Hilary Duff to be Dorothy

[lord-of-sith]

I hate Hilary Duff! she's just the biggest pest to me. I was watching the show Best Week Ever on VH1 and they were talking about Lindsey Lohan. And one guy said "She's like Hilary Duff, only likeable,"

[Kram Nebuer]

I hate Hilary Duff! she's just the biggest pest to me. I was watching the show Best Week Ever on VH1 and they were talking about Lindsey Lohan. And one guy said "She's like Hilary Duff, only likeable,"

That was classic!

I've never heard Anne Hathaway sing so I don't know if she would be good. Hilary Duff would be good if they are trying to nab young audiences with this new Muppet movie, but I don't think she'd be good. I can't see her as Dorothy. I think it would be better to get a new face or a broadway turned tv actor like they did with WWoD Annie. But in the Muppet movies they always have celebrity cameos, so they probably might get Hilary Duff to be the star or they could get her as a cameo and make her Munchkin #8 or Emerald City Girl Singer or something, lol. I think they should get that girl from Tiger Cruise. SHe sings pretty good and she's a good actress and can play different roles. She was Dot in A Bug's Life.

[Prince Adam]

Well, now according to Jim Hill Media, Duff's done-her mother wanted too much money (big surprise).

So Disney went back to debating Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway. But ABC Television suggested making this a multi-cultural production in the same vein as "Cinderella", so Ashanti has now signed on as Dorothy, with Queen Latifah also getting a role.

[sCArs]

I don't mind Ashanti, I think she'll do good, I mean, she can accually sing

[DreamerQ18]

So is Ashanti the new Dorthy for sure? I dont mind Ashanti at all I think she is very talented. However it seems like the project has already been done. Anyone recall the Wiz????Going to the city and all. I dont know if its true its to bad everytime I think og the muppets I think of them being silly I still think Anne Hathaway woud have been the perfect choice.

[Disneykid]

Some info from IGN Movies.com, including confirmation of the Ashanti and Latifah roles:

August 24, 2004 - The Muppets are headed back to the small screen in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, reports today's Hollywood Reporter. Muppet fans will be pleased to learn that Kirk Thatcher (see "related links" below), helmer of the successful Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, is onboard to direct.

The trade scoops that R&B singer Ashanti and director Quentin Tarantino have just signed to appear in the TV special and Queen Latifah is in final negotiations to appear in the Muppet-ized take on L. Frank Baum's classic.

Ashanti reportedly plays aspiring performer Dorothy Gale, who works at the diner of her Auntie Em (Latifah) in a small Kansas town while dreaming of hitting the big time. One day, as you might expect, a tornado sweeps up the trailer where Dorothy lives, and she finds herself in a Muppet version of Oz. There, she meets the Munchkins (played by the Muppet rats – nice!), the Scarecrow (Kermit the Frog), the Tin Man (Gonzo) and the Lion (Fozzie). Their quest to get the Wicked Witch (Miss Piggy) culminates with a fight scene between Dorothy and the witch.

Tarantino will appear briefly in an opening scene where he's pitching the story idea to Kermit.

THR adds that it won't be a musical, but will feature several musical numbers. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz will air as part of the Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.

Uhh...it has musical numbers but it isn't a musical?

[DisneyGirl]

I just finished watching Ella Enchanted, and I have to say, I bought this movie blind, and I really liked it. I liked Anne Hathaway as Mia in the Princess Diaries movies, but I wasn't sure how well she'd be able to handle a role besides Mia, but she plays Ella very well. I liked the movie even more than I thought I would. Did anyone else notice the Disney movie references in the song "It's not just make believe"?

I'm Cinderella at the ball/
I'm Alice growing ten feet tall

I'm Ariel above the sea/
I'm Beauty dancing with the beast

I think Anne would do a MUCH better job as Dorothy than Hilary Duff. I must admit, I'm a Hilary Duff music fan (I enjoyed her CD, not so much as Lizzie McGuire, though I did like the movie)...but I do think Anne would do a much better job.

[DreamerQ18]

I just finished watching Ella Enchanted, and I have to say, I bought this movie blind, and I really liked it. I liked Anne Hathaway as Mia in the Princess Diaries movies, but I wasn't sure how well she'd be able to handle a role besides Mia, but she plays Ella very well. I liked the movie even more than I thought I would. Did anyone else notice the Disney movie references in the song "It's not just make believe"?

I'm Cinderella at the ball/
I'm Alice growing ten feet tall

I'm Ariel above the sea/
I'm Beauty dancing with the beast

I think Anne would do a MUCH better job as Dorothy than Hilary Duff. I must admit, I'm a Hilary Duff music fan (I enjoyed her CD, not so much as Lizzie McGuire, though I did like the movie)...but I do think Anne would do a much better job.

I could not agree more with evrtying you said I love Ella Enchanted.

[englishboy]

THR adds that it won't be a musical, but will feature several musical numbers.

WHAT?

[AwallaceUNC]

Yay Queen Latifah!
Boo Quinten Taratino!

BOO ASHANTI! TERRIBLE CHOICE!

This made the Drudge Report, interestingly enough.

-Aaron

[2099net]

Uhh...it has musical numbers but it isn't a musical?

Well, technically yes. A musical should have songs written specially for the story and/or act as part of the narrative. If this new OZ simply has a few performances of existing pop songs or the like then it is not strictly speaking a musical. It's just a film with musical number in.

For example This Is Spinal Tap has musical numbers (especially written too) but they don't make This is Spinal Tap a musical. The same is also true for Labyrinth despite a David Bowie writing or performing a song or two. Other films like the Fabulous Baker Boys have a lot of songs and are sort of in context, but it isn't really a musical as they're all just well known songs written before the film.

Now we can all debate Mulin Rouge's musical status...

[AwallaceUNC]

What about the Sister Acts?

-Aaron

[2099net]

Not having seen either Sister Act film, I don't know. Would you class them as musicals?

adj 1: characterized by or capable of producing music; "a musical evening"; "musical instruments" 2: talented in or devoted to music; "comes from a very musical family" [ant: unmusical] 3: characteristic of or resembling or accompanied by music; "a musical speaking voice"; "a musical comedy" [ant: unmusical] 4: containing or constituting or characterized by pleasing melody; "the melodious song of a meadowlark" [syn: melodious, melodic] [ant: unmelodious] n : a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing [syn: musical comedy, musical theater]

So this definition doesn't actually match mine - and supposedly according to this definition "This is Spinal Tap" is a musical (but I disagree - and don't argue, I'm always right, I know more than the dictionary. )

[DreamerQ18]

Okay so we now know who is going to have what part in the movie but does anyone know when it might air on TV? or DVD w/e its to happen.

[Prince Adam]

It was once rumoured to air this December, and then have a DVD release in the spring. But now it's supposed to air Spring 2005, with a DVD release possibly summer.

[toonaspie]

Here's a link that you can accept or deny all the facts (about why Hilary Duff didnt get the part, why Ashanti did)

http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles ... hp?ID=1052

Ah, Jim Hill, you'll murder us all!

So it's about diversity eh? No surprises there. Although I'm thinking this might be a Jim Henson style musical like they had in the classic 80s

damn I miss the 80s

[AwallaceUNC]

Well he doesn't sound too off-base here. Poor Hilary. I like Brandy/Whitney/Whoopi's Cinderella, but I don't think it should become a model. I'm all for diversity, but it's not good story-telling to let diversity get in the way of making sense. A white king and a black queen birthing an asian prince makes no sense whatsoever. There's also a huge difference in the fact that Brandy was a big star at the time- getting lots of attention in all sorts of genres and industries (pop, r&b, rap, movies, television, marketing, etc.) Ashanti isn't nearly as big an icon, so she's not going to bring in all the attention that Brandy did or Hilary would have. Ashanti's target audience isn't even the same as this movie's. I really don't get the choice at all. Maybe she's actually a good actress (haven't seen her in anything) or something crazy like that- but she's only a decent singer who seems heavily confined to one genre and probably not all that adaptable to the kind of music I would expect from this movie.

-Aaron

[MickeyMousePal]

awallaceunc Wrote:

Yay Queen Latifah!
Boo Quinten Taratino!

BOO ASHANTI! TERRIBLE CHOICE!

This made the Drudge Report, interestingly enough.

-Aaron

I totally agree with you Aaron. BOO to Ashanti!!!!

[AwallaceUNC]

Oh, and Netty, the Sister Act movies are filled with musical numbers (especially the latter). They aren't exactly people breaking out into song, but the characters sing as part of the movie (it's about singing nuns). You should definitely watch them both!

-Aaron

[Prince Eric]

Oh, and Netty, the Sister Act movies are filled with musical numbers (especially the latter). They aren't exactly people breaking out into song, but the characters sing as part of the movie (it's about singing nuns). You should definitely watch them both!

-Aaron

I've actually always considered the Sister Acts movies to be musicals. They're not "traditional" song-and-dance musicals, but they are the closest thing the 90's had to offer the genre. In short, they make up the non-traditional class of musicals recently made popular again by The School of Rock and A Mighty Wind.