CHITA RIVERA, SHIRLEY MACLANE & BEYONCE!!!

[EugLoven]

Posted: 10/18/08 at 11:54pm

OH
MY
GAWD

QUESTION:
What happens when you give Eugene 3 glasses of wine, sexxy Beyonce black & white booty-shakin' and timeless Bob Fosse?

ANSWER:
This!

STEP 1:
Prompt Beyonce's "Single Ladies" YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGp1NmqVlI8

STEP 2:
Prompt "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This"
of Sweet Charity YouTube video to 3:36/6:01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wGgfYJoZts

STEP 3:
Volume On Beyonce - Press Play
Volume Off "Sweet Charity" - Press Play and Watch!

THERE ARE SOME PERFECT LYRIC/CHOREOGRAPHY MATCH-UPS!!!

I haven't been able to get it exactly, but the lyric "Put your hands-up" matches almost perfectly with when the Dancing Trio raise their hands to the air at the end of the dance number. But each time Chita, Shirley & Paula do their "wrist flip" it matches with "put a ring on it"!!!

Enjoy!
Updated On: 10/18/08 at 11:54 PM

[logan0215]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 12:05am

I believe she freely admitted that her video was based strongly on this and "Mexican Breakfast" (the song mixed with "Walk It Out."

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 12:08am

Eugene, you are two glasses ahead of me!!! I really like the new Beyonce song and video. Go to her website and see the other one, "If I Were A Boy".

I have to try this. The last time I tried something like this was with The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Side of the Moon!! (And I was about 5 glasses of wine in!)

Updated On: 10/19/08 at 12:08 AM

[strelimyn]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 1:24am

This is really fun! I just tried it, and it's pretty cool how well it matches up.

Thanks

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 1:56am

Sorry. I had to give up on it after the first minute. That Beyonce' song is one horrible mess of a song.

[BNN]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 2:25am

Beyonce makes me mad when she does this, she has blatantly ripped off alot of other performers, Broadway or not, with little to no credit. I know its not exactly her idea, but whenever I see a new video or song I can't help but think where she got it from.

And the originals are usually better.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 3:34am

I just did it. You are right. Eug, it scares me that you matched there two songs up! I would have never thought to.

We must meet when I am in NYC!!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 9:57am

The first part is definitely "Mexican Breakfast" with Gwen Verdon:

(original)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfACM-xB904

(Walk It Out version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU3N5c2Kxnw&feature=related


...but the second half is definitely more "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" (from Sweet Charity). Several of the moves are exact.

I'm glad she's so inspired by Fosse! And I loved her salute to the Rich Man's Frug from "Sweet Charity," which was almost lifted in its entirety for Get Me Bodied:

Beyonce:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aioz9BleJDY&feature=related

Original Frug (from the film Sweet Charity):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZnFQvlb2OA&feature=related

Updated On: 10/19/08 at 09:57 AM

[EugLoven]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:36pm

HA! Great and educated write-up on this very subject on Playbill here:

Channeling Fosse: Beyoncé and Beyond
by Robert Simonson
February 20, 2009
http://www.playbill.com/features/article/126460.html

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:45pm

Great article.