GLBT needs to stand up to Fox Network

[Night_Jasmine]

My girlfriend is a huge fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, absolutely adores it and is planning taking me to get "my cherry popped" lol.

However, tonight, she tuned into Glee as the cast did a version of the cult classic. And what did she find? Absolute horror and dismay in the fact they changed the main character. It was played by a girl pretending to be a M to F transexual. To add insult to injury, they even changed the lyrics!

i'm just a sweet something from sin sational transylvania instead of i'm just a sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania

I'm hearing now that Fox was so happy with this episode that they approached the director to do a remake of this cult classic. http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/gle...emake-rocky-horror-picture-show-for-fox-2000/

I'm asking my brothers and sisters to take a stand. It's time to let Fox know we don't want this done and if they're going to do any type of show featuring transgendered - to do it right or not at all!

http://community.fox.com/

 

[shonenhump_com]

When I get a chance, I'll watch Glee again and take notes. *shakes head* I really do not appreciate them wanting to remake a classic that still sells out theaters for the shadowcasts even in my redneck town.

 

[Safe_Bet]

My girlfriend is a huge fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, absolutely adores it and is planning taking me to get "my cherry popped" lol.

However, tonight, she tuned into Glee as the cast did a version of the cult classic. And what did she find? Absolute horror and dismay in the fact they changed the main character. It was played by a girl pretending to be a M to F transexual. To add insult to injury, they even changed the lyrics!

i'm just a sweet something from sin sational transylvania instead of i'm just a sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania

I'm hearing now that Fox was so happy with this episode that they approached the director to do a remake of this cult classic. http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/gle...emake-rocky-horror-picture-show-for-fox-2000/

I'm asking my brothers and sisters to take a stand. It's time to let Fox know we don't want this done and if they're going to do any type of show featuring transgendered - to do it right or not at all!

http://community.fox.com/

I'm with your GF! That is a travesty!

I grew up goth and at least 3 - 4 times per year we'd go see RHPS at a local theater that had played it every Friday night for years and years.

Changing the characters, words and lyrics is like making Rhett butler, in "Gone With the Wind", say "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a hoot!"

 

[Etoile]

Sorry, but I'm in complete disagreement. I have seen shadow casts perform with female Franks before, and nobody batted an eyelash. The character is made even more gender-bending by putting a female in the role. I see absolutely no discrimination in what Glee did with Frank.

As for the lyrics, of course they were changed. Lyrics change all the time when a gender is switched. I'm pretty sure they still sang "sweet transvestite" though they did sing "sin-sational Transylvania" - that's probably a nod to the fact that they're supposedly high school kids. Don't forget, half the show was about "cutting out the risque parts" and so forth.

Now, I'm opposed to a remake, but that has nothing to do with Fox or Glee. MTV was going to do a remake a year or two ago, and they got such opposition from RHPS fans that they canceled it. As a longtime weekly attendee (and former cast member) I agree with that - the show is cult because of its 1975 production values, and a remake wouldn't capture the public imagination (and would denigrate the original).

And at no time was this episode meant to be about RHPS, though. It was about RHS. Let's not forget that before the movie, there was the play. Except for the lips at the beginning (kind of wonder if that was Chris Colfer singing behind them, a la Richard O'Brien singing over Pat Quinn's lips), the references were purely RHS - because they were making a play, not a movie.

I see nothing to get indignant over, and quite frankly I'm offended by the suggestion that a girl shouldn't play Frank. RHPS is about outcasts and freaks. Casting aspersions on a particular version of it is anathema to its whole purpose.

 

[girlsmiley]

My girlfriend is a huge fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, absolutely adores it and is planning taking me to get "my cherry popped" lol.

However, tonight, she tuned into Glee as the cast did a version of the cult classic. And what did she find? Absolute horror and dismay in the fact they changed the main character. It was played by a girl pretending to be a M to F transexual. To add insult to injury, they even changed the lyrics!

i'm just a sweet something from sin sational transylvania instead of i'm just a sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania

I'm hearing now that Fox was so happy with this episode that they approached the director to do a remake of this cult classic. http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/gle...emake-rocky-horror-picture-show-for-fox-2000/

I'm asking my brothers and sisters to take a stand. It's time to let Fox know we don't want this done and if they're going to do any type of show featuring transgendered - to do it right or not at all!

http://community.fox.com/

I completely agree. If it aint broke...

