聽節奏藍調皇后Mary Jane Blige

'Rock of Ages' -- Part I Movie review 'Rock of Ages' struggles but is not without its charms Based on the popular Broadway show, "Rock of Ages" is a musical similar to "Mamma Mia!," in which a collection of well-known pop songs are connected together to create a new story. In the movie, which will be released in Taiwan on Aug. 17, Sherrie (played by Julianne Hough from last year's "Footloose") is a small-town girl who travels to Los Angeles to make it big in the music industry. There she meets Drew (played by Diego Boneta), a boy working at a famous club, who has his own fantasies of rock 'n' roll glory. When they meet and discover their shared passion, well, what else is there to do but sing a duet of Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You"? In "Rock of Ages," characters repeatedly break out into such well-known songs from the 1980s. But these are not obscure classics. Even today's young generation is likely to be familiar with many of the tracks being sung. Although the lead actors may be unfamiliar to many people, the supporting cast is full of Hollywood superstars: Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a hilarious performance as a politician's wife leading a campaign to rid Los Angeles of its rock 'n' roll image; Paul Giamatti plays a music manager who will double-cross anyone to make a quick buck; Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are the club operators hoping to get out of tax debt by staging a benefit concert. American music icon Mary J. Blige also shows up as a kindly mentor to the lead female character. And Tom Cruise steals the show playing Stacee Jaxx, a rock superstar. His performance says, "We both know this is ludicrous. Just relax and enjoy the show." This is exactly the approach that audiences should take. "Rock of Ages" is directed by Adam Shankman, best known for the film version of "Hairspray." Like Shankman's earlier film, the tone here is unsteady. There are sequences that make the movie feel outlandish or like it is making fun of itself. In contrast, the lead performances by Boneta and Hough are so innocent that they often seem out of place. Yet when the movie strikes the right balance, it soars. Zeta-Jones leading a group of strict Christian ladies in a song-and-dance set to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is excellent. And whenever Cruise takes center stage, the movie is delightful; you can't take your eyes off him. It's a performance that seems to perfectly capture all the crazy self-importance, the loony contradictions and the tacky pleasures of being a rock star in the 1980s. May he rock all the way to a much-deserved Oscar nomination. "Rock of Ages" aspires to capture the same level of fun and musical magic that was seen in the classic film "Grease." It ends up, however, being "Mamma Mia!" with a dash of "Glee." The result is far from a classic, but it is a perfectly fine guilty pleasure for all those people who love to sing classic rock songs at their local KTV on the weekend. There are plenty of grins and giggles in this sweet-spirited rock 'n' roll fairy tale. 'Rock of Ages' -- Part I Movie review

'Rock of Ages' struggles but is not without its charms

Based on the popular Broadway show, "Rock of Ages" is a musical similar to "Mamma Mia!," in which a collection of well-known pop songs are connected together to create a new story.

In the movie, which will be released in Taiwan on Aug. 17, Sherrie (played by Julianne Hough from last year's "Footloose") is a small-town girl who travels to Los Angeles to make it big in the music industry. There she meets Drew (played by Diego Boneta), a boy working at a famous club, who has his own fantasies of rock 'n' roll glory. When they meet and discover their shared passion, well, what else is there to do but sing a duet of Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You"?

In "Rock of Ages," characters repeatedly break out into such well-known songs from the 1980s. But these are not obscure classics. Even today's young generation is likely to be familiar with many of the tracks being sung.

Although the lead actors may be unfamiliar to many people, the supporting cast is full of Hollywood superstars: Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a hilarious performance as a politician's wife leading a campaign to rid Los Angeles of its rock 'n' roll image; Paul Giamatti plays a music manager who will double-cross anyone to make a quick buck; Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are the club operators hoping to get out of tax debt by staging a benefit concert.

American music icon Mary J. Blige also shows up as a kindly mentor to the lead female character. And Tom Cruise steals the show playing Stacee Jaxx, a rock superstar. His performance says, "We both know this is ludicrous. Just relax and enjoy the show." This is exactly the approach that audiences should take.

"Rock of Ages" is directed by Adam Shankman, best known for the film version of "Hairspray." Like Shankman's earlier film, the tone here is unsteady. There are sequences that make the movie feel outlandish or like it is making fun of itself. In contrast, the lead performances by Boneta and Hough are so innocent that they often seem out of place.

Yet when the movie strikes the right balance, it soars. Zeta-Jones leading a group of strict Christian ladies in a song-and-dance set to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is excellent. And whenever Cruise takes center stage, the movie is delightful; you can't take your eyes off him. It's a performance that seems to perfectly capture all the crazy self-importance, the loony contradictions and the tacky pleasures of being a rock star in the 1980s. May he rock all the way to a much-deserved Oscar nomination.

"Rock of Ages" aspires to capture the same level of fun and musical magic that was seen in the classic film "Grease." It ends up, however, being "Mamma Mia!" with a dash of "Glee." The result is far from a classic, but it is a perfectly fine guilty pleasure for all those people who love to sing classic rock songs at their local KTV on the weekend. There are plenty of grins and giggles in this sweet-spirited rock 'n' roll fairy tale.

節奏藍調皇后瑪麗布萊姬（Mary Jane Blige，常簡寫作Mary J. Blige，發音為 /ˈblaɪʒ/），生於1971年1月11日，是美國歌手、唱片製作人、曲作者、女演員兼說唱歌手，畢業於紐約布朗克斯大學數學系。她共獲得了9座格萊美獎，並發售了8張雙白金認證專輯。^[1]布萊姬在《滾石》雜誌評選的百位偉大歌手中位列第100。截至到2010年，布萊姬的專輯已經在全球售出超過5千萬張。^[2][3]

<h2>音樂作品</h2> <h3>專輯</h3>

• 1992年：《What's the 411?》
• 1994年：《My Life》
• 1997年：《Share My World》
• 1999年：《Mary》
• 2001年：《No More Drama》
• 2003年：《Love & Life》
• 2005年：《The Breakthrough》
• 2007年：《Growing Pains》
• 2009年：《Stronger with Each Tear》
• 2011年：《My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1)》

<h3>[編輯] 巡演</h3>

2009年，布萊姬在表演

• Share My World Tour (1998)
• The Mary Show Tour (2000)
• No More Drama Tour (2002)
• Love & Life Tour (2004)
• The Breakthrough Experience Tour (2006)
• Heart of the City Tour (同Jay-Z) (2008)
• Growing Pains European Tour (2008)
• Love Soul Tour (2008)
• Untitled Tour (2010)

<h2>[編輯] 影視出演</h2> 1998 《傑米·福克斯秀》 Ola Mae "Papa Don't Preach" (第二季第14集) 2001 《Angel: One More Road to Cross》 Guardian Angel 直接發售DVD 《監獄歌聲》（Prison Song） Mrs. Butler 主角 《妙手良方》（Strong Medicine） Simone Fellows "History" (第二季第四集) 2007 《鬼語者》 Jackie Boyd "Mean Ghost" (第二季第15集) 2009 《我可以自己瘋》（I Can Do Bad All By Myself） Tanya 配角 《我為喜劇狂》 本人 客串 2010 《美國偶像》 客座評委/本人 亞特蘭大海選 <h2>[編輯] 參考資料</h2>

1. ^ Mary J. Blige : Biography. Mjblige.com [2010-07-08]. 
2. ^ http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Mary%20J.%20Blige
3. ^ Mary J. Blige [2010-08-06].