Lucas Grabeel in Oreska movie

The guys over at Lucas Grabeel's official site did some rehauling and one thing caught my eye: his latest listed feature film is called Oreskaband.

Googled "Oreskaband": there's a Japanese ska band with that name.

Hmmm... Lucas once hinted at wanting to go to Japan

Googled "Oreska Lucas" and got this actor's website instead:
http://www.brandondean.net/news.htm

Says there that Lucas plays a character called Donny Greene.

Googled "Oreska movie" and got these results:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2007/anime-expo/oreskaband-focus-panel
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200705020089.html

Apparently, the High School Musical producers saw the band (which hails from Osaka and has quite a following) and wanted to make another musical featuring them.

The asahi article offers the plot:

The film's musical story centers on an American student in Japan who hears the sextet performing at a live music venue in Sakai.

The music talks, and the girls soon become friends. After the American girl returns home, her Japanese band friends come to visit her and play a few gigs. They are soon a huge hit, and their musical careers are set.... Shooting starts this fall at locations around Sakai and Los Angeles. The film will open in Japan and the United States next year.

Got a link to their blog from the animenewsnetwork article: http://playlog.jp/ore_english/blog/

Figured out they are currently in Utah preparing for the film.

Casting hasn't been finished yet according to this site:
http://www.showfax.com/role_selection.cfm?l=1&t=3&p=91931

Their website: http://www.oreskaband.com/

I don't know if Terry's the manager or something like that, but this is his blog and it complements the girls' blog (he likes to post pictures): http://playlog.jp/o-s-k/blog/

The girls' blog and Terry's blog are also mirrored in the band's MySpace account :
http://www.myspace.com/oreskabandus

Heh... and I'm wondering why I keep getting the research and "make a manual" assignments in the office.

----------edit-----------

Variety has a new article on the film:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975075.html?categoryId=13&cs=1

Sony does Japanese 'Musical'

'Lock and Roll' about girl-band's American invasion
By DAVE MCNARY

Sony's Japanese music arm is partnering with the producers of "High School Musical" for "Lock and Roll Forever," a feature centered on an all-girl Japanese band coming to America.

"Lock" is a co-venture between T&C Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Producers are Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush, the team behind three iterations of "High School Musical;" Arata Matsushima is exec producing.

Script's penned by another member of the "High School Musical" team, Peter Barsocchini. TV helmer Chris Grismer, whose credits include "Queer as Folk" and "Playmakers," is directing.

Pic stars members of Oreska Band from a small Japanese industrial city. Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical"), Ike Barinholtz, Taylor Negron, Brad Dourif and Naoko Nozawa also star.

Shooting began this week; locations include Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Japan.

Music industry veteran Kaz Utsunomiya is the music producer.

---------edit #2-----------
From StarExtras:
http://starextras.com/news_view.php?ID=455

The thing about reading those bits casting agencies post when looking for extras is that you get to know more of the story (does this qualify as a spoiler?):

Feature Film: Oreska

The six-girl Japanese rock band, Oreska Band, comes to Los Angeles, intent on becoming stars, under the aegis of shifty "impresario" Donnie Greene.

Role: LOMAX - Funny, the comic relief, cool and hip, and keeps Donnie on the right track, and is Donnie's sole employee and apparently, his sole remaining friend. In charge of driving Donnie's tour bus, Lomax is at a professional dead end, along with Donnie. A cultural hero in Japan because of the popular toothpaste commercial he did a few years ago, Lomax reduces the Oreska-band girls to giggling squeals, and he/she soon comes to like them. He/she is person with a conscience, Lomax urges Donny not to break any of his many promises to the girls.
Female or Male - All Ethnicities - 25 to 30


Role: "Z" - All-knowing, hip, cool, eccentric, knows all the answers -- the "go to" person. Would love to cast a Rock n Roll Icon - anyone from Roger Daltrey to Ludacris to Deborah Harry, or could even be a Comic Icon - anyone from Cedric the Entertainer to George Lopez. This character will be related to Donnie.
Female or Male - All Ethnicities - 40 & Over


Role: MARTY POST - He's a shady looking music producer. Marty in fact is an extremely successful, extremely wealthy power broker who spots Oreska-band at a karaoke performance, and requests they play at a private party at his home.
Male - All Ethnicities - 45 to 60

Zac Efron in Lucas Grabeel's Music Video

Well, the full music video for Lucas Grabeel's You Got It was just posted, but it's not on Itunes. They uploaded it to Payloadz.com. This is the link: http://payloadz.com/go?id=360265
It's cheaper than Itunes by $0.49.

