Althouse: Carrie Underwood as...

November 30, 2012

Carrie Underwood as...

... Maria in "The Sound of Music."

47 comments:

traditionalguy said...: She is a winner!; 11/30/12, 1:16 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: Hugh Jackman would make a wonderful Georg von Trapp. Either him or Collin Firth.; 11/30/12, 1:17 PM
Patrick said...: Ms. Underwood is hardly a "novice" as the article states. She is a very accomplished chart topping singer, with a very strong and beautiful voice. Pretty easy on the eyes as well.; 11/30/12, 1:20 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Hmm. Well, she's a beautiful woman with a fantastic voice, but she should seek a closer relationship with the rhythm of the song, which is pretty subtle, than that displayed in the clip.

Doesn't Georg von Trapp need a moustache?; 11/30/12, 1:23 PM
Anonymous said...: "She was an iconic woman who will now be played by an iconic artist," Greenblatt said in a statement, referring to von Trapp

We really ought to retire the term 'iconic', or learn to use it more selectively.; 11/30/12, 1:25 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Sorry, no. Some things are sacred.; 11/30/12, 1:26 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I had to pop in the DVD to cleanse my ears after watching that clip. Julie Andrews' singing in that movie is perfect and will never be equalled, let alone surpassed, and no one should try.; 11/30/12, 1:29 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/30/12, 1:29 PM
Strelnikov said...: This will not be one of my favorite things.; 11/30/12, 1:34 PM
Strelnikov said...: This will not be one of my favorite things.; 11/30/12, 1:35 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: I agree that Julie Andrews' [alas, now defunct] singing is perfect; however, there was zip/zero/nada sex appeal between her and Christopher Plummer. She was too nunly and not-much-funly. Maria von Trapp is more than just a singer. She's the one who steals the old widower's heart and wins over his naughty children.; 11/30/12, 1:38 PM
rehajm said...: I'm on board! Underwood has a lovely voice. It will be interesting to see the rest of the casting (especially Liesl!) As a live television event, this could be great. Or a train wreck.; 11/30/12, 1:41 PM
madAsHell said...: Lindsay Lohan wasn't available??; 11/30/12, 1:48 PM
SteveR said...: While its not realistic to compare anyone to Miss Andrews, Ruth Anne has it right.; 11/30/12, 1:56 PM
Amartel said...: Recycled entertainment, now with added boobage. That's pretty much the only new thing that 21st century Hollywood will bring to the production.; 11/30/12, 1:57 PM
Anonymous said...: Wasn't Rihanna available?; 11/30/12, 2:08 PM
DADvocate said...: I met the actual Maria von Trapp when I was a kid and she came to Knoxville to give a talk. She was quite gracious. While "The Sound of Music" is a beautiful movie, it doesn't fully portray the seriousness of the circumstances. the von Trapps were very courageous.; 11/30/12, 2:11 PM
edutcher said...: Tina Turner would give it a little more zip.; 11/30/12, 2:12 PM
Baron Zemo said...: "Doesn't Georg von Trapp need a moustache?"

Well that means Aaron Rodgers is out.

I bet he would rather be in "Cabaret" anyway so no biggie.; 11/30/12, 2:16 PM
Patrick said...: it doesn't fully portray the seriousness of the circumstances.

I'm not sure any movie could.; 11/30/12, 2:17 PM
Toad Trend said...: "Pretty easy on the eyes as well."

Well, there's that. And she is an accomplished singer in her own right.

I'm with the folks that believe you can't compete with Julie Andrews as Maria.

Some things cannot be improved.

Unless you have Lindsay Lohan play Courtney Love.; 11/30/12, 2:21 PM
McTriumph said...: Well we know what TCM will be scheduling for the night the Underwood version airs.

Underwood does have a voice for it, most female country western vocalist do, but Andrews could also act.; 11/30/12, 2:36 PM
Baron Zemo said...: Trace Adkins can play Georg von Trapp but only if he wears his Conderate Flag earpiece.; 11/30/12, 2:40 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: I think Rogers and Hammerstein would be pleased that their work is being redone in a new generation.

I didn't prefer Brandi to the Leslie Anne Down 'Cinderella,' but it did introduce that nice work to a whole new generation.; 11/30/12, 2:48 PM
Anonymous said...: What, they aren't going to make Mr. Von Trapp black yet? C'mon, lefties get off on seeing black Jesus-Mandingo's taking blond women, emasculating white males, and p.c-ifying classic entertainment with basterdization, logic be damned! This seems like a perfect opportunity to stick one again to the white man!

C'mon lefties, you can do it!; 11/30/12, 2:59 PM
Anonymous said...: She's likely the best fit for a role that can't be duplicated. at least it's not an attempt at a movie remake. Why lord, do you allow such abominations?

where are the lightning bolts and fire/brimstone?

Big Q: She really needs to gut the hair into the nun bun to make it sell...; 11/30/12, 3:10 PM
McTriumph said...: whoresoftheinternet
Something like that is already in the works for an HBO series. It's a revival of "Porgy and Bess", all the characters are white NASCAR fans living in tenements, drinking too much, doing drugs and settling their differences with violence.; 11/30/12, 3:17 PM
Stoutcat said...: Ruth Anne Adams AT 1:38 said...
...however, there was zip/zero/nada sex appeal between her and Christopher Plummer.

OMG, what movie do you watch? One of the most romantic and steamy scenes in movie history is one between Maria and the Captain: it's the scene at the party where she and the children are on the patio/veranda/whatever and she is teaching young Curt the Lendler. The Captain comes out and you can just see electricity in the air as he takes her hand and they dance. Their various reactions as they dance is a lesson in delicacy in acting. It's marvelous, it's gorgeous, it leaves me breathless every time I see it.

