***BY REQUEST*** |
HERC is on the record (well, if he wasn't before, he is now) as a fan of the original television series Charlie's Angels so it was almost a no-brainer he was gonna attend the film when it opened. ("Almost" because Cameron Diaz has ruined more than one film for the big guy but he was confident that the mere presence of the great Bill Murray would overcome whatever life Diaz sucked out of the movie.)
Further cementing HERC's desire to see the film on the big screen was his then recent tour of Paramount Studios where he stood on the Soul Train sound stage used in the movie. Those of you who received his Christmas card that year know what he's talking about. Maybe HERC will tell you about the whole star-studded trip to Hollywood he and Mrs. HERC took when he won a music trivia contest back in 2000.
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The movie was everything HERC wanted with one exception: he had hoped that at least one of original Angels would make a cameo. It was fun, full of action and had a killer soundtrack. After watching it the first time, HERC immediately predicted a sequel. As the years went by, details about the movie began to emerge that intrigued HERC like how almost twenty writers worked on the script or how different actresses were considered before the final trio was set.
Lucy Liu's character, "Alex", was reportedly initially offered to Angelina Jolie who turned it down - supposedly because she was not a fan of the original series. Next, it was offered to Jada Pinkett-Smith who turned it down to work with Spike Lee on Bamboozled. Finally, the role was given to Thandie Newton who was also filming Mission: Impossible 2 at the time. Delays on that film forced her to drop out of this one and Lucy Liu snagged it. HERC would have enjoyed Thandie in the role he thinks. He certainly enjoyed her in MI2. He's never been a fan of Jolie the actress and the only role he liked Jada in was "Peaches" in A Low Down Dirty Shame.
It's Friday. We have the film. Now we just need the music. The music supervisor for the movie was John Houlihan, who has worked on many movies with HERC-approved soundtracks like Idle Hands, the Austin Powers trilogy, 13 Going On 30 and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. He included several songs with the word "angel" in the title on the soundtrack.
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Wham's dancing and clapping video for this insanely catchy song has been used in other movies - anyone up for a Zoolander gasoline fight? - but it sets the time perfectly in Charlie's Angels in a flashback as a brace-faced Cameron Diaz takes her driving test. The song certainly takes HERC back in time.
This song's Oriental motif is used to establish mood in the movie, which is often the case as it was also used in Sixteen Candles and Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Anyone else know what the song's lyrics are really about? It's a family friendly blog here at The Hideaway so HERC is unable to say but Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself", Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" and The Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun" are all about the same thing, too.
The Charlie's Angels soundtrack is not all 70s and 80s music although that is what HERC chose to spotlight. Leo Sayer could certainly give them Bee Gees boys a run in the falsetto department couldn't he? The song won a Grammy for Best R&B song in 1978. Ray Parker, Jr. has stated in several interviews that he was the writer of the song not Leo Sayer and Vinnie Ponica. Parker had successfully sued Huey Lewis for copying "Ghostbusters" as "I Want A New Drug" but HERC could not find any mention of a lawsuit regarding this song.
SPECIAL BONUS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!!!
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
featuring 30 tracks
featuring 30 tracks
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