Here's an extra clip from Michael's YouTube account...Zac Efron making an appearance:


Reminds me of their Popstar "rap":


--------edit 02-Nov-2007----------

Had a peek at the You Got It video. I don't think that clip of Zac Efron's appearance actually made it to the final cut... maybe that's why Michael called it "Extra". He he ... like most dance tunes, it's about 4 minutes of one phrase being said over and over. It is nowhere near what I expected though(I thought it would be Fatboyslim funny, remember?).

The Kids of Widney High

Watched "The Ringer" on cable last night. Ended up being a fan of a band called Kids of Widney High.

They're actually a bunch of special education kids in LA who have released several CDs. If you read their website, it all started out as a music/songwriting class which happened to produce really good music that the school decided to hire a band and record the songs using the kids themselves for vocals.

I learned all that AFTER watching the movie. But I already liked their "Pretty Girls" while they were performing it in a movie scene. I wasn't sure then if they were "special kids", but it didn't matter. The song is delivered like reciting a poem in a singsong manner. The lyrics were simple but catchy. Frankly, it is fun music to listen to whether the vocalists are special or not. I'll bet there are some bands fronted by "normal" people who actually sing in this style. Below is the music video to Pretty Girls from YouTube:



If you get to listen to their other songs, you'll discover that they're the kind you make up while you hum to yourself, only these kids have a band for back-up. Lyrics to "New Car" definitely describes what a guy who has a new car will be thinking of his new toy. "My Cat (not your cat)" starts like something from a rhyme book or even Dr. Seuss. "Ride Away" has a pretty melody and heartfelt lyrics.

Links to Kids of Widney High:
Website: : http://www.kidsofwidneyhigh.com/
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ProfKlickberg
MySpace account: www.MySpace.com/TheKidsOfWidneyHigh

Movies on Cable: The Ringer

	Studios:	Fox Searchlight Pictures
	Release:	December 23, 2005
	Genre:	Comedy
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, drug references.

I must really like this movie enough to even write a review in Yahoo!:

Surprisingly delightful
by jingfrey Oct 28, 2007

Overall Grade:	B-
Story:	D+
Acting:	B
Direction:	B-
Visuals:	B-

Saw this on cable last night. This movie has a bad premise - a lame excuse to plant a character into a situation: a guy needs money and hopes to get it by joining and fixing the Special Olympics. I was glad I stuck around to finish the movie. In a surprising and refreshing twist, we see a side to the mentally disabled that's rarely shown on movies. It does not ask the viewer to feel sorry for them. The movie tells us that they are aware of how most people perceive them, that they can read into situations, and that they can even pull a sweet prank or two on "normal" guys. I ended up being a fan of the Kids of Widney High after this movie.

What's cool is that this movie shows us how in the world of Special Olympics, crushes, jealousies, and cliques exists. Shows us that certain human behaviour pops up anywhere, regardless of culture, environment or mental abilities.

Three of the actors here are actually current or former participants in the Special Olympics. John Taylor and Edward Barbanell both have Down's Syndrome and are part of Jeffy's gang. The third one is Leonard Flowers who plays Jimmy - the crowd favorite everyone is jealous of. Yup, Flowers was really cool playing the arrogant star athlete. Edward Barbanell playing the stage "divo" at the end was also cute. He has played in theatre productions prior to this movie debut, and it shows. He's really confident on stage and has no trouble with delivering lines.

Special Mention: This movie exposed me to, and made me a fan of the Kids of Widney High. These are special education students who have actually released CDs. Some songs are covers like "RESPECT" which played at the end of this movie, and some are originals, like the catchy "Pretty Girls". I actually waited for the credits to find out the name of the group. I'll be writing about them in a separate post later.

Lucas Grabeel's "You Got It"

Was checking on my YouTube account 2 days ago when I saw this under my subscriptons box:


I couldn't believe Lucas and his gang are actually releasing a video to "You Got It". When I first heard the audio only version of the song, I found it funny that all you could hear is "you got it". The song's really not great, but it tends to get stuck in your head till you catch yourself humming it.

I think the full music video will be entertaining if this teaser is any indication. According to his friend Michael, the idea was to put Lucas in situations where people would have to react...the idea reminds me of Fatboyslim's "Praise You" video.

The gang took the footage during their European trip. I actually think Lucas dyed his hair to be incognito in Europe and do the crazy things he's done in this clip. I also think they filmed this before Lucas appeared in the launching of HSM2 in France where everybody first saw his new hair color.

This teaser can be viewed for free in YouTube, where lots of fans have already posted kudos. Now, it's pretty obvious that I like Lucas, but I think the praises the fangirls have heaped on this teaser are overboard, making this teaser overrated. It's probably going to be "cool", but definitely not the "greatest video ever made". Fangirls...sheesh.

The final version of the music video will be available next week ... but you have to pay to view it because it's on Itunes. Which makes me wonder if I'll actually get to see it. I'm not keen on spending $2 to download any music video, and even if I become one of those inclined to pay for it, itunes is not available in the Philippines. Mike says he'll find other ways to make it accessible to people who can't access itunes. I think he means other pay per view sites.

For the clueles: This song has had an interesting journey. Lucas was strumming it on a guitar while on the HSM concert tour in Latin America. The dance version was heard in the High School Musical 2 movie as the radio song being played in Sharpay Evans' car while the twins were headed to their parents' resort. Due to apparent demand from fangirls, this song was offered for download from itunes. Now the music video will be on itunes as well.

An observation: I find it a bit appalling that the other song this kid wrote/improv'd also used repetitive words. If you listen to the song Lucas was singing in the video tribute to his fans (below), you'll hear "cool" a lot.


I hope he's written better songs. If they all sound like these two, he should just stick to acting, singing and dancing. He'll still be in my list of multi-talented people to watch out for though.

----------October 30, 2007 Update----------
Well, the full music video's up, but it's not on Itunes. They uploaded it to this link: http://payloadz.com/go?id=360265
It's cheaper than Itunes by $0.49.

Movie: Stardust

Studio:	Paramount Pictures
Release:	August 10, 2007
Genre:	Action/Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for some fantasy violence and risque humor.

My Yahoo! Movies Rating:

Overall Grade:	B+
Story:	B
Acting	B
Direction:	B
Visuals:	A

The movie flows like a sing-song reading of a familiar fairy tale. I say familiar because there are many character-types and elements here that one finds in the old fairy stories, and yet the story being told is definitely different.

The world beyond the Wall is beautifully crafted. Like a dream, it is tangible enough to move in, yet it shifts seamlessly from one scene to another that one is reminded that this is not the "real" or "ordinary" world.

The story has humor, which is even irreverent at times, yet it does not take anything away from the illusion.

De Niro pulls off the cross-dressing pirate captain well. Although he makes us chuckle while dancing around in a dress, it is still believable that he can order around the crew of a pirate ship.

I think that Claire Danes is either miscast, or the choice of the make-up department wasn't good when it came to her character. Danes, whose character is a star fallen from heaven, looks more human than Cox, whose character is the mortal one. The actress who played her character's sister had the right look though.

Breaking Benjamin

Music Video: Breaking Benjamin - Breath



Been looking up the YouTube sites of music labels and after surfing through Sony/BMG and Atlantic records this weekend, I'm now moving through the videos in hollywoodrecords. The latest posts are mostly by Disney artists (current or ex): Aly and AJ, Corbin Bleu, Hillary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens and the group that first caught my attention when they sang the theme song for "American Dragon: Jake Long" - the Jonas Brothers (I thought they were cool, just had no idea they'd soon be very popular with the tween/teen set).

In between there's Breaking Benjamin. I like the music. I just don't dig the vocals much. It's a mix between singing and shouting. It works with some artists ... but with the two videos from Breaking Benjamin that I've seen so far, they have to work a bit more on timing when to shout. Oh wait, they've been around since 2001 and "Breath" actually topped Billboard at one time. I guess a lot of people like that style. So why change it?

Serious karaoke guy

I mentioned in my Orangeade blog that EA has jumped on the social networking wagon with The Sims Onstage site. I also mentioned that my favorite area there is the karaoke section. The guy in the video below just made me realize how serious some of the members are when it comes to the karaoke. With his earphones and mike, it's like he's in a sound studio. Ha ha ha! He's made quite a number of recordings on the site that had high scores. I myself give him a 5 for this one ... not only because he carried the tune, but mostly because I found it hard to keep up with the lyrics onscreen and sing R.E.M.'s Stand, and he did it! He he he!



Ofcourse, if you're reading this entry from my Multiply blog, you wouldn't know from which blog you read about the Sims Onstage site first. Multiply gathers all entries from all my blogger sites. Nice feature.

"Living with Lucas"?

Just saw this blog entry from the "Lucas Grabeel Official Music MySpace" site:

October 4, 2007 - Thursday

"Living With Lucas" Febuary 25th 2008!
Current mood: happy

Hey everyone!

This is Lucas. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm so glad that I have fans like you guys. You mean the world to me, if I didn't have you guys, I wouldn't be here now. Thank you so much.

I just wanted to clear somethings up with you guys.
First off, I'm getting my own show! "Living With Lucas"
I can't tell you much about it, but I will give you little details.

I've got one problem though, this isn't the myspace account cited in Grabeel's official website. This news is also not in his website, nor in his official myspace account. If this announcement turns out to be a prank, then the poor souls who responded with "kudos" and positive comments are getting excited over nothing.

An interesting October 3 article from the National Ledger that may or may not be related to this:

NOW FOR HIS NEXT FEAT: Lucas Grabeel, who plays Ryan Evans in the "High School Musical" movies, says he plans on striking while the iron's hot. "I've been auditioning like crazy. I'm also going to be starting a production company and will be making my own stuff," claims the actor, who tells us acting is his primary passion, though he grew up surrounded by music. "I want to create projects with people that I want to work with -- stuff that really means a lot to me. It might be kind of a guerilla film-making style, just going out and shooting things on the fly."

This bit is true though: Lucas Grabeel dyed his hair while in Europe (around 2 weeks ago). The first people who saw it were High School Musical fans who went to the special screening in Paris and those who lined up to get his autograph.



Snatched this photo from his friend Marc Blackwell's website. It's from the trio's Europe trip (Lucas dragged along his high school buddies Marc and Mike).

Simon and Ryan

JustJared.com is your typical paparazzo site ... full of stolen shots of celebrities. Thought of visiting the site today and found this tickler:



Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest of American Idol hanging out in a Miami pool. This is the link to the article, which has more pictures: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/10/03/ryan-seacrest-simon-cowell-shirtless/

Cocktales

A supplement to my reading the news is Victor Agustin's "Cocktales" blog. I find it easier to go straight to his blog than find his article in a newspaper site. His column is where one may find some rumors in the business circle that won't see print as news stories.

Having been axed by Inquirer, I do notice that he has a particular interest in reporting anything "bad" about that newspaper. He's also obviously pro-GMA. His pet peeve these days is the "Black and White" movement. He's recently called the people behind the group as gays, angry old maids, and closet autocrats. If you're not aware yet, "Black and White" movement is currently one of those groups attacking Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's way of running the Philippine government.

Once you have sifted through his biases though, you'll sometimes find the rare juicy industry news... ahem, I meant rumor.

Ricky Carandang's Blog

ANC News reporter Ricky Carandang keeps a blog. If you watch the news as much as I do (apart from news feeds from Reuters and Bloomberg, we've one TV tuned in to ANC and one tuned in to CNN), there's nothing new to read there really. What amuses me are the comments. Take this excerpt from a comment by TDC on Ricky's post on "Abalos Takes One for the Team":

One by one, they are falling by the wayside (either by divine intervention or by scandals…)in 2007.

1)Claudio(Resigned due to delicate operation)
2)Lolo Gonzales(Kidney transplant)
3)Abalos(ABCZTEFG)
4)Miriam(foot in mouth disease)
5)Neri(cowardice)

It's the "Foot in Mouth disease" that had me and Rey laughing.