The video of that scene used to be available on YouTube, but I can't find it now. Sorry, your loss!; 11/30/12, 3:18 PM
Crunchy Frog said...: Dakota Fanning as Liesl? Can she sing?; 11/30/12, 3:21 PM
Irene said...: Angelina Jolie should play the Baroness. "And somewhere out there, Georg, is a young woman who will never be a nun."; 11/30/12, 3:30 PM
Known Unknown said...: I voted for Taylor Momsen.; 11/30/12, 4:02 PM
KCFleming said...: Adam Lambert as Maria, or you're all haters.; 11/30/12, 4:18 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: This is an excellent choice I just now decided having not known who Carrie Underwood is two seconds ago. I'm that fast.

I went to YouTube to see who she is and how she sounds. Two seconds is all it takes. And I thought, "this is the sort of thing that the kids will practice to. Go see how they're doing."

They all suck. I looked at five interpretations of Blown Away in ASL and they all suck. Partially, I couldn't stand watching the whole things.

I am very sorry to say that, and keep saying it, but honestly, these kids simply do not know what they're doing. In each case I just had to stop when I realized the choices they made to interpret the song.

For example. Does the poetic phrase "storm clouds build in her eyes" mean "crying?" They all say "crying."

My clouds float across. So I'd go "dark" where the "cloud" goes, and then do "cloud" and at the end of "cloud" go zooop straight directly into both eyeballs. No crying. Because the rain in the song hasn't yet started.

The words are about an actual storm with dry lightening, dark clouds, rain, tornado. The songwriter is bringing the storm clouds into her eyeballs.

The most interesting vid for me was two girls together because they had to agree on how to interpret poorly. They did very well at synching it poorly.

Blown away. The storm blows the house right off the plains. The whole scene cleared. But that word blown in English is sort of special because it actually does blow when spoken, you sort of blow the word 'blown' through your mouth sort of like a trumpet when sung, so that whole idea of blowing like a storm god blowing everything away starting with hands cupped at the mouth and with puffed cheeks and wiping the board off with powerful air blast, none of them do anything like that, like they're singing a song emotionally and saying the phrase "BLOWN AWAAAAY" as Carrie Underwood does, they all just flap flap their open hands for blowy wind. All of them do, they're all complete messes actually. I can't watch anymore.

If they would only accept me as their coach via these strong esp signals I'm sending then this matter would be settled.; 11/30/12, 4:23 PM
madAsHell said...: They were going to do a black Sound of Music with Michael Jackson as Maria, but he wasn't available for the project.; 11/30/12, 4:25 PM
madAsHell said...: Just kidding!!!

...but it does sound like Hollywood!; 11/30/12, 4:26 PM
Wince said...: My late father loved Julie Andrews.

He acted all disappointed when he heard she busted-out her tits in "S.O.B."

Note, I said "he acted".

I'm sure he saw the movie.; 11/30/12, 4:27 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/30/12, 4:33 PM
Ralph L said...: it doesn't fully portray the seriousness of the circumstances
I was 4 or 5 when I saw it the first time, and someone told me afterward that the father had gone back to Austria for some reason and the Nazis boiled him in oil. It was probably 2 decades before I found out that didn't happen.; 11/30/12, 4:46 PM
rhhardin said...: I remember a nice Julie Andrews sound of music opening with "hills are alive" and whap, hit in the face with a pie.

Which reflected the sentiment of the time.; 11/30/12, 4:47 PM
DADvocate said...: My late father loved Julie Andrews.

My father was always late too. Often he would be an hour or more late picking me up from basketball practice. I'm quite prompt as a result.; 11/30/12, 5:04 PM
SteveR said...: Chip go back to YouTube and get her with Vince Gill doing "How Great Thou Art". It will all become clear.; 11/30/12, 5:14 PM
shiloh said...: "Leslie Anne Down 'Cinderella'

Lesley Ann Warren

Coincidentally, Julie Andrews was the original Cinderella on stage in the 1957 tv production.

TV producers have officially run out of new ideas ... 40 years ago!; 11/30/12, 5:45 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: Shiloh: D'oh! You're right! What a swanny neck she had!

I think Miss Andrewswas the original Queen Guinevere, too.

Stoutcat: I agree with your interpretation of that particular scene. Plummer exudes masculinity. But is Julie Andrews' response much more than Leisl's infatuation with Rolf? She doesn't portray the struggle of choosing this one man over Jesus Christ as her groom well enough. Maybe they should have left in that part rather than write he Confidence song.; 11/30/12, 6:37 PM
Irene said...: Julie Andrews also was the original Eliza Doolittle.; 11/30/12, 6:56 PM
Christy said...: The Sound of Music is my least favorite musical ever (and I stage managed for a musical theatre troupe; I know my musicals.) I always hated the title song until I heard Ewan McGregor (good grief! Ewan McGregor?!) do it in Moulin Rouge. I've always enjoyed Andrews' other work, but TSoM is just too mannered for my tastes. My shortcoming, I'm sure.

Isn't, perhaps, a hillbilly singer perfect for the role?; 11/30/12, 8:12 PM
SteveR said...: @Christy My daughter is in a very prestigious musical theater program. She has told me about people like you. As a good hillbilly would say.. too big for your britches. From a red state too.; 11/30/12, 11:26 PM
ampersand said...: The Julie Andrews 1957 "Cinderella" is available on dvd,although originally cast in color,it was only saved in kinescope b&w. I would recommend it to see the young actress, It's a real shame she was passed over to play Eliza Doolittle in the film.

PBS presented South Pacific a couple of years ago, not staged ,but sort of done as a radio show.
Reba Mcyntire,played Nellie Forbush, she did an excellent job with the songs.; 12/1/12, 1:07 AM