Will Ables, Trashwire’s resident music writer, is a big fan of Tom Waits. In fact, he’s such a big fan that he’s compiled this list of reasons why no one will ever be as cool as Tom Waits. He’s even backed it up with video evidence.

10. Just watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49H3aWdiK8

You‘ll need a cigarette and a cocktail. You just had sex with Tom Waits.

9. Xylophones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnBzDD_O1Fg

Read that again:  Xylophones. An instrument that is entirely fucking useless with two exceptions: Scrabble and a Tom Waits Song. Waits rescues useless instruments from the refuse heap (what the hell is a Basstarda?!) and weaves them into a song where they stand out like melodic nails on a chalkboard or disappear into a wall of bizarre sound. It’s amazing.

8. Fuck Morgan Freeman.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHOHi5ueo0A

Tom Waits needs to narrate everything.

7. That thing with the LAPD.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHOHi5ueo0A

I’d like to tell you this story while quoting a reputable source (Mr. Waits is obviously not included in this for really fucking obvious reasons) but that just doesn’t seem like fun. This is one of those tales that has screamed past just being a “musician’s story” and become downright mythic. Tom Waits stands up for the common man? Tom was a little drunk and mouthed off to a pissed off cop? Who knows, who cares. There were guns involved. There was much violent poetry. And in the end the city of Angels had to write Mr. Waits a check.

6. He likes to win. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX1qpcDchD4

Oh and then give it all away. Tom Waits will sue you if you’re a dick. He does not give a shit. Don’t use him in a god damn commercial, especially not without his permission, or you will be sending him money.  A very large amount of money. But do you know what Mr. Waits does with those checks he makes you write? He gives the money to charity. Who does that? Tom Waits does.

Although when you’re this charming, I feel like giving him money anyway.

5. Cookie Monster http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5X4N2exOsU

I know, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen too.

4. Tom Waits Private Listening Party http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeTja7JXK9A

What the hell is that? Who can possibly be that weird? Why can’t I be like that?

3. Did I mention he can act? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yod51lr3F0U

Ok, he’s mostly played variations on Tom Waits but who really cares. Variations on Waits is brilliant. The man looks like he could break out a story at any moment, like he already knows all there is to know about you, and like there’s absolutely no getting away from him. He’s scary as shit and has a disturbing vulnerability about him. Like you couldn’t possibly mess this man up anymore than what he’s already done to himself. Plus cool chicks dig him, which helps.

Also, if I have to go to hell the Devil better fucking look, dress, and sound like Tom Waits. Otherwise he’s just doing it wrong.

2. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2bNMpAGfFQ

Songs that no one wanted, except not really. For anyone else nearly any song on here would have defined them stylistically. That or pretty much determined exactly the sort of thing everyone would expect from them from then on. But that’s just not Waits. He has played in every style and done it just about better than everyone else. He’s not ashamed to try something ridiculous and, even when he is being outlandish and just bizarre, the fact that he just loves every fucking minute of what he’s doing practically oozes out of the tracks. That’s what makes Orphans so brilliant. It’s a love letter to a career, to fans, to music. And these are the songs that didn’t make the cut. (“Walk Away” is a song off Orphans but I really just wanted an excuse to include that video.)

1. Pointy-fucking-shoes.

You can’t pull this off. Don’t bother; you’ll look like an idiot. He doesn’t. That’s all there is to it.

Rock of Ages made a huge splash on Broadway and is already being adapted into a film with a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige, Malin Akerman, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Alec Baldwin. The musical recently kicked off its run at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, wowing crowds with its rock songs and fun vibe. Trashwire recently got the chance to chat with producer Matt Weaver about bringing Whitesnake to Broadway, adapting the show to film and man-love set to REO Speedwagon.

Rock of Ages is certainly not your traditional Broadway musical. Instead of show tunes, it uses the music of bands and artists like Journey, Pat Benatar, Poison, Twisted Sister, Styx, Bon Jovi and other huge ‘80s rock stars to tell the story of aspiring-rocker Drew (played to perfection by American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis) as he falls in love with small-town-girl Sherrie (Elicia MacKenzie in the Denver run) on the Sunset Strip in 1987 Los Angeles. Audiences are encouraged to sing along and are given LED lighters to wave during the ballads—definitely not what you’d think of when you think of Broadway.