 

[Etoile]

Where is the indignance at Felicity Huffman (natal female) playing MTF in Transamerica?

I have a bigger problem with that than I do with what Glee did. Hell, I have a problem with Kevin McHale, who is able-bodied, playing a character in a wheelchair. But Mercedes playing Frank? NO PROBLEM AT ALL.

I mean, nobody complains that men played female roles in Shakespeare's time, do they? It was a PLAY.

 

[girlsmiley]

Where is the indignance at Felicity Huffman (natal female) playing MTF in Transamerica?

Very rarely would you try to "fix" sumthin that aint broke.

There's no need to and quite frankly, it's a slap in the face.

Try telling Rod Stewart you want to change the lyrics to one of his songs. Do ya think I'm slimy. He would karate chop you in the face. Or something like that I guess. Probably not.

The point is why mess with perfection? If fox asked for permission well then I guess it's all ok, right?

 

[Etoile]

Very rarely would you try to "fix" sumthin that aint broke.

There's no need to and quite frankly, it's a slap in the face.

Try telling Rod Stewart you want to change the lyrics to one of his songs. Do ya think I'm slimy. He would karate chop you in the face. Or something like that I guess. Probably not.

The point is why mess with perfection? If fox asked for permission well then I guess it's all ok, right?

Are you nuts? We're not talking about sexy to slimy at all. We're talking about GENDER. Even if we were talking about changing the lyrics for more than gender, have you ever heard of Weird Al Yankovic? Parody is a PROTECTED medium. That's also why Ozzy Osbourne can't do anything about the Westboro Baptist Church changing the lyrics to his song "Crazy Train" - he released a statement saying he's appalled by what they did with it, but he knows he has no grounds to sue.

Getting back to the gender argument - I suppose you're pissed off that Brandy & Monica sang "The Boy is Mine" right? Because surely the Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson version, "The Girl is Mine," was already perfect, right? Or is it just acceptable to change lyrics when the singer's gender changes? Female artists cover male artists all the time. Male artists cover female artists all the time. Most of the time - not all, but most of the time - they change the lyrics to match the gender.

And how about this, from Wikipedia's article "Cover version"

Also, many songs originally recorded by male artists were rerecorded by female artists, and vice versa. Such a cover version is also sometimes called a cross cover version. Incidentally, up to the mid-1930s male vocalists often sang the female lyrics to popular songs, though this faded rapidly after it was deemed decadent in Nazi Germany.

Sure, there are some songs that don't work as well when covered by the opposite gender; this article talks about that in some detail. But picking on a show for changing the lyrics to fit the actor? Ridiculous.

And you didn't even address the issue of a female playing a trans role. Like I said, Felicity Huffman did it in Transamerica. I think they could have gotten a MTF actress for that, but they chose not to. For Rocky Horror though, the show totally lends itself to breaking the rules, and like I said, I'm appalled that people complained about that. It's like you don't even get what RHPS is about.

 

[girlsmiley]

Are you nuts? We're not talking about sexy to slimy at all. We're talking about GENDER. Even if we were talking about changing the lyrics for more than gender, have you ever heard of Weird Al Yankovic? Parody is a PROTECTED medium. That's also why Ozzy Osbourne can't do anything about the Westboro Baptist Church changing the lyrics to his song "Crazy Train" - he released a statement saying he's appalled by what they did with it, but he knows he has no grounds to sue.

Getting back to the gender argument - I suppose you're pissed off that Brandy & Monica sang "The Boy is Mine" right? Because surely the Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson version, "The Girl is Mine," was already perfect, right? Or is it just acceptable to change lyrics when the singer's gender changes? Female artists cover male artists all the time. Male artists cover female artists all the time. Most of the time - not all, but most of the time - they change the lyrics to match the gender.

And how about this, from Wikipedia's article "Cover version"


Sure, there are some songs that don't work as well when covered by the opposite gender; this article talks about that in some detail. But picking on a show for changing the lyrics to fit the actor? Ridiculous.

