"Butler" Has Poor Presidential Casting Choices

   Lee Daniels made some very poor casting decisions when making The Butler.

   I am not talking about Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. The Oscar-winning actor gave a performance that should earn him another nomination, while the former Queen of Daytime TV shows that after a 15 year absence from  the silver screen she can still act in addition to running a media empire. 

  No, I am referring to Mr. Daniels decision to cast John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan. 

  Lloyd Dobler as Tricky Dick and Snape as The Great Gipper? Hard to believe, but it's true. Go to your local movie theater and see for yourself. 

  These casting decisions make absolutely no sense to me, nor should they make any sense to anyone who saw Say Anything or any of the Harry Potter movies. Every time Mr. Cusack's head popped on the screen the thought going through my head wasn't "Hey, that's Richard Nixon!" but "Hey, that's the kickboxing guy who won Diane Court's heart". Not only did Mr. Cusack look way too young to play Mr. Nixon, but he looks nothing like the 37th President, nor did he make any attempts to sound like him.

  Mr. Rickman plays The Gipper in some alternate reality. While the real Mr. Reagan was charismatic and had a sunny demeanor, the Reagan portrayed in The Butler is a President who is serious and doesn't smile all that much. During a scene in the film in which the alternate Mr. Reagan threatens to veto a bill that would put sanctions on South Africa, it felt as if Snape was talking, the only difference being his hair and his clothes. It was as if Snape had risen from the dead, stole Hermoine's time turner, and used pumpkin juice to pass himself off as the 40th President (if you have never read Harry Potter I apologize, for I know I have lost you). 

  When actors are most well known for certain roles, it is often hard for audiences to picture that actor playing someone else. Mr. Cusack will forever be known as the guy who puts a boom box over his head outside Diane Court's bedroom window, while Mr. Rickman will forever be seen as Harry Potter's least favorite professor at Hogwarts. What went through Mr. Daniels mind when making these horrible casting decisions, I will never know. 

Youth Summer Theatre Conservatory Brings 'Velveteen Rabbit' to Life

http://www.lbpost.com/life/arts-culture/2000002632-children-s-workshop-at-long-beach-playhouse#.UgAUKBbQ6fQ

If you pass by The Long Beach Playhouse these days, you will most likely hear the sounds of children singing.

That's because they are taking music lessons as part of the Playhouse’s Summer Youth Musical Theatre Conservatory, which began on July 15 and will culminate with a production of The Velveteen Rabbit in the Mainstage Theatre on Saturday, August 3 at 3PM and 7PM and on Sunday, August 4 at 3PM.

Based on the 1922 children’s book by Maggie Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit is a musical about a stuffed bunny that is given to a boy at Christmas. Even though the bunny becomes one of the boy’s favorite toys, the bunny longs to become real.

“It’s sort of the 1920s precursor to Toy Story,” said Bethany Price, who both wrote the play and is directing it for the summer workshop at the Playhouse. “We see how some of the toys interact with one another."

Price first wrote The Velveteen Rabbit about five years ago for an elementary school production in Long Beach.

“I read a lot of versions and I kind of hated them all,” she Price. “I just didn’t think any of them captured the real wonder of Margarie Williams' fabulous story and so I decided I was going to write my own version."

Despite having been performed in Pennsylvania, Virginia and in Orange County, this is the fist time that Price’s version of The Velveteen Rabbit will be performed at The Long Beach Playhouse.

The camp consists of 40 kids ages seven to 17 and takes place all day Monday through Friday. As a full day camp, there is little time to be idle. In the mornings, the kids, who are divided up into three groups, rotate between singing, acting and dancing lessons. And then in the afternoons, the kids rehearse for the play.

Zoe Hedgpath, who plays the Velveteen Rabbit, says that she enjoys the rehearsal process despite having to learn a lot of lines.

“It’s a little tricky, but it’s fun,” Hedgpath said.

Despite having only 15 days of rehearsal, Price and the other instructors at the camp believe the kids will put on a great performance.

“It’s going to be a great experience,” said Brian Bozanich, who is the camp’s acting teacher. “The kids are so energetic, so enthusiastic. It’s a wonderful story, and the way we’re telling it, it’s a blast."

Tickets for the performance are on sale for $10. For more information, call (562) 494-1014 or visit The Playhouse online at http://www.lbplayhouse.org