Today's Oz Comic

Man, they're coming fast and thick now, arent' they? Like today's rendition of Eek!. Too bad they still have to wait about two and a half months.

Oz in Jeopardy!

Thanks to a certain movie coming out later this week, there was a whole video category tonight devoted to Wicked. Unfortunately, they didn't include Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's introduction to the category, but the rest is all here!

New "Wicked" Ad!

Last night on the Tony Awards, a new ad for Wicked debuted. (As if they really need to tell Broadway fans about it!) It looked a lot like this:

The Wicked Trailer Is Here!

Well I know what I'm doing on Thanksgiving this year (and it does not involve a turkey):

It's Back On Stage!

It has been a very long time since I have posted one of these videos. Of course, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a very long time since there have been any new Wicked videos. But that's all changed now, with a new production now running in Seoul that will soon be transferring to Busan. So here are some highlights of Wicked's current Korean production:

A Gaggle of Elphabas

You know what? I've gotten into a rut with this blog. Lately it's just become comics, what I'm reading, and what I'm watching. It's time to mix things up again! So here's a supercut of a whole bunch of different actresses, over the last two decades, playing Elphaba and singing "Defying Gravity" in various productions of Wicked.

The Latest Oz Reading

Another dive into my now-I've-read-it pile!

• A pleasant surprise in one of our recent comic orders was The Silver Spurs of Oz by Erica Schultz and Omar Lozano. This was a surprise because neither Laura nor I could even recall seeing it or ordering it. But hey, it's Oz! At first glance, it looks like this graphic novel might have been lovingly inspired (which is a kinder way of saying "ripped off") from the comic The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West, but this is a nicely different kettle of fish blazing its own trail. In this case, Oz is a Western-themed circus, and Dorothy is going to try out as a trick rider and lasso artist with her horse, Toto. Along the way, she meets up with Crow Sorre, Tinny Woods, and Leo Raion, who are also trying out. But she also runs into Strega West, who also does trick riding, with archery, on her horse Monkey, and Strega does not take well to Dorothy. But Dorothy knows she's going to do well because she's wearing her lucky silver spurs! When they go missing, however, Dorothy's not so sure she wants to try out. This is a fun little book, part of a series retelling classic stories (Alice, Secret Agent of Wonderland looks particularly fun), and they do a nice job translating the original book (yes, the book—although the red boots Dorothy wears are probably an homage to MGM's version of her footwear) into a kid-friendly tale. Everything comes out all right in the end, and there are some fun little Easter eggs scattered throughout (Strega West's last line is especially fun).
• The other Oz-ish item that came in that comics order (one that we did expect) is Sea Sirens: A Trot & Cap'n Bill Adventure by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee. This book has been talked about a lot in Oz circles lately, and opinions are split. It is clearly inspired by Baum's The Sea Fairies in that characters named Trot and Cap'n Bill meet up with some mermaids and are invited to visit them under the sea after magically transformed to survive underwater. What sets this apart is that Trot is a Vietnamese-American surfer girl in modern day California, and Cap'n Bill is her cat. Trot's grandfather watches over them during the day, but he's suffering the early stages of dementia and doesn't always know who anyone is or what he's doing. Once Trot and Cap'n Bill go underwater, it plays out much like the first part of the book, with everyone going on a grand tour. With no villain the equivalent of Zog in this story, there really isn't a lot of peril, but the characters are great and the art is lovely. It's not going to make Baum fans forget the original, but if it introduces today's reader to him, that's big!
• My Eloise Jarvis McGraw rereading continues wih her only non-fiction work, Techniques of Writing Fiction. This is from 1959, so it's before Merry Go Round in Oz, but she was already a well-established writer. She has all kinds of very practical advice for anyone trying to write fiction, in any genre, and I could just hear her saying a lot of it. Much of her advice probably wouldn't apply today—the market for short stories is probably very different, and I don't think anyone needs to worry about typing up a carbon copy before mailing the manuscript to the publisher—but the actual writing advice is spot on. We also get a little insight into her own life, and she talks about some of her earlier works, which means I'm now more familiar with them thanks to my rereading them (although apