I wanted to use this title partly so that I cold use one of my favorite words of all time: oxymoron. It sounds like a twisted curse that you could call someone, but beautifully encapsulates an idea, "a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms." there's not many words like that. But also because in summarizing last weeks discussion, I realized that no one wants to admit to liking a musical, either on stage or film (except Rocky Horror, which might be the only exception to this rule). I'll hereby make it easier for everyone by revealing a relentlessly guarded secret of mine, the movie I've seen more times than any other in my life is..."The Sound of Music." We used to watch it at least once a year when I was a kid, so it got a head start on all the rest. It still 'works for me' because of the situation that most of the songs are sung in: the teacher is teaching the kids how to sing, so it makes sense. For me, the idea of someone breaking out into song for no good reason is stupid, despite my love of music and the fact that I often quote song lyrics in every day life! "Paint Your Wagon" almost worked for me too, because I loved the grumble-voiced Lee Marvin. The fact that he was cast in a musical at all was wonderfully screwy, but wait, what have we now? Johnny Depp singing in "Sweeney Todd"?!!? John Travolta, in drag, in "Hairspray"?!?!!? So anything could happen right, even a cool musical being made?! There's been a huge resurgence in their general popularity in the past few years and it seems inevitable that someone will try to make a cool one, or is there one already in your opinion? Here's some of the 52 musicals playing on Broadway right now!!... "Avenue Q" just opened here, and I think I overheard one of my co-workers saying that they were excited to see it, but I will let them out themselves! "Grease" might qualify for some I know, but to me it is the epitome of everything we hated about American culture when we were young punks in the UK in the late 70's and I cannot get over that. "Hairspray" might be the answer but I haven't seen it on stage or the new movie but I want to. Even John Waters, when he did the Fakebook with Mary, thought it was very very bizarre that it had been such a big Broadway hit. "Jerry Springer-The Opera": The U.S. premiere of this opera that was conceived in the UK but inspired by the famous TV talk show, was recently at Carnegie Hall for two nights only, with Harvey Keitel as the lead?!?!. "Mary Poppins" is the much-loved (by me) 1964 Walt Disney film and uses the ever-lovable cockney accent to full effect! "Spamalot" I have often said that Monty Python and the Holy Grail,is my fave movie of all time but my dislike of musicals has me refusing to even acknowledge that this exists! "Spring Awakening" The Duncan Sheik/Steven Sater musical about a group of teenagers trying to learn about life, love, and sex, is the reason why we are destined to have more musicals made both on stage and screen. It won a ton of Tony Awards. Duncan is perhaps the 'coolest' musician to have a hit doing this type of work. So far even the stage presentation based on the life and work of Dylan has failed. Defend your faves if you can, but also try to fantasize about what would be your idea of a cool musical. Yes, let's make the musical cool again! Here's mine: The missus and I saw "The History Boys" on Broadway last year which was not quite a musical but had elements of the form within it, the students sang songs in class to answer certain questions posed by their teacher. BUT if we used this storyline, about a bunch of high school boys (set in a Grammar School very much like the one I went to) but set it to the music of The Fall, it would work for me. If you think about it, the Fall's music has a lot of repetition of themes running through it, like a musical tends to do and Mark E's lyrics are mostly spoken rather than sung, so it would not be a stretch if a character delivers the lines in that style. Strangely enough he has already scored a ballet..."Curious Oranj". To sum up, I know a lot about musicals but - as the subject says - I'm not a fan. I dare you to defend the musical or create a "cool" one.