RuPaul’s Drag Race season four has begun! I wasn’t sure any season could top season three with Raja and The Heathers, but with talk of zombies, and a futuristic apocalypse, the first episode got my attention.  I’m pretty sure when the apocalypse does occur, drag queens will be the last ones standing, looking fierce atop the wreckage in their seven inch glitter platforms. As the new queens made their way in the “Werk Room” I had a few first impressions.

The Ru-Pocalypse challenge had them create couture from items they were able to lift off of zombies of seasons past.  Side note, even as a zombie Raven was gorgeous!

Willam was pretty, but her personality was not attractive.  She couldn’t stop letting you know that she has been on TV. Her outfit was safe; she met the criteria, but it was nothing special.  They may keep her around for her annoying factor, a la Shangela.

LaShauwn Beyond’s hairpiece could barely come through the door, but I saw a little Tyra Sanchez in her. After listening to her miss pronounce “apocalyptic” numerous times, I questioned what her outfit would look like. In the end, she couldn’t say the concept, but she seem to grasp it. She came out elegantly wrapped in a tarp with a busted globe headpiece. However, as she stood in front of the judges, she admitted a lack of confidence and nerve, a requirement for Drag Race, hunty!

Jiggly Caliente was fierce by association, as I had seen her in Manila Luzon’s “Hot Couture” video and hoped she would bring that level of drag.  Her outfit looked like a glue gun and a recycle bin exploded all over her. You can’t hang with Manila and look like that! She landed in the bottom two and her excuse was she didn’t know how to sew.  The prize is $100,000, girl, take some lessons before the show!  Not a major contender.

Phi Phi O’hara channels Mariah Paris Balenciaga with a pretty face, but can she bring more?  Her outfit was very Thunderdome and although good, it seemed like she played it just safe. Phi Phi will have to turn it up for me to believe she won’t rest on pretty. On Untucked she showed some fight, If she can bring that fight to the judges, she might have a better chance.

Madame LaQueer – A plus size Puerto Rican with a very pretty face, but she was a bit forgettable in this first episode. She walked the runway in a jungle-maid-of-the-apocalypse, outfit that really made no impression on me at all. In the Interior Illusions lounge, she was making excuses about her shoes.  Again $100,e000 her ladies, come to play!  Not a contender.

Milan did not impress me when she entered the show in a pimp outfit. I cringed, hoping she wouldn’t be like Shangela. In the end she had my second favorite look of the night, like an “infected Betsy Johnson”, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Her attitude is good, but sewing is not her strong suit and seems she relied on other queens to help her. Tip: other queens will stop helping you very soon, so stand on your own and you may have a shot.

Alisa Summers is fishy, but not at the Carmen Carrera level.  She took the easy way on the challenge and relied on a breastplate, pretty face and, for some reason, went drag ski bunny for the apocalypse, which landed her in the bottom two.  I was not impressed and neither were the judges. She’s out!

Dida Ritz walked in with a busted wig and busted paint and I felt like she would be out in no time, but she cleaned up well and her make up and hair got better quick. Her outfit was just safe. She has long Naomi Campbell legs, but does she have the fierceness? Jury is still out on this one.

The Princess looks older than 32, but she had the best line of the night when she told Sharon Needles, “You are exactly the kind of guy I’m attracted to.  You have that meth look”.  She claims she went with a water world theme, but I’m guessing she made it and then thought up the much-needed backstory as the outfit did not float with me or the judges.  I liked her at first, but her runway presentation was a bit of a let down.

Kenya Michaels is a fishy, tiny, Puerto Rican queen and she could be in the final four.  She has a little Yara Sofia with her, but may lack Yara’s imagination.  Her outfit of a red bird in a glittered diaper was not related to the theme and she may need a scare to get her to think outside what she already has in her luggage.

Chad Michaels is the oldest queen at 40. Known for doing the best Cher impersonation you will ever see, she could be a one trick pony.  She will have to do her best to stop looking like Cher in the contest and that may prove impossible, given all the modifications she has made to her face.  She could win Ms. Congeniality, because she helps the other queens, but that won’t win this race. Her final outfit again was not memorable. Expected more from such a seasoned veteran.