And you didn't even address the issue of a female playing a trans role. Like I said, Felicity Huffman did it in Transamerica. I think they could have gotten a MTF actress for that, but they chose not to. For Rocky Horror though, the show totally lends itself to breaking the rules, and like I said, I'm appalled that people complained about that. It's like you don't even get what RHPS is about.

I am nuts btw.

If they asked to change the lyrics well then it must be ok. Don't get your twat in a knot about it, K? Why put tomato sauce on a perfectly good meat pie? Cos you like it like that? I don't like sauce.

Bryan Ferrys tribute to John Lennon. Jealous Guy. Nice song

 

[Etoile]

I am nuts btw.

If they asked to change the lyrics well then it must be ok. Don't get your twat in a knot about it, K? Why put tomato sauce on a perfectly good meat pie? Cos you like it like that? I don't like sauce.

Bryan Ferrys tribute to John Lennon. Jealous Guy. Nice song

So wait, you're not actually complaining about the gender issue, just that they changed it? Okay, I can see that.

Bryan Ferry didn't change the original lyrics though, right? Not that there were many lyrics in the first place...one of Lennon's more repetitive songs, though I still love it.

Now, it would be nice if the world wasn't so heterocentric that singers felt they had to change the lyrics to be understood...

 

[Stella_Omega]

Considering how few opportunities there are for trans characters, I would prefer all trans characters to be played by trans people.

Considering that there are only a very few roles out there like Frankenfurter at all, let alone for women-- I am perfectly happy to see a woman play that part as a woman, including changing words to make it clear that Frankie is a Girl in this version if necessary.

Considering that I, female, ALWAYS played Frankenfurter in our local crowd, because I'm a bossy domineering type-- I guess I got no particular dog in this fight.

 

[girlsmiley]

So wait, you're not actually complaining about the gender issue, just that they changed it? Okay, I can see that.

Bryan Ferry didn't change the original lyrics though, right? Not that there were many lyrics in the first place...one of Lennon's more repetitive songs, though I still love it.

Now, it would be nice if the world wasn't so heterocentric that singers felt they had to change the lyrics to be understood...

Sorry, I try not to complain. Yeah I don't like that they changed the lyrics, and it's not like there's a tranny on that Glee programme so you can't really argue that one, you could put that idea forward though. Trans on Glee. That's a good idea

 

[John Doe]

There has been a long tradition in Western culture of actors of one gender playing characters of the opposite gander, albeit usually a male playing a female, though in recent decades a woman has usually played Peter Pan. So I don't really see what the big deal is.

Besides, when something that sucks is combined with something else that sucks people shouldn't be surprised when the result double-sucks.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Besides, when something that sucks is combined with something else that sucks people shouldn't be surprised when the result double-sucks.

Opinions are like assholes...

Which makes you an opinion!


Rocky Horror Picture Show is a CLASSIC.

**runs to find her kohl**

 

[John Doe]

Opinions are like assholes...

Which makes you an opinion!


Rocky Horror Picture Show is a CLASSIC.

**runs to find her kohl**

A cult classic and for good reason:

"5
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
b : the object of such devotion
c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion" (source)

The fact that you were so quick to make a personal attack in response to criticism of such a work only proves my point.

 

[Etoile]

Y'all keep talking...I have to go spray-paint my wig red and my Mickey Mouse ears black.

 

[John Doe]

Y'all keep talking...I have to go spray-paint my wig red and my Mickey Mouse ears black.

I thought Mickey Mouse ears were already black?

 

[Etoile]

Normally yes. But these were gold. It was a special event and I got gold ears.

 

[shonenhump_com]

I don't see why you would change the lyrics from "Transexual, Transylvania" to "Sin-Sational Transylvania". What was the point of that? Is Transexual such an awful word?

And yes, though I mostly shadowcast Columbia, there were times when we had problems with cast and I had to step in as Rocky or Dr. Frankenfurter... but considering there are plenty of roles and plenty of actors/actresses on each side, I don't see why they had to change that.

Maybe it isn't a big deal to anyone else, but I don't want a remake. That's all that's happened lately is crappy remakes, and RHPS DOES NOT NEED A REMAKE. It also doesn't need to be parodied badly, though you can't help it from happening. Now if someone did an actually clevel and amusing parody, I'd love that. But Glee is supposed to be LGBT friendly and they took transexual out of the lyrics. That to me is just wtf.

