MADONNA FRIDAY: MADONNA'S TWO GOLDEN GLOBE/OSCAR SONGS

In honor of the Golden Globes this weekend and the Oscar nominations being announced yesterday, here are a couple of movie classics associated with our beloved Queen of Pop. Madonna has performed (but not always written) several songs that have been nominated for and/or won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Among them was Sooner of Later from the motion picture Dick Tracy. Written by Stephen Sondheim, the song won the Oscar in 1991 but lost the Golden Globe to Blaze of Glory by Jon Bon Jovi. Madonna performed the song at the Oscars that year in full Marilyn mode and brought down the mutha f***in' house, y'all!! The next song struck gold twice. Andrew Lloyd Webber penned a new song for the film version of Evita, You Must Love Me, and it won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Oscars in 1997. Madonna performed the song at the Oscars that year as well. Here are both of the performaces by Madonna. Madonna was also nominated (but didn't perform) in 1988 for Who's That Girl (Golden Globe), 1993 for This Used To Be My Playground (Golden Globe), 1995 for I'll Remember (Golden Globe), in 2000 for Beautiful Stranger (Golden Globe), 2003 for Die Another Day (Golden Globe) and WON in 2012 for Masterpiece (Golden Globe). Don't forget to watch the Golden Globes this weekend!!!

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER EYEING MADONNA FOR MUSICAL FILM OF SUNSET BOULEVARD

OH MY GOD!! I don't know if Madonna would be so thrilled, but Andrew Lloyd Webber thinks she would be perfect for the role of Norma Desmond in a movie version of his musical Sunset Boulevard. The show ran on Broadway with Glenn Close, with other divas following, in 1994. Webber tells Broadwayworld.com that he wants Madonna for a movie version, stating, "She's the right age.... I've not got through to her. She hasn't taken my call this time." Based on the 1950 film starring Gloria Swanson, the story revolves around Desmond, a faded silent screen star, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles Sunset Boulevard. The show won 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical in and Best Actress in a Musical in 1996. Is Madonna ready to play a faded anything? Doubt it. But it would be another opportunity to do a musical, the type of film she got her best reviews and a Golden Globe for. Remember Evita? I've seen 100 times, so I do. I kinda hope she goes for it. I'd like to see her in another musical. They could sex it up a bit for her maybe. YAY!

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA SEQUEL DELAYED

Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, which was supposed to hit the Broadway stage in November, has been delayed to the spring of 2011. The delay has been caused by the creator of both shows, Andrew Lloyd Webber's recovery from his recent battle with cancer. He has been advised by his doctor not to fly. There have apparently been some post-operative problems from his prostate cancer surgery, so the show will be postponed until he is able to fly to New York to oversee the production. In a statement, Sir Andrew says, "I am extremely frustrated that I cannot travel to New York for the time being. I will be focusing my time on producing The Wizard of Oz (musical) in London now and plan to be available for the creative process of bringing Love Never Dies to Broadway as soon as possible." The show opened to pretty much unanimous negative reviews in London's West End last month which Webber shrugged off. Get well, Andrew. [source]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Two theater legends have their birthdays today as Andrew Lloyd Webber turns 62 and Stephen Sondheim turns 80! I had no idea they had the same birthday! It's safe to say the musical theatre has been shaped greatly by these two composers and would not be the same without them. Stephen is currently being celebrated at studio 54 for his lifetime of achievement in theatre and Andrew is about to open Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Here's to you, great men of musical theatre. May you work forever (ps Stephen is better of course). Watch Bernadette Peters do Sondheim and a rare video of Patti Lupone singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina at the 1980 Grammy awards.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA SEQUEL GETS A DATE

The much anticipated (or not) sequel set to ruin the legacy of Phantom of the Opera entitled Love Never Dies (um..okay) is set to debut in London at the Adelphi Theatre on March 9, 2010 and will open on Broadway on November 11, 2010. No theatre has been named for it's run on Broadway. The show is set ten years after "Phantom" in Coney Island, New York, which is where the Phantom has moved from Paris...OBVIOUSLY!! Andrew Lloyd Webber states that he doesn't consider this a sequel (but he DOES consider it a catrastrophe. Just kidding. I DO!) The AP reported that Webber also wanted to create a new production because the ending of the original was too boring. Love Never Dies will star Megan Fox and Tara Reid as a lesbian couple and Queen Latifah as the Phantom. OH, GOD, I WISH!!! Some guy named Ramin Karimloo is the Phantom and Sierra Boggess is Christine. I don't know either. I think the title STINKS. Here are my suggestions:

1. Phantom of the Opera 2: Electric Boogaloo

2. Phantom of the Opera 2: Christine Goes to Hell

3. Bad Idea

4. Phantom of the Opera 2: Fahgettaboudit (cuz it's in Coney Island)

5. Fathom of the Opera (cuz that's what my mom thought the original was called)

What do you think? Like one of these? Have another? [source]