Sharon Needles brings us an entirely new drag and it may be the bright spot in the show if she stays this creative.  She embraced the challenge and won.  Her quick wit and her uniqueness should land her in the final four, but can she pull off more than just strange?

Latrice Royal–finally a big girl who has real confidence! She may look like Darrell Dawkins out of drag but she brings the Chocolate Thunder when she paints up. I’m hoping she goes far, but big girls often have a tougher time on this show.  I have a feeling this double-wide diva will keep it very real and that should be entertaining all on it’s own.  She is in my top four.

Last year there was such a clear-cut winner from the first show, but this year will be less predictable.  This year the playing field is more level, but if I had to pick the top four right now, it would be Sharon Needles (Odd is the new black), Latrice Royal (Too big to fail!), Willam (Annoying factor), and Kenya Michaels (Serving fish).

Let the games begin!

Watch the full premiere episode, RuPocalypse Now!, here:

And check out Untucked here:

Christmas is just days away and there’s not much time to get all the items on your list. Thankfully, the wonderful world of As Seen on TV lets you shop with almost no effort required. Everyone is familiar with the Shake Weight and Snuggie, but here are a few other items to ask Santa for this Holiday season.

Furniture Fix

Furniture Fix is a set of plastic strips you put under a worn out couch or chair to (supposedly) make it more comfortable. The commercial for this novel invention is rife with silly examples and claims. In addition to holding up cinderblocks and making old ladies sit up straight, Furniture Fix can also come in handy when you’re hosting meetings for your Sumo wrestling club.

Pajama Jeans

I’m not going to lie, I kind of want these. Pajama Jeans are a stylish alternative to a muumuu or housecoat. They’re made from the same material as sweat pants, but they’re painted to look like jeans, creating an optical illusion that will fool everyone into thinking you’re a part of society.

Swivel Store

I can’t tell you how many times I open my cabinet, only to be buried in an avalanche of spices. If only someone would create a product that organizes all my herbs and spices in some sort of space age device. What’s that you say? They’ve invented just such a product? That’s right. Swivel Store is the most crucial element of any kitchen.

Sobakawa Cloud Pillow

Americans can’t ever get a good night’s sleep. We toss and turn and simultaneously wake up complaining about neck aches. Sobakawa builds on “Asian traditions” of Styrofoam and synthetic fibers to give you the rest you deserve. Don’t believe me? Just ask the semi-racist caricature of an Asian woman who’s off in dreamland thanks to this miracle in sleep technology. This commercial is also great because it features one of the best “scientific” experiments in the As Seen on TV world: the 10lb weight egg drop. The most disturbing part of this product is that it’s billed as “The last pillow you’ll ever need.” You will have this pillow for the rest of your life and, when you die, they’ll bury you with it.

Perfect Meatloaf

Not to be confused with the Perfect Brownie, the Perfect Meatloaf Pan saves you from a greasy lump of mushy meat with revolutionary convection technology. Blend up your ingredients and pop them in this baby and you’ll have a perfectly shaped (and already garnished) meat cake right out of the oven. I don’t usually eat beef, but if I could be as happy as the girl in the green shirt, maybe I’d start.

Fushigi

I’ve watched this commercial several times and I still can’t figure out what makes this any different from every other ball. Yet, this thing is “sweeping the nation” apparently. I can’t help but feel bad the grandkid somewhere who woke up to find a Fushigi instead of Call of Duty under the tree Christmas morning. Come on, this kind of thing is only cool when David Bowie does it in Labyrinth.

Slap Chop

Stop having a boring tuna! Stop having a boring life! You don’t even eat salad, fatty! All the other products in your kitchen are worthless! Vince, let’s curb the judgment, ok?

Forever Lazy

There can be no greater As Seen on TV product than this! Forever lazy is like a representation of America itself. In fact, I think we should put one on the Statue of Liberty. After watching the woman in this commercial fuss and struggle with one of those silly old fashioned blankets, we can thank our lucky stars that some genius thought to bring us this adult onesie with a Bugs Bunny style trap door in the back so you never have to take it off. Ever. Your move, Snuggie!

I am a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and when I say huge fan, I mean it. I’ve watched every season, featured full episodes on the Trashwire blog and gone to see some of the girls live when they pass through Denver. As such an avid Drag Race watcher, I decided to compile this list of my favorite contestants of all time. These queens are artists and entertainers, serving true Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent.

