![]() ![]() The live musical event trend has had more than its share of duds, from "Rent" to "The Little Mermaid" and "Peter Pan," in part because the people behind them didn't quite grasp what makes a musical tick. #MAD WORLD GARY JULES CRETIQUE TV#Putting together a TV musical is no small feat. The songs are visually interesting even if there aren't coordinated background dancers. "Zoey" has a magnetic cast and – most importantly – an incredible flair for staging its musical numbers. Is Zoey an angel? A superhero? Is there more magic in the world? Or is it really all just science? That raises questions about the mechanics of her power (and the basic plot of the show) that the writers have yet to answer. #MAD WORLD GARY JULES CRETIQUE SERIES#The series ventures a bit into "Joan of Arcadia" territory, the 2003-05 CBS series that also starred Steenburgen, when the songs follow Zoey around until she starts helping the singers. The moment is all the funnier for the implication rather than an explanation. After Max sleeps with his new girlfriend, he doesn't bust out "The Lonely Island" song "I Just Had Sex," but instead belts out a jubilant opera tune. "Zoey" does, occasionally, make more nuanced musical choices. Maybe there was a subtler choice to be made than when Zoey's boss Joan (Graham) is unsatisfied in her crumbling marriage and sings "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones? You almost wish the series made the audience work for it a little more. Mostly, the lyrics of the songs serve as a bridge to the emotions of Zoey's friends, family and acquaintances. In the first four episodes, there isn't a lot of depth to the stories or the way the songs are used, other than Mitch's scenes. Zoey confides her secret power only to her gender-fluid neighbor, Mo (Alex Newell), a DJ who offers advice both musical and spiritual. ![]() The power of mind-reading through song helps Zoey realize which of her co-workers really has her back (not many) and that her best friend, Max (Astin), is in love with her. In the first episode's best scene, she's able to communicate with her father after so much silence between them. At work, she's having a tough time interviewing for a promotion, while in her personal life, she and her family struggle with her father Mitch's (Peter Gallagher) degenerative neurological disorder, which renders him mostly paralyzed and unable to communicate. Zoey is a quiet, less-than-confident computer programmer living in San Francisco when she goes through her life-changing MRI. Winter TV preview : 10 excellent new shows that will keep you warm and happy ![]() There is certainly room for improvement, but the cast is so charming and the tone so joyful that "Zoey" carries itself through a few early hiccups. Created by Austin Winsberg ("Gossip Girl," "The Sound of Music Live!"), the series happily embraces its musical numbers with gusto and builds a strong stable of characters – and talented voices such as Peter Gallagher, Skylar Astin, Mary Steenburgen and Lauren Graham – to sing them. But when it comes to executing what is essentially "X-Men" telepath Professor X trapped in the "Glee" classroom, "Zoey" hits most of the right notes. On September 17th, Carlile and Yola will participate in a conversation about advocacy and representation in roots music as part of the Americana Music Association’s Thriving Roots virtual conference, taking place September 16th through 18th.Strange and ambitious concept? Absolutely. Like most artists, Carlile has been staying close to home with her family during quarantine. Notably, Gary Jules’ recording of it became the signature tune from 2001’s Donnie Darko, and Adam Lambert revived it as a finalist on American Idol in 2009. Originally recorded by Tears For Fears for the 1983 album The Hurting, “Mad World” has been covered numerous times in the years since. The slowed-down performance gains some extra weight from Carlile’s tremulous voice, sliding up into glass-like high notes in the choruses before she explodes into powerful, sorrowful cries for the second verse. Seated at a keyboard and flanked by a series of guitars and a poster documenting her Joni Mitchell tribute show, Carlile taps out the melancholy piano intro from the song. The song was included as part of Carlile’s full-album livestream re-imagining of 2009’s Give Up the Ghost on September 13th. Brandi Carlile has posted an emotive cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” that was captured at her Washington State home. ![]()
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