The Official TONY AWARD NOMINEE Manoel Felciano Love Thread (PART 2!)- Page 127

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 3:11pm

No, but I hope he does.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 3:13pm

Yay, pictures!


Chica, what did you get him?

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 3:19pm

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 03:19 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 3:54pm

*trauma*

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 11:50pm

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 11:50 PM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:02am

I couldn't agree more, Chica. I also hate that people's perception of Mano has been tainted, when he is nothing but wonderful, both on stage and in person.

I'm also having a hard time figuring out where all of the "Mano Fan Club" business came from in the first place. It's not like people from this thread were the *only* ones expressing their dismay when he didn't receive nominations. Look at the thread you just posted, Chica - did any of us go in there saying something about Mano? Someone else brought him into it - as it seems someone always does on the nomination threads these days.

It's also not like we started a thread saying "Mano is SO going to get a Tony nomination. We don't care that he didn't get the others! He's SO going to get this one." If anyone knew anything about this "Mano Fan Club" they have declared us to be, they would know that we are all very smart ladies. We're not expecting anything. Yes, I think he deserves the damn nomination, but we're not prancing around with our noses in the air, assured that he will.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 12:02 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:06am

*pets Chica*

I think I've tried to become callous to that stuff, but it doesn't always work. I still take offense when people think my entire mind is on how gorgeous Adam's ass is, or that his looks and sweetness are the only reasons I support him as much as I do. I think, though, in a lot of these cases, if you know in your heart and your head the truth, you have to chalk it up to misunderstanding. Yeah, we're his fans. Yeah, we've become friends through being Mano's fans. But that doesn't make us a fan *club*. The terms is so negatively conflated, I hate it.

I think in some cases when people refer to "Mano hype," they don't mean explosive fangirling, but that they just don't get why he was so good -- which is frustrating in a totally different sense, but I understand what you're saying.

I also think that for me, I'm aware that a lot of this, with one personal exception in *my* life, this is bought affection. I suppose when you do this, you have to make yourself conscious of that in order to protect yourself from going too far and being "one of those people." That's not to say it's not okay to get to know someone if they're willing, and to support people you think deserve it -- at all, by any means. But that's one of my ways of dealing, in a roundabout way, with the notion of being offended by miscalculation on a third party's part. Yeah, he's a sweet guy and he's gracious and generous, etc, but it's all in return for the fact that we support him. It also seems as though you have to display a hyper-awareness of that fact to keep people from labelling you. I've had several experiences like this with actors; I value them, and of one I've gained an honest, legitimate friendship, but I also do, truly, truly know what they are. I'm also just, frankly, afraid to push it. I mean, I call him Mano because that's what he calls himself, not because I would take that step on my own, you know?

I've been through this a number of times on this board; I've been burned for making comments about sexual energies and gorgeous bodies, because then people don't take you seriously when you have something to say about the talent. They think you only go on about the talent when you're trying to squirm your way out of a pile of verbal sh*t. It's like you can't have one *and* the other, and it's easier to assume that you're shallow. I can't tell you the amount of frustration caused by having an argument like that about Raul -- people were telling me that I found his talent secondary to his looks, and I could only type-shout so many times that he is the most brilliant actor I had ever seen, but that that didn't mean I couldn't make jokes about how I felt about him physically. One doesn't negate the other, and I don't know why people can't see that, or can't undertand that you recognize the personal perks as a bonus -- that you'd still like them if they weren't willing to get close to you. Again, look at Esparza. I wouldn't want to get close to that, and I still admire him from a comfortable distance, getting an autograph or a picture, or just hanging around to congratulate him. But that's all it is, and I know that. I'm fine with it, not deluded about it.

So, er, yeah. My rambles. *snuggle*

By the way, the bald dude in Drowsy.... well, I don't get why the DD nominated him, other than that they like fluff quite a bit, but he's so no threat to Mano.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:07am

Great post, Chica. I also find it frustrating that many of the people I've heard single out Manoel's performance as Toby as one of the most moving in the show aren't even fans, and yet somehow some people see fit to act as though his "fan club" are the only people who think that he deserves recognition. It really does him an injustice.

[colored by esteem]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:15am

BroadwayChica,
why not post this on the original thread and let everybody know?

BTW: Manoel does have a teenage fanbase, as evidenced from his MySpace page. It's there and people see it and react to it. But a lot of performers of merit have young fans (or appreciators or supporters...)

I think it's a bonus when anyone at all notices and appreciates good work. Sometimes though, younger fans are able to be more vocal about it. They are often less afraid to let their opinions be known, which is a good thing.






Updated On: 5/12/06 at 12:15 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:16am

Well, the young people probably aren't his *only* fans, given the show that he's in, but the young people *are* the ones you're typically going to find on MySpace.

I think you're right about age being a confound in how vocal you're willing to be, though.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:20am

Patti is on Will and Grace!

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:29am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:29 AM

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:32am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:32 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:40am

Yeah... I get what you mean.

