Like come on, Elijah doing Olympics.

He's like hurdling, he's big things.

It does the splits on the grass, get out of here, big blonde and beautiful.

Yes, just yes, yes, everybody.

I feel like we said like it's.

All gonna be A's right, and like everything is it has been great, but like we love it.

We like, don't get a troupe number because I feel like we're going to be doing a lot of movies and TV shows.

Not everything is going to be all peachy like this.

No, but like when it's good, it's good.

And this one was great.

Yeah, like all of it your time lists to me at the sweetest cutest number ever, I can't get.

I can't get enough.

No, you know, honestly, as for all of these, I know and like a special shadow for I know where I've been a plus plus plus plus.

I can't believe it's you know, hairspray.

You can't stop.

The beat took like weeks.

I can well, it's just the way that we record and shoot and do things.

That was like in a half a day, and you're like, oh, what is it like to have weeks to like do something and perfect?

Are you sick of it?

Are you?

It's like, don't stop believing that took us, you know, three days to do, but like, are you sick of it?

At that point?

We it took us for forever, but it was a much shorter sequence.

You can't stop the beat isn't just the number, there's no like JP said, there's a huge scene before and there's a lot going on.

I mean, how many minutes of the movie is that?

And also a big part.

Shankman was shooting this out of this and I mean that in a positive way.

Yeah, well, like it was almost shocking to see.

I know where I've been.

There's probably the simplest number in the entire movie, but they go and it's perfect.

Yeah, but like that's how intricate I think, you know, Shankman was doing it, and it's like when we get to Chicago Mulan Rouge, think about how intricate those things are.

And so I know I can without Love a perfect number, truly perfect because talk about comedy, the acting, singing, like everything is just wonderful.

A plus that Without Love is one of the things that has always stuck with me.

Yeah, I think because I just thought, like Amanda Binds especially, I feel like it's sort of like her moment to shine, like her comedy genius really comes.

Through there and it's so funny.

It's also like, you know, it's it's turning point in the movie for me or to me where like the kids are finally like coupled up like finally doing what they set out to do in like a more meaningful way.

It's cute.

Yeah, I loved it.

Did you like doing you Can't Stop the beat?

On Glee?

Aside from the fact that I could never remember the words, like even up until we were recording, like filming on the day, like something about those words can will not stick for me.

But I remember doing that ugly and it was so much fun with uh, with the Heather's face that she had that character she was doing for Stolets, and like, yeah, I had the best time doing that.

I mean, I don't know that you can sing that song and jump up and down and dance to that number and not have a good time, do you know what I mean?

Even if you're like, oh, I hate this song, it's kind of like how I felt about ABBA for a long time.

Correct, But.

Now I'm like, yeah, I.

Still Yeah, there's like a second hook section that I will never know.

Yeah, no, we'll never know it.

I think there was a lot of head turning on that one.

Oh yeah, I was so confident.

I was at a gay bar a couple of weeks ago, and you know, they played like the musical theater things and they played that from the movie and I was like, oh, I know this one, and I was like, Nope, still don't know the same sections.

I never know when we shot.

It, never know it.

No, what was he gonna My love?

Is your Love?

That one?

I know?

No, I don't know, but it's only because I sang a lot of it.

Yeah, so I had to you did, Okay, fair enough, Okay, let's do some tarty takes.

Okay, great?

U Ow, she's I think the you know, the Treval's casting was, while it was controversial, I thought what he did with the choices he made and what he went into doing like I think actually was he was.

We loved clar but like, you know, the costuming and the fat suit of it all and the whole thing, Like I think that's not you know, it doesn't still work.

But yeah, yeah.

If you can isolate him as an actor.

As an actor within the movie, great work, Yeah, great work.

Best dance move Seaweed, Seaweed, Peyton's Place after Midnight, honest.

Best single dance move I think is Elijah jumping into that half split mmmm.

Yes.

And also little and as solo and you can stop the beat.

Yes, I like teared up when that moment came.

So also like vocals, oh yeah, vocals.

