My 18 Out Of my 20

My 18 out of 20 welcomes Almost Famous!! I was debating because I think Patrick Fugit was...lacking in the acting category. Still it is just a great story of time and place.





A high-school boy, William (Or The Enemy) is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band Sweetwater, as he accompanies it on their concert tour he learns a lot about Rock And Roll and life and love.

Okay, if you have not seen it, what are you waiting for????!!!!!
You want stars??
Here you go:
It is a Cameron Crowe film which should be enough!!
BILLY CRUDUP
FRANCES MCDORMAND
KAT HUDSON
ZOOEY DESCHANEL
ANNA PAQUIN
FAIRUZA BALK
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
JIMMY FALLON
BIJOU PHILLIPS
RAINN WILSON
JAY BARUCHEL
JASON LEE
ERIC STONESTREET
PETER FRAMPTON!!!!


How about some facts!!
-The film is director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical account of life as a young Rolling Stone reporter. The actual group Crowe first toured with was The Allman Brothers Band. Gregg Allman distrusted him, and kept asking if he was a narc. Crowe was in a near-fatal plane crash while traveling with The Who. The character of Russell Hammond is based on Glenn Frey of Eagles. All these stories were part of the movie.

-Stillwater's songs were written by Peter Frampton (who also had a small part in the film), Cameron Crowe, and his wife Nancy Wilson of the rock band Heart, a fact indicated early in the credits. The music acknowledgments credit Russell Hammond and Stillwater as if they were real authors and performers.

-There actually was a band called Stillwater in the 70s though the band depicted here is not them. They agreed to the use of their name after reading the script.

-Penny Lane dancing in the empty, debris-strewn Cleveland auditorium is Cameron Crowe's favorite scene in the movie (MINE ALSO AND THE TINY DANCER SCENE!!!!)



-The scene where Russell gets electrocuted on stage is based on an incident where Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley was severely shocked on stage during a concert on Dec 12th, 1976 at the Lakeland Civic Center in Florida.

-The real life Lester Bangs died of a drug overdose at a fairly young age. Eerily, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who portrays him in this film, would later die of a drug overdose also.



What I cannot figure is how Kate Hudson did not win Best Actress for this role!! Marcia Gay Harden for Pollock??!! Really?
Watch this and I rest my case. It is the perfect combination of Actress and Role. With some Mad Hatter thrown in:






I will leave you with the great Tiny Dancer scene!!!! You Are Home!!!



From the shadows as always thanks for your time.