10. Pandora Boxx
Pandora makes the list for her fun, creative style. Her sense of humor shined through in all of her looks and performances. Despite all that, the judges constantly gave her unwarranted negative critiques on the runway. Pandora had the last laugh, though. Her Absolut commercial is the most memorable of the bunch and she was the stand out Drag Professor on RuPaul’s Drag U. Her most memorable moment came from her hilarious impression of Carol Channing on the “Snatch Game” episode.

9. Ongina
Ongina may have been on of the smallest contestants, but she left on of the largest imprints on the show. She was high-energy and fun, like a little pixie, but it was her Viva Glam video that stood out as one of the most touching moments in all of Drag Race. After a joyful video about celebrating life, Ongina revealed that she was HIV positive, bringing pretty much everyone to tears. Ongina was a shining example of someone who always had a good attitude, even through tragedy.

8. Shannel
Who could possibly forget Shannel?! This season one stand-out was a true entertainer, a Las Vegas showgirl with a larger-than-life personality. Her outfits were creative, often showing off a lot of skin and bitch knew how to work a room. Shannel’s look, combined with her talent, commanded the attention of both the judges and the fans. Best moment: when her headpiece “accidentally” came off during her lip sync performance against Akashia, who is most definitely NOT on this list.

7. Jujubee
Juju was memorable for her incredible sense of humor. She was like a tiny, extra fierce Kimora Lee, whom she portrayed in the “Snatch Game” episode. She and Raven were the perfect duo and most of the funniest moments from season two came from their interactions. Juju’s best moment was the reading mini-challenge where she stole the show by throwing shade at the other girls.

6. Delta Work
Delta is on the list in the sixth position mostly because I wanted to avoid having all Heathers in the top four, even though they deserve it. Delta was one of the smartest and wittiest contestants on the show, often teaming up with Raja to throw shade about the other girls backstage during Untucked. Best moment: Delta was on fire during the QNN Untucked episode, but my favorite moment was when she and Raja were discussing Manila’s Asian reporter character and Delta referred to her as “dollar Chinese menu”, perfectly (and humorously) summarizing her performance.

5. Raven
Raven scores just a bit higher than Juju because she was the runner up on her season. Raven did dark and wicked beauty like no other, like the drag Angelina Jolie. Where most contestants froze up, her red carpet interview on the “Diva Awards” episode proved that she could work the media better than most Hollywood starlets. Still, Raven could out-shade the Heathers, at least when it came to fellow contestant Nicole Paige Brooks and her acrylic toenails.

4. Manila Luzon
I’m sure placing Manila at number four will be a little controversial, considering she was the runner up on the most popular season. Manila was an artist with the ability to create themed outfits. Manila’s pineapple dress was one of the most creative pieces I’ve ever seen on Drag Race and the way she made over her burly athlete in the “Jocks in Frocks” episode made her one to remember. As far as Manila’s best moment, two words: MacArthur Park.

Manila x Delta – MacArthur Park by MacArthurManila

3. Carmen Carrera
The Original Body Queen is one of the most unforgettable contestants in Drag Race HERstory, a RuPaul would say. Carmen’s outfits were so skimpy that it was amazing they stayed on and her tucking skills are mind-boggling. She said it herself, “Carmen is nudity.” She was one of the only queens that didn’t get into a huge fight with someone, often brushing off all the Booger nonsense like she was Jay-Z. The ultimate Carmen Carrera moment came in the “Jocks and Frocks” episode when she faced off with Raja in one of the steamiest lip syncs ever.

2. Nina Flowers
Nina is a legend! Her look is completely unique and she’s also one of the sweetest human beings to ever grace reality TV. Nina was the runner up in the first season, and no disrespect to Bebe, but I think she should have been the winner. Nina wasn’t your typical drag queen. Her style showcased more artistry than female “illusion” and she was instantly memorable. In the news challenge, Nina proved that, despite her ultra fierce exterior, she could be funny too. She kept making mistakes with the teleprompter, but she kept a good attitude and was able to laugh at herself. Werk Loca!