“We came into Broadway wanting to be in the club—we didn’t want to come in and be rebels and mix things up,” Weaver says. “We were developing what we thought was a traditional musical, it just happened to have Whitesnake and Poison.” He jokes, “There’s Kander and Ebb, there’s Sondheim and now there’s Whitesnake.”

That kind of pop culture savvy, combined with funny dialogue and some spot-on costumes, is what makes ROA so appealing to a whole new crowd of theatre-goers. “We’re getting people who don’t like theatre coming in and going ‘Wow! This is a Broadway show?’ and we’re getting the theatre-goers who came in begrudgingly with their arms folded and ended up really respecting what we did.  The theater people are coming in kicking and screaming, but end up loving it,” Weaver says. “If you hate musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages and if you love musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages.”

Even the bands themselves were surprised to have their music in a production playing on the same block as classics like Phantom of the Opera. “Do you think Bret Michaels ever thought his song was going to be on Broadway?” Weaver jokes. In one amusing scene, REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ is used as a love ballad between two rock dudes. “Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon came to the show and saw the man-love number and he could not believe it,” Weaver says proudly. “He said every time he sings that song at a concert now, he stops and laughs and tells the audience ‘This song has a whole different meaning for me now.’”

The live experience is what really sets ROA apart. At the opening night show in Denver, people in the audience were fist-pumping and singing along in their seats like they were at a concert instead of musical theatre event.  “That was all very calculated,” Weaver says. “I always love compliments about what’s up on stage, but when people talk about the vibe in the theater, I love that too.” That vibe is cultivated in every aspect of the show all the way down to the staff in the venue. “I worked at Disney for a long time,” Weaver explains, “and I share the motto that ‘you guys are cast members, you’re part of the show’, so we throw a dinner party for the ushers before we open up the production.”

Weaver is sure that the live experience will translate well to film. “It could turn into this Rocky Horror thing where there are midnight shows and people are coming dresses as the characters,” he says. “I think it’s going to be a movie that you’re going to want to get up and dance and sing to.” Weaver attributes most of that to Hairspray’s Adam Shankman, who is directing the film. “He’s the best in the game,” Weaver says, “so I can’t imagine that’s it’s not going to have the same feel. I don’t know that people will be drinking Jack and Cokes in the movie theater, but it’ll be fun.”

The film is loaded with megastars, but the musical didn’t start out that way. “When we opened on Broadway,” Weaver explains, “everybody told us we needed a star or we wouldn’t last, but we just said ‘our songs are our stars.’” Now that he has a group of huge stars, he said the experience is surreal. “It’s Bizarro World!” He says. “We’re sitting here with Alec and Tom and Russell and it’s like ‘Woah! I don’t feel worthy!’” Even stars that aren’t in the show are fans. “We had a surprise appearance from Def Leppard today,” Weaver recalls. “We don’t even have their music in the show, we have it in the movie, so we just had this surreal Tom Cruise/Def Leppard moment on the set.”

The story of the production parallels the rags-to-riches story of its main character. From underdog to rock star, the entire journey has been loaded with well-deserved success for the cast and crew. “I’m really proud of my group,” Weaver says. We were 4 or 5 people who had never done it before, blinded by passion for the music and naïveté and we created an international brand.”

Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez serve as judges for the 10th season of American Idol

During the past couple of years, many fans jumped off the American Idol train, partly because the show started to feel so formulaic and the judges seemed as uninterested as the audience. After all, the judge’s shtick got predictable to put it mildly.

There was Randy Jackson, who spent the majority of his music career as a session musician with Journey. The paparazzi certainly weren’t following him around until he became an Idol judge.  Then there was Paula Abdul, who hasn’t had a hit single in over a decade and, although a great dancer, was never known for having an amazing singing voice. Abdul worked out well in the early days because we just weren’t sure which medication would kick in and when.  Lastly, we had Simon Cowell, English music executive who provided the stern, British-Nanny-like judging that made the show so famous.  It was a chemistry that worked, but got weaker with every year.  Audiences waited for the guest judges to save the day, and give us a little extra.  Well, a little extra was all we got.  The last ditch effort of adding Kara DioGuardi or Ellen DeGeneres was less stimulating than a dental office waiting room.

Original American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell

Thankfully, the powers that be decided the show needed a major overhaul. This year, they added judges who had actually accomplished something within the music industry.

Jennifer Lopez might not be known for having the best voice, but her multiplatinum status means she knows what it takes to be successful. Jenny from the Block fills Abdul’s shoes, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, but adds credibility because she is still relevant in the industry.