I'm not going to both arguing about it (looking at some of the posts here makes me wonder why anyone would get so defensive over the internet) but I don't need to argue, I know I'm right on this.

 

[shonenhump_com]

Normally yes. But these were gold. It was a special event and I got gold ears.

But those ears go so well with the hat. XD

 

[Night_Jasmine]

But those ears go so well with the hat. XD

*giggles* oh yup

 

[Etoile]

But those ears go so well with the hat. XD

Ha! An excellent point, although those are different scenes, and I am not doing shadow cast anymore, so this is a one-costume event for me.

I don't see why you would change the lyrics from "Transexual, Transylvania" to "Sin-Sational Transylvania". What was the point of that? Is Transexual such an awful word?

And yes, though I mostly shadowcast Columbia, there were times when we had problems with cast and I had to step in as Rocky or Dr. Frankenfurter... but considering there are plenty of roles and plenty of actors/actresses on each side, I don't see why they had to change that.

Maybe it isn't a big deal to anyone else, but I don't want a remake. That's all that's happened lately is crappy remakes, and RHPS DOES NOT NEED A REMAKE. It also doesn't need to be parodied badly, though you can't help it from happening. Now if someone did an actually clevel and amusing parody, I'd love that. But Glee is supposed to be LGBT friendly and they took transexual out of the lyrics. That to me is just wtf.

I'm not going to both arguing about it (looking at some of the posts here makes me wonder why anyone would get so defensive over the internet) but I don't need to argue, I know I'm right on this.

I do agree that the "sin-sational" change was a little odd. I'd be interested to hear the producers' reasoning behind that.

Oh yeah, and "plenty of roles" - so why, exactly, did they double up on Magentas and Columbias? Somebody has to be the Transylvanians, we can't all be stars.

And actually, I'm with you - RHPS doesn't need a remake. RHPS is popular because of its 1975 production values, its long history, etc. Glee's show wasn't a remake, obviously, but if they do make one...*shudders*

 

[shonenhump_com]

I do agree that the "sin-sational" change was a little odd. I'd be interested to hear the producers' reasoning behind that.

Oh yeah, and "plenty of roles" - so why, exactly, did they double up on Magentas and Columbias? Somebody has to be the Transylvanians, we can't all be stars.

And actually, I'm with you - RHPS doesn't need a remake. RHPS is popular because of its 1975 production values, its long history, etc. Glee's show wasn't a remake, obviously, but if they do make one...*shudders*

Yeah, I've been looking for something that explains the choice there. There's an openly gay male in their group, so I don't understand why even a high school would need to change that one word.

There were some things that they did capture well in the Glee episode, but overall, I was more disappointed than pleased with the overall result - of course, you can't really put all of RHPS into a 45 minute format (commercials, plus storyline from Glee show) and even at the shadowcasts I attend, it runs over, because of other activities. My son is now addicted after his first shadowcast last weekend. I took him to both Repo: The Genetic Opera, and RHPS, and despite the shadowcast quality of Repo being better (better costuming, props, flash and bang) he said RHPS was hands down the winner of the two, and that was because of the original production values. They did an amazing job and it sells out even down here in the south for every single showing. I can see why Fox would want to cash in on that, but I don't think they would... 'modernizing it' is done through adaptations to the audience participation lines, not by modernizing the actual movie.

I'm just sick of seeing crap remakes lately. Everywhere I go, there are no original ideas. And RHPS was a pretty original musical - my dad saw it at the Roxy back in the day, and I wish I could have been at a theatrical production, but I'm too young to have done anything other than shadowcasting. Still, if I have to, I will stand outside the theater in protest over any RHPS remake, even if it's just an offer right now and hasn't been accepted. The creator of Glee does some pretty great stuff with that show - why not do something original? I'm sure he'd be successful with a new script that he could make his own and not have compared to something that is a treasured part of so many people's lives.

Oooh, you should post a picture of your costume. I'm going to be posting pics of mine on my dA (and I really wish I could remember the password to my actual account on here, but alas, that e-mail no longer exists, and so I'm locked out until I remember it. >_< )