1. Raja
Some people love her, some people despise her, but there’s no denying that Raja is the fiercest of the fierce. No one can walk the runway like her, and that includes supermodels like Naomi Campbell. Her creativity was unparalleled and her looks were the most fashionable and memorable, occasionally outshining RuPaul herself. No one else could pull off the tribal warrior outfit, the blood-drenched Carrie dress or the high fashion Marie Antoinette look. This Diamond Crowned Queen was a winner from day one, and not for all the made up reasons the pro-Shangela conspiracy theorists throw around. She won because she was the best, plain and simple.

So there you have it, my RuPaul’s Drag Race top 10. Do you agree with my picks or is there someone I’ve unjustly left out?

Stay tuned for clips from RuPaul’s Drag Race season four in January on the Trashwire blog and view the trailer below!

Attack The Block thrilled crowds at Comic Con, and it’s not hard to see why. A film produced by Edgar Wright, who directed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, about aliens attacking a council estate in the hood in South London is an instant draw for geeks looking for a witty turn to alien invasion movies. But it’s not just for geeks. ATB also boasts an impressive cast of young actors on the level of Super 8 and a fast-paced script filled with comedy, suspense and heart.

Trashwire had the chance to sit down with writer/director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega at Comic Con to talk about the film.

The performances from the kids are so impressive and they have such natural chemistry. Can you tell us about the casting process? 

Cornish: We saw about 1,500 kids and there was a huge amount of talent to choose from. We have 11 kids in this film from the ages of 10 to 17 and almost none of them had ever had any on-camera acting experience before. I was really excited to put new faces on the screen. The wonderful thing about pop culture is there’s a new generation coming all the time and they want their own generation of stars. I wanted to give an opportunity to young actors who hadn’t had much experience and also, because the film was set where it was, it seemed like a great opportunity to give kids a break who maybe wouldn’t necessarily find themselves with the support and background to do this. I was the least experienced guy on the set, so to have this group of kids who were as naive, passionate and enthusiastic as I was was really comforting. Whenever I felt insecure or doubted it, I could just feed off their passion for the idea.

Boyega: It was amazing and it was great hanging out with the boys. We had amazing energy, I don’t know where that energy came from. I’m a guy that likes his sleep, but at 5am, you’d be rapping and singing songs and having a Pokemon competition. It was fun-filled, kidish energy and we just had fun. We drove the crew crazy.

John Boyega (center) stars as Moses in Attack the Block

Having a first-time feature film director and so many first-time actors, were Wright and the studio heavily involved in every aspect?

Cornish: There was a lot of faith required for this movie. We had monsters, we had explosions, we had stunts, we had effects, there were night shoots, we even had a dog in it! Edgar said to me, “Joe, you’re doing everything you’re not supposed to do. You’re making this hard for yourself.” But I thought I would only have one shot at making a movie, so why not aim high. Edgar was busy working on Scott Pilgrim, so had had no choice but to have faith in me. He couldn’t get involved too deeply, and that was quite useful because he could step into the process with complete objectivity. He’s been a friend for 12 years or something crazy like that and I’m amazingly loyal to him. It’s a testament to sticking with your friends.

How was it for you transitioning from being a theatre actor to being in your first movie?

Boyega: With stage, the audience is right in front of you, so it was hard to imagine how people were going to react when you’re on the set with just the camera in front of you. I have so much respect for actors that do film because sometimes you may be shooting a scene and they call cut, but you still have to stay in it. I have huge respect for the crew. The amount of work that goes into films is amazing and that’s what took me back. I have no right to be a diva in the future. Not only would my mom knock me off the block, but the amount of work these guys do is amazing. I just love cinema and the way it works.

When you go to screenings, are you pleased by the audience reaction?

Boyega: I’ve watched various screenings back in the UK and it’s been very lovely, but in the USA, you guys are very proactive when you’re watching a film, you’re very much involved. The audience makes you feel like you’re watching something, like it’s real. I remember watching a screening at the ArcLight and [my character] Moses is talking about how he’s going to go out and face the aliens and how it’s his fault and the audience was like, “You tell ‘em, Moses! You tell ‘em!” There was cheering when I walked into the Q&A. I get tweets about it. I love that! I love being in a verbal audience and that surprised me entirely.

What was the most exciting new experience for you?

Boyega: It went down to little things like having a sausage on the set and everything being technically marked. I’ve always been a movie buff, the guy that buys the two-disc special edition and watches the second disc more than the first. I’ve always wanted to be that guy–like Shia LaBeouf sitting there with a scratched up hoodie and blood on his face talking about the film in an interview–and when I got that opportunity, it felt like “Yes! This is going to be great!”

The tough kids of Attack the Block find out just how tough they really are when aliens invade their South London estate.

The dialogue is really authentic, did the kids help shape that part of the script?

Boyega: There were certain parts where I was like, “no, kids don’t say that,” but I have to say, being a British actor, I’ve read a lot of urban scripts in my time and this is the closest to reality, the closest point blank. I liked it because I’ve been in those situations where you see kids being scared–it’s not an alien, maybe it’s a dog or something–and the fear just makes them say something like “it’s too much madness to explain in one text” or “I feel like going home and playing FIFA.” That felt really, really natural to me.

The creature design was different from most alien invasion movies. How did you come up with the concept of how you wanted these aliens to look?

Cornish: When I first came up with the concept for the film, the response was, “well, it’s a good idea, but you can’t do it for less than $30 million because you have to have CGI creatures and you can’t afford CGI creatures.” But I had an idea of how to do it without that. Basically, the core idea is using a rotoscope technique to actually removed detail and flatten the creature because I had this crazy theory that rotoscope is almost like primitive motion capture, because it’s based on human movement. I figured it would blend better with action than CGI does because, however brilliantly CGI is done, it’s animation and animation never really sits realistically. It works in Mary Poppins or Roger Rabbit where it’s heightened and stylized, but the physics aren’t there. Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings was very big to me as a kid an I thought, “hmmm, there could be something here.” We had no idea how audiences would respond. We knew we were trying to appeal to audiences who were used to CGI stuff who had learned to be satisfied with that aesthetic.

Was it easier to perform with the rotoscope method instead of a CGI monster that isn’t really there?

Boyega: It was fantastic because Attack the Block is an homage to 80s movies where it would be a practical effect and the alien would be on set. Joe is a big John Carpenter fan and Steven Spielberg fan, so we had the aliens on set.

What were some of the biggest inspirations for the movie?

Cornish: All these 80s monster movies: Gremlins, Critters, Tremors, Predator. In Predator, you think it’s a war movie and then it reverses itself. And then the other big influences were gang movies. I’m a huge fan of The Warriors, Rumble Fish and The Outsiders. That links to the whole Carpenter thing with Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. I’ve wanted to make a movie since I was 13, I’m 42 now, so there’s a lot of stuff inside me waiting to come out.

Attack the Block is out now in limited release, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed it comes to more cities soon. Everybody deserves a chance to see this awesome film! Boyega and Cornish may have been first-timers, but we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of great films from both of them in the future.

One of the cool parts of Comic Con that wasn’t housed inside the Convention Center was MoCA: Museum of Conan Art. Also dubbed the Flaming C Gallery, it was filled with Conan O’Brien inspired art. Pieces ranged from balloon figures to giant paintings. Plus, the Team Coco gang knows how to treat fans and gave out free t-shirts, hors d’oeuvres and even let you take a green screen picture so you could fight crime with the Flaming C. Check out these photos of some of the awesome artwork on display at MoCA.

We’re doing Comic Con recaps here, but the Comic Con coverage runneth over on our blog. Today, for example, we’ve got LL Cool J, Vivica Fox, True Blood’s Ryan Kanten, the cast of Lost, Lou Ferrigno, oh yeah, and two guys you might have heard us mention before, Gerard and Mikey Way. Check out the pics on the blog and stay tuned for more Comic Con updates including our interview with Attack the Block director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega.

Continue to the Comic Con section on the Trashwire blog here and check out the galleries of pics from Friday and Saturday below:

Fright Night press conference

Friday on the floor with Rob Corddry

Sautrday pics with Ryan Kwanten, LL Cool J, Vivica Fox and Lou Ferrigno

Gerard and Mikey Way shopping on the floor

Wednesday was for media, but the real fans flocked to the San Diego Convention Center on Thursday for the real kick off of Comic Con.

The cast of Napoleon Dynamite signed autographs at the FOX booth and we grabbed pics of Tima Majorino, Aaron Ruell, Jon Gries and Dedtich Bader.

Next, we hit up the Beavis & Butt-Head panel where Johnny Knoxville lead a conversation with Mike Judge about the upcoming new series. Judge talked about Beavis and Butt-Head taking on MTV shows like Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant and even showed fans some sneak peek clips from the new season.

After that, Elijah Wood, Jason Gann and the cast and crew of Wilfred previewed the latest episode for fans at their panel. Wood talked about playing Ryan and interacting with a dog–er, well, an Australian guy dressed in a dog suit. Gann decided to start calling Wood “The Big E.W.” and the audience carried it on into the Q&A session. Wonder if it’ll catch on.

Of course, the fans are what make Comic Con and they were in it to win it this year. From a centaur to a ninja to a bunch of Transformers, there were a lot of elaborate costumes. This year, there was a lot of movie memorabilia too. We have pics of C3P0′s glove, Catwoman’s mask and, my personal favorite, Khan’s shirt. Check out all the pics from Thursday in this extended gallery:

Here it is, gang! Technically, the fun doesn’t start until today, but we got pics from last night’s Preview Night for you here. Lego was out in full force with Lego Batman, Boba Fett, Bumblebee and more. There weren’t many people in costume yet, but there were two girls dresses as slave girl Leia. The big news of the night was Dark Horse’s “big reveal”. After announcing that Guillermo del Toro would not be appearing, Mike Richardson brought out Tom Morello to announce his new comic, Orchid. It was a quickie announcement, but fans are sure to hear more about Orchid throughout the con.

Check out the pics and be sure to follow Trashwire on Twitter for live tweets from SDCC.

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.”

Mel Gibson has lost his mind. At least his character, Walter Black, has lost his mind in the film The Beaver. Walter has been battling severe depression and has lost his will to live. After a failed suicide attempt, he stumbles upon a beaver puppet in a dumpster and begins to live vicariously through his new buck-toothed friend.

His wife, Merideth (played by Jodie Foster, who also directs) thinks he’s gone crazy, but begins to accept his new form of expression when Walter seems to become a better person. Porter (Anton Yelchin), Walter’s oldest son, thinks his dad is the worst person in the world and vows to never be like him. Walter’s youngest, Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), thinks his dad is just playing a fun game and enjoys bonding with him through The Beaver.

At work at his failing toy company, Walter’s employees think his newfound insanity is rooted in genius and that he’s just breathing new life into a stagnant industry. They embrace The Beaver and soon, their top selling toy is based on the furry guru.

The film seems to drift back and forth from the idea that Walter knows what he’s doing and the idea that he’s gone completely insane. There are several laughs at Walter’s Beaver-related antics, but the root of it all is dark and a bit unsettling, so you’re never sure if you should really be laughing.

The side plot involving Yelchin and his more-than-just-a-cheerleader love interest, Norah (Jennifer Lawrence) could come out of any indie movie. They’re two teens from different cliques. She’s the valedictorian and she’s pretty and popular. He’s dark and dangerous, probably stemming from his wildly unstable home life. Yet, somehow they over come all the teen social boundaries and form a real connection. You’ve heard it before, but I must say, Yelchin and Lawrence pull it off in a way that doesn’t feel rehashed.

Of course, the elephant in the room–or should I say the beaver in the room–is Gibson’s own mental state. Gibson’s performance is great and he really embraces the character, but you can’t help but wonder about his own mental state while you watch. Like Walter, his off-screen antics can be crazy and amusing, but there’s always that threat of danger running through his bizarre behavior that keeps it from being funny. Charlie Sheen might be nuts, but he seems to be navigating his own craziness and turning it into more fame and fortune. Gibson, on the other hand, threatened to kill his baby momma and bury her in the rose garden, so… you know, there’s that.
Flirtation with total psychotic insanity is the running theme in The Beaver and it makes it difficult to determine just how the audience is supposed to react. Unlike Lester Burnham in American Beauty, this is no mid-life crisis, but a legitimate mental problem requiring therapy and medication. So, is Walter’s behavior funny? Is it sad? Is it disturbing? Most of the time, we’re not completely sure.