The addition of a legitimate rock star, Steven Tyler, was the best improvement by far.  The first episode alone showed that he will give us what the show has been lacking: street cred.  He is a bona fide, sell out shows, prance around in spandex pants rock star, who sings along, provides back ground table beats for the contestants, and seems truly into the auditions. His antics and insights will keep us entertained.

Jackson’s re-appearance is very much like letting the assistant coach become the interim, it’s just for consistency.

The first two-hour show was watchable and entertaining enough to sway me back on board this Idol train. This time, it may just have enough steam to leave the station.

I grew up during the golden age of the Disney princess. From Ariel to Belle to Jasmine, my childhood was filled with big-eyed, tiny-waisted damsels in distress who always fell in love with a boy outside of their sheltered world, or outside of their species in some cases. Let’s face it, nobody does animated fairy tales like Disney.Tangled takes the next logical step for Disney princesses with the classic formula done in snazzy new 3D computer animation.

The film is about classic fairy tale princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), who is kidnapped and trapped in a tower by aging witch Gothel (Donna Murphy), who seeks to use her magical golden hair to stay forever young. Believing Gothel to be her overprotective mother, Rapunzel followers her orders to never leave the tower. Of course, Rapunzel dreams of seeing the world, particularly the origination of the “lights” she sees every year on her birthday. That’s when she meets Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), a smooth talking thief who stumbles upon her secluded tower while fleeing from guards. The two strike up a deal and Rapunzel finally climbs down and sets out to find the lights. Along the way, they fall in love, but several extraneous circumstances pull them apart (natch!) until Flynn’s life in in jeopardy and Rapunzel saves him. Of course, they get married and live happily ever after in the end.

Disney has been using this formula to tell fairy tales for 50 years, and they’re damn good at it. The narrative songs had me looking back nostalgically at some of my childhood favorites, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, which always introduced characters, outlined the plot and pushed the story forward through melody. The songs are short, simple and serve their purpose flawlessly.

Friendly animal sidekicks are also classic Disney and this film has an adorable chameleon and a comedic horse to keep our main characters company and no doubt sell more than a few toys.

Watching a classic Disney fairy tale done in 3D can be a bit odd at first. Because I grew up in the era of 2D hand-drawn characters in movies like , a world with this much visual depth and detail didn’t seem to fit with the smaller musical numbers. As the film went on, I got used to the enhanced style and really appreciated the way they kept with the traditional character traits they always use, for example, Rapunzel’s giant eyes or Flynn’s square jaw and broad shoulders. It was quite interesting to see these basic forms done in smooth 3D.

All in all, Tangled seems like a perfect bookend for a line of Disney fairytales that have spanned half a century.

Making a film is hard, making an independent film is even harder, and making your first independent film can seem damn near impossible. For Colorado filmmaker Neil Truglio, the journey from concept to film festival took seven years and the blood, sweat and tears of a very generous cast and crew. When all was said and done, he had written and directed his very first feature film, We Are the Sea.

The film tells the story of Sean (Jeff Childress), a teacher who is struggling with conflict in his family and within himself. Sean’s mother (Laura Cuetara) is of no help as she is still dealing with the death of her husband. His ex-wife (Lauren Shealy) only reminds him of the distance he feels from his daughter (Allison Savoy) and the person that he used to be. The darkness in his life begins fading away when Laine (Chantelle Frazier), one of his students, manages to connect with him and show him that the person he is might not be so bad.

Truglio conceived of the film while working at a record store in Boulder, Colorado, where he first heard the music of Iron & Wine. He remembers the moment when he felt the first spark of inspiration. While listening to debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle in the record store, he says, “it got to track three, ‘Faded from the Winter’, and the second I heard it I just put the headphones down and bought the CD. That ended up being the opening track in the film.” The music was the muse for both the visual style and storyline of the film. “I listened to the music constantly when I was formulating the story and it really spawned out of what I was hearing in the music,” Truglio says. “It was almost like hearing the most perfect soundtrack and then saying, ‘what’s this a soundtrack to?’”

From there, he began raising enough money to get started, not wanting to compromise his vision with limited budget. “We shot the movie on film, it’s all Super 16mm. We just felt like the cinematic qualities of the film, the graininess, the human motion the film has just helps tell the story better,” he says.