All the choreography though, like Shankman and and Zach, everybody really a plus.

Place outstanding every it was so clean and nothing looked how do I say this respect Actually nothing looked musical theater it all.

This is my problem.

I'm going to bring it up as we watch these movies when shows don't have a definitive style or like dance language.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

All of this fit so perfectly within the setting and the story and the time period.

You don't even notice it right, like it's all part of the scenes and it works so well, and that I think is usually not the case.

But that's because Shankman and Zach and it are like they're incredible and they have great taste and they really understand how to use dance as a.

Lang story exactly.

Best song, you know, I will say without Love really now that I yes, is like really good.

I was thinking about it because like on its own, the song alone, like it's a really good song.

It is also I know where I've been obviously mm hmm.

And I will say when we when the when when the show opened with Good Morning Baltimore.

I was like, oh, okay, I'm here.

I think something about that milk.

I think good Morning Baltimore and you Can't Stop the Beat are like the biggest earworms.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, those songs will stay in your head for days.

But I think I'll run until that is probably I know where I've been.

Are probably my favorite song.

Okay, fair enough, fair enough?

Uh performance by a prop Oh my god, there's so many.

This is gonna be very hard doing movies with this.

I mean the hairspray.

I want to ask Shankman about how do you get that spray for film?

You're like, that's a good spray.

I feel like it's like, is that just water?

Maybe they it's a beautiful spray.

Yeah, I don't know.

That's a good question.

Well say that the giant hairspray bottles were pretty great.

Oh beautiful.

Also the yeah, the giant hairspray bottle that Britney snow eventually gets caught in.

Yes, exactly.

I think those are great speaks to the movie.

Yes, or then the show best line.

I don't know if this is the best line, but it's one of my favorites.

You see, if I let you leave the house right now, you'd be in prison fighting horse or cigarettes.

That Tracy term but always was a bad influence.

Well, you never are ever sorry.

You are never ever gonna see the beehived Harlot again.

It's so good.

Oh no.

I also think Penny says, oh no, and Tracy goes what.

Thenny goes your hair deflated and Tracy goes, oh, let it.

It was just a symbol of my conformity to the man.

Yeah, that was a good fun That was a really good one.

I also don't know how I'll right this one is either, but this is America.

Baby, gotta think big to be big.

Big, ain't the problem in this family?

Wil b oh Man, Oh god, the show is great, right right?

Okay?

It really is so good?

Uh performance MVP oh Man.

I mean it's gotta be Nicky.

She carried this She really did with ease.

I mean you wouldn't even know.

Social media star Nicky Blonski carried this movie so.

Good on her shoulders, but I mean shoulders.

Everyone was incredible.

Yeah, truly mean that.

Okay, Okay, what you got for me?

Camon Genta?

Mmmm we found on TikTok oh No, Yes, Jen I get into it, Get into it.

It is a shot for shot remake, Run Joey Run, Oh my gosh, Corona Films.

All right, listen, So Jenny doesn't care about Glee, then explain why we did this as our film degree project and it is a shot for shot Listen.

I am not one to hate on a good a good project, and this the effort was there.

They did it like good work, you guys, I run jo Anyone may not be my cup of tea, but this project was unbelievable.

Look at the when he sits up and Betty the curtain.

The editing of this all, yeah, it's very good.

Kevin, guess what our guest Adam Shankman h all You're dying clash will be answered.

I'm so excited me too.

I guess like I feel like we get to talk to him about Glee all the time and stuff, but like to be able to talk to him about a completely different project is very exciting.

I also, I'll never mind.

I'll save it for the pod.

All right, Okay.

Thanks for this.

Was Hairspray.

I loved it so much.

Beyond If you haven't seen it a long time, or if you've never seen it.

Please do yourself a favor and go watch it immediately.

I hope this made you want to watch it, because I would watch it again absolutely.

This is now going to be added to my comfort movie list.

Yes, who knew?

And that's what you really missed.

Thanks for listening and follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod.

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