I'm not "used" to it in the sense that I'm jaded by it or expect it, at all -- I didn't mean to come off that way. I just mean that I've had enough of it to know where I stand on the issues, and how I feel about them, as well as how I handle it, and how to stand firm in my understandings of what it is *for me.* I'm used to my thoughts on the concept, but not on that itself -- I still have so many "wow" moments, and moments of being very grateful for what happens, even if it's not the single most important thing in my world. Like I said, one of these interactions has turned, very naturally, into a legitimate friendship, but the others have boundaries which I totally understand, accept and respect. I think it's about putting terms to and displaying understanding of the relationship. You have to *prove* that you're over-sensitive to the understanding of the fact that you're not friends, etc -- but these are, I believe, "relationship," on some level. You're a person. Mano is a person. You are two people interacting -- that constitues *some kind* of a relationship, as I see it. But it's about recognizing what that relationship is and what its limitations are (as well as limitations on how much this should all mean, logically and in terms of what's healthy) -- which I know in my mind I do, and I know you do, too. It's inevitable for it to mean *something* but I think we recognize that it's not more important than a lot of other things, you know?

I've wrestled with that a lot lately.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 12:40 AM

[colored by esteem]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:45am

"Like I said, people are entitled to their opinions. Maybe they just don't "get" it. A lot of what makes Mano's performance so brilliant can't fully be appreciated with only one viewing of the show."

I got it right off the bat! I do think lots of other people did as well. I'm not sure what this backlash you refer to is;

Maybe it has something to do with something other than his work. His performance is of such an obvious high caliber, it suprises me that anyone would reject THAT.
Maybe this role is hard for people to embrace because it is such a sad and tragic one. Maybe because it is so genuine and has so much heart, (role and performance), it makes people uncomfortable.




Updated On: 5/12/06 at 12:45 AM

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:47am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:47 AM

[Bohemian1232]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:50am

I don't know Mano. At all. I'm probably one of his youngest fans. I loved his performance in Sweeney. He was the highlight of my night, but NOT for any superficial reasons. I've always been someone who loves little details. The kind of things that so many people don't even notice. I sat in the front row at Sweeney, and was blown away by Mano's performance. He was captivating.

I'm offended when people call out younger fans, or 'fangirls' in general. Just because you find an actor attractive, it doesn't mean that you only find them attractive. You can still be in awe of their talent.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:51am

For me, the wrestling has been part of a *very* complex situation, but that has kind of led me to question what my beliefs on the issue actually are, because I've put so much energy into trying to counter false, hurtful accusations.

I've also thought more generically that it's often true to say that the closer you get, the farther you wish you'd stayed. Or, the more you know, the less you wish you knew. I think a lot of us, while we want connection, also want to keep our rose-colored glass.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:54am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:54 AM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:56am

I don't think Chica is saying that someone seeing Sweeney for the first time can't get it. They could very well still be captivated by Mano's performance. However, one of the things that is so amazing about his performance is that you can catch new things every time you see the show; it is THAT nuanced.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 12:56 AM

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 12:59am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:59 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:01am

Chica, that statement actually came out of things *other* than direct interaction with the actors, but from, through various mechanisms, getting to know people who are close to them, and finding things out that way. It's a bizarre web of complication, and sometimes I've been like "no, I just... didn't want to know that." Even if these are people you interact with on occasion, they still remain people you admire, and *want* to admire, because their work is so beautiful and meaningful to you.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:08am

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 01:08 AM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:15am

It's a bizarre web of complication, and sometimes I've been like "no, I just... didn't want to know that."

I feel fairly out of the loop in this discussion overall, but even I can really relate to that part. Sometimes you hear things that somehow interfere with appreciating an actor's work in its own right and wish that you could be more objective about things rather than reading into them. At the same time, though I feel badly on occasion, I can't help but be intrigued.

Edit: That's so interesting, Chica.... I can definitely see where it would be sort of difficult to deal with losing the typical fan dynamic but knowing that it will never move on to a traditional friendship, so it seems like there's this weird middle ground that you have to navigate. It seems wonderful to be able to get closer to an actor than you could have hoped for, but maintaining the balance of that relationship is undoubtedly stressful. Updated On: 5/12/06 at 01:15 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:21am

Right, ss, you know what I'm mainly referring to with that sentiment, but I do think it's a pretty over-arching one, regardless.

Chica, I agree. I think that in the type of interaction I'm most comfortable with, it's still "protected." I think that as fans, you still do get a filtered version of what the person is like, and that's totally okay. When the line blurs, whether a slip or permanent, I'd assume that you start to see other things. I think that, though, when you see how sweet and kind these people are in person, even though you see them more "personally," that itself doesn't hurt the idea of the pedestal. You still think highly of them.

ETA -- I think there are like... different levels. There are people you go and get autographs from and tell them they're great, and that's it. There are people who you see often, and form "relationships" with, but it's only personal on the very, very surface. It's important because it makes you happy, but not a big deal -- like, the fact that Adam knows who I am and has been excessively kind to me, but we'll never go past that, and that's cool. And then there are people like Mano, who take it a step farther than that, but still don't cross the line. And then there's friendship.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 01:21 AM