Casting also involved actors who were more committed to telling the story than getting a fat paycheck. “We were looking for the people that were the most on board,” Truglio says, “most of the directing comes from the casting room. If you find the right actor then your job as a director becomes so much easier.” Searching for a Sean was the most challenging aspect. “He had to be talented enough and stunning enough that he would be someone you’d be willing to watch for the 86 minutes and be able to go with him on the journey,” Truglio says. “There are always physical attributes you’re looking for too. I wanted him to be towering over [Savoy] so you have the little person and the giant in the field, but yet two people that are on the same emotional level.” He used all the local casting agencies in Colorado as resources and eventually found a solid cast with a true passion for telling the story.

Making the film in Colorado, a state not known for being a filmmaker’s paradise, posed it’s own challenges. At that time, the Colorado Film Commission, now the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media, was a nonprofit organization in its primordial stage. “It’s harder on your time and your energy to make a film in a place like Denver, though it’s a little easier on your wallet,” Truglio says. “There’s not really a track record of filmmaking in town.” This can make securing locations much harder as businesses have no experience with the needs and schedules of filmmakers. “It’s so much easier to say no,” Truglio says about working with different businesses, “so you become a huge fan of anybody that says yes.”

Despite all the challenges facing a first-time filmmaker, Truglio completed his film and is enjoying success at film festivals around the world. The film premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival in April and has screened at the Austin Film Festival and the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. The film sold out several screenings when it played in Denver and Truglio is looking forward to more festival screenings in the future.

The music video for “Na Na Na”, the first single from the upcoming My Chemical Romance album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, marks a welcome departure from the gloom and doom of The Black Parade with bright colors, a fun low-budget attitude and a new narrative style.

Frank Iero, Mikey Way, Gerard Way and Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance

The general narrative for The Black Parade involved a character named The Patient, who was dying of cancer, being ushered into the afterlife by a goth Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The music video for the first single had Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Frank Iero and former drummer Bob Bryar as the band leading the parade of the dead through a dark, ash-colored world of rubble and wreckage. Additional videos, for singles “I Don’t Love You”, “Famous Last Words”, and “Teenagers”, kept with the narrow color palate and more somber subject matter. While “Famous Last Words” had an uplifting message, it was delivered through a video that saw the band performing in the midst of the flaming wreckage of the parade float from the “Welcome to the Black Parade” video.

The Killjoys fill up their Trans Am

Members of the band have stated in several interviews that, while The Black Parade was their most successful album to date, it was also the force that nearly destroyed the band. Instead of being guys from New Jersey who were lucky enough to play music for a living, they felt trapped by their own creation and they were no longer enjoying what they were doing.

It was at this point when they started to record a new album with the goal of doing the opposite of The Black Parade. But, when all was said and done, they weren’t happy with that either. They started from scratch all over again and the result was Danger Days.

The first single, “Na Na Na”, shows a change of tone from the get-go with a catchy chorus and amusing lyrics. It’s more of a return to the punk vibe of early MCR. There’s no more morose theatrics and the song certainly won’t be classified under the dreaded “emo” category. Instead, it’s up beat and, most of all, it’s fun.

Gerard Way as Party Poison

The video, co-directed by Roboshobo and Gerard Way, is superb! It’s like a Spaghetti Western meets a post-apocalyptic low-budget sci-fi. It’s what a movie about the future would look like if it was made in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Like Heavy Metal meets Mad Max meets Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the gritty video takes place in a desert landscape with the MCR gang joined by a cute multi-culti little girl as they cruise around in their Trans Am and blast bad guys with laser guns. Each member of the band takes on a different Killjoy persona with Gerard as Party Poison, Toro as Jet Star, Iero as Fun Ghoul and Mikey as Kobra Kid. Comic book writer Grant Morrison stars as the bad guy, leader of the masked enemies who are out to kill the Killjoys. Gerard has cited Morrison’s work, particularly Doom Patrol, as an inspiration both for the band and for his own comic, The Umbrella Academy.

Very unlike the videos from The Black Parade, “Na Na Na” is filled with color, right down to Gerard’s bright red hair. Shots of Mikey doing karate kicks or Iero teaching the little girl to shoot a bazooka add a light-hearted spirit not seen in recent MCR videos and the overall feel is fun and vibrant. This also marks the band’s first video that doesn’t feature any performance of the song. Instead, the song serves as a soundtrack for the narrative, adding depth and making the video seem more like a short film.

If “Na Na Na” is any indication, Danger Days will be the perfect turn for the “new” My Chemical Romance.

View the video below or on the Trashwire Blog.

Today’s featured panel was Spotlight on Gerard Way. Way, along with artist Gabriel Ba and Dark Horse’s Scott Allie, sat down to discuss The Umbrella Academy and take some questions from fans. The group talked about creating original super heroes with unique special abilities, artistic influences, the upcoming film adaptation of the comic book and lots of other topics.

Fans asked Way about the next My Chemical Romance album. He didn’t go into specifics, but talked about creating songs and inspirations. He also briefly mentioned the upcoming Umbrella Academy film, though he was strictly forbidden to give away any real details. One fan presented him with custom Lego figures of characters from his comic. He also took random questions about being a father and even his favorite fictional bounty hunter.

Videos below…

Gerard Way introduction: Comic Con Spotlight on Gerard Way panel

Gabriel Ba introduction: Comic Con Spotlight on Gerard Way panel

Gerard Way on Breakfast Monkey, Bandit’s favorite book and his favorite bounty hunter

Gerard Way on The Umbrella Academy

Today at Comic-Con, I got to kick back and enjoy a few panels–which was lovely considering I’ve had about four hours of sleep since I got here. I had fun hearing about writing Invincible Iron Man and Avengers, saw some of the most ridiculous comics ever, learned about creating effects for Avatar and found out Gerard Way’s favorite fictional bounty hunter.

Early in the morning, I attended the Marvel Comics Writers Unite! panel, which featured Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Chris Claremont and Mark Waid. They talked about writing within the “rules” of a predefined universe and some of their least favorite artist-writer parings. They were really engaging and had the audience cracking up.

After that, I got to check out the Spotlight on Gerard Way panel. That was very cool to see because Gerard Way, Gabriel Ba and Scott Allie talked all about the Umbrella Academy. Of course, things tend to drift pleasantly off topic during the Q&A and Ba told the audience about watching 90201 all the time growing up in Brazil. He mused that the show was one of his favorites as a kid and as he got older he realized, “that show is about nothing.” Way talked about everything from adopted-sibling love to his daughters favorite book to his favorite fictional bounty hunter–he chose Dog–and had amusing little anecdotes to fan questions. He also briefly discussed the next My Chemical Romance album and quickly mentioned the upcoming Umbrella Academy film.

Later on, I stumbled upon the Oddball Comics pane. Scott Shaw presented a slideshow of “the craziest comic books ever published” with absolutely hilarious commentary. The show presented the covers for gems from the past like Rainbow Batman and Doll Man. Shaw’s collection of useless superheroes and promotional comics was outstanding.

Next up was The Winston Effect. The panel was all about the special effects of Stan Winston and included Winston’s son Matt. The accomplished effects artists talked about creating characters, not relying solely on green screen and the new Stan Winston School of Character Arts. Winston’s work was astounding, so it was really fascinating to hear about it from people who were right there with him making it happen.

Today also featured two celebrity surprises. I spotted Joel McHale as he was exiting the G4 stage and saw Adrienne Curry in an absolutely perfect Leeloo costume.

After roaming the exhibit hall for another hour, I was ready to pass out and had thoroughly enjoyed my first Comic Con. I’m definitely planning to come back next year to see if it could possibly top the fun of this experience.

If you’ve read this site for any lengthy period of time, you know that I like My Chemical Romance. Their shows are amazing, their music is original and powerful, and their sincerity when interacting with fans is refreshing to see. Since I am of the “support your dudes” philosophy, I rushed to check out lead singer Gerard Way’s comic, The Umbrella Academy. When I heard Gerard would be speaking at a Dark Horse panel at this year’s Comic Con, I knew I had to attend, and, wouldn’t you know, it was also on my birthday.

We got these pics of Gerard on the panel talking about the past, present and future of Dark Horse Comics.

You’re probably thinking, “Alexis, why didn’t you just put these pics in with the Comic Con Day 2 photo gallery?” The answer is that these are in a special section to make them easier for my fellow My Chemical Romance fans to find.

Gerard’s introduction:

Follow @trashwire on Twitter because Alexis will be tweeting live from San Diego Comic Con! Make sure to swing back by Trashwire regularly for blog posts, pics, videos, interviews and lots of other Comic Con stuff that just won’t fit into 140 characters.

Not on Twitter? (Are you crazy?!) No worries, because you can read Alexis’ tweets right here in the @trashwire Twitter feed…