I have no idea why I could recall it perfectly this morning.

1. Because Andrew Lloyd Webber is really, really good with the catchy tunes

2. Because they are repeated and repeated and repeated so often, both in the show and promotions, that you could sing them note-for-note yourself.

I think Phantom will be significantly less impressive on the big screen, because you always see big, sweeping scenes like that in the movie, whereas when you see Phantom in the theater it's unbelievable impressive because they did all that on a stage, right in front of your eyes.

Everything I've seen and heard of the filmed Phantom leads me to believe that it will suck enourmously.

Everything that makes the show what it is is expressed via stagecraft, emphasis on stage. It could theoretically be adapted for the screen, but that's not what they're doing -- note Harold Prince's name in the production credits. They've taken a deeply intrinsically theatrical show and filmed it. It's going to feel wrong on every level possible.

The wrongness of casting a fucking model to play the Phantom himself (who, if the trailer is any indication, can't even fucking sing) needs no explanation.

(Signed, Too Old To Really Care About Any Of This, But When Has That Ever Stopped Me Before?)

I'm reading this IMDB snippet on His Dark Materials, and I agree that it would be pretty unsellable on a large scale with the anti-religious bent.

Fans of the Philip Pullman novel His Dark Materials have expressed outrage over news that director-screenwriter Chris Weitz (American Pie) has removed references to God and the Catholic church in the movie. Weitz told a website set up by fans of the novel, bridgetothestars.net, that New Line Cinema, the company producing the film, has "expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity." He said that the studio had told him that if the references remained, the project would become "unviable financially." He remarked that he had discussed the matter with Pullman, who had told him that the role of the Authority (God) in his book, could be transformed into "any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual." The religious villains in the film, he said, "may appear in more subtle guises." He added: "you will probably not hear of the 'Church.'" One fan posted a message on the website calling the changes a "blatant cop-out to the Bible Belt of America."

It is quite possible to read that as having New Line as the Authority, isn't it?

That tickles me.

The wrongness of casting a fucking model to play the Phantom himself (who, if the trailer is any indication, can't even fucking sing) needs no explanation.

But will his costume have fake nipples and a codpiece? This is Schumacher we're talking about after all, right?

(who, if the trailer is any indication, can't even fucking sing)

And, y'know, there's no reason not to put a little movie magic in here.

But will his costume have fake nipples and a codpiece?

Oh, I hope it does. But then, I'm a firm believer in crashing and burning with style.

I'm with Jessica on the concern about Gerard Butler's Phantom singing. Truth to tell, I have an unwholesome crush on GB and don't want to have it crushed under my heel.

And ita, I really want to see Elektra too...I guess I'm just full of concern about dashed expectations today.

::ratcheting down the yearn-o-meter::

Gerard Butler is/was a model?

Everything I've seen and heard of the filmed Phantom leads me to believe that it will suck enourmously.

I'm still going to go see it. Over-the-top cheese with pretty costumes will almost always get me into a movie theatre.

t hops on the Jilli train

t toots the black silk whistle