Rowan Atkinson as Marc Almond

   
I remember this parody like it was yesterday, Rowan Atkinson portrayed Marc Almond on this, when I was younger I felt kind of offended by it, but of course I was really immature at the time and didn’t know better, but as of now, I thought it was pretty funny, I didn’t see a point it was trying to convey unless saying Marc’s voice sounds fake and it’s only used on a tape or saying. I heard that his voice was out of tune a lot, but I think that’s the beauty of his voice though. They omitted the song on this clip, it’s a song about Whales I think it was bizarre. I think I read that Marc said that Rowan could have done a better job, Only thing I would say about that is that Rowan needed to sound more nervous and laughing through and a bit of stammering because that’s how Marc really talks when, well when I see him interviews. The interviewer said they were on the Whistle Test, I don’t remember seeing that Whales clip on Whistle test, it just looked like some sing a-long type thing, that’s what I remember, I maybe wrong. But over all, it’s pretty hilarious, I mean he dressed up like Marc really well, I believe so.  

SNL: Music Icons vs Napster pt 2

 
I’m currently working on more drafts and have brainstorms, probably going to be some difficult posts to master, but ever since I went to Universal Studios with a good friend from school, this particular actor was on Universal Studio tours and he was the tour guide: Jimmy Fallon. I kept wondering why Jimmy Fallon kept going through my head and I just remembered yesterday that portrayed Neil Tennant on a Saturday Night Live parody mini skit called Napster Hearings. I saw it a year ago on Youtube, thankfully the video is still there. So I thought to share my opinion about it, but before I do that, I have to give a synopsis about it.

  This skit was from Saturday Night Live on March 10, 2001. It consists of 80’s artists including Corey Hart, Toni Basil, Cameo, Right Said Fred, Rico Suave, David Lee Roth, Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys, I’m pretty sure there’s more but that’s why I seen and remembered. It’s called “Napster Hearings” if I’m not mistaken, Napster was one of those sites you can download music for free. Now you can tell where this is going, ah well, you know how artists can be a bit ticked when you download their music or when a manager from a record store get angered because of the downloading? Well you can tell why these artists are there in court because of illegal file downloading and copy right policies. Nowadays it’s pretty common now; I mean just see how the technology keeps advancing every nanosecond of our lives.

Now based on the Pet Shop Boys parodies I see so fair, I think this one is one of the shortest ones I ever seen. It’s actually the first one I have seen without someone being a Chris in there. I have only seen Katy Brand’s “It’s a Song”, and French, Saunder’s It Pays Our Rent, “I’m With Stupid” video and “Go Hetero.” I think personally they could have used a better actor instead of Jimmy, or Jimmy should have acted the part a wee-bit better, I mean I know it’s a parody and all, but I never seen Neil walking in such ways like Jimmy did and the hair was way too exaggerated and if he was supposedly poor, I would expect seeing like marks from dirt or paw prints or something that proves that he’s working in an actual Pet Shop. It’s just my opinion. The lines he says are funny but It needed more feeling, I think that’s why Saturday Night Live wasn’t so good like it used to be, a lot of the good actors/actresses are not there anymore. Also in addition to it, I didn’t get the whole sketch because a few of the artists were one hit wonders, but I don’t recall hearing about the Pet Shop Boys breaking up or being a one hit wonder, so it was almost a fail, now if they had Soft Cell instead(just saying because it’s true) it would have made more sense because Soft Cell aren’t a band anymore, and it was in 2001 and they did make a comeback, they are considered a one hit wonder, but other places they weren’t. That’s just an opinion. Two things are for sure is that the Pet Shop Boys are alive and kicking, and certainly not poor. And then based on Wayne’s site Fallon mistakenly called himself Nigel Tennant, yeah a fail. Well at least it was rebroadcasted and then the Pet Shop Boys did perform “Love, Etc in 2009 on Fallon’s late night show.

I seriously think it could have been a better skit, but that’s just me. Comedy is suppose to be a natural, originality and creative and have some facts on it.

Here’s the bit from the skit. The youtube video is the part two and it begins on 1:44

Neil Tennant: I'm Neil Tennant. I used to be a part of the Pet Shop Boys.

Sen. Evan Bayh: Right. And what do you do now?

Neil Tennant: These days, I work in an actual pet shop. But I'm planning a big comeback. "In a west end town, a dead-end world. The end end boys and west end girls—"

Female Senator: Please, sir, stop singing.

Neil Tennant: "What have I—what have I—what have I done to deserve this?"

Female Senator: I said stop singing.

Neil Tennant: I wasn't singing! I'm flat broke, and I work in a pet shop! What have I done to deserve this?

Sen. Trent Lott: Next witness!

 Facts are from www.geowayne.com   

the last bit of the scene is on the beginning of this video.

Part 3 of Pop Icons vs. Napster

Another little critique/observation

I noticed something artsy about this pet text that Neil Tennant did of the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. It consists of a dedication to the great late Whitney Houston, and knowing its a sadistic day or month and definite shock for several fans and musicians, etc. The freeze frame of this photo was oddly brilliant because even the cars share the same dull colors of black and grayish white like the building that says "We Will Always Love You, Whitney." I thought this was another fascinating pet text that have to do with something artsy in my opinion. I must say they have a way to make simple things look like art sometimes even reflects on some thing like this. In other words, this is a nice, creative scale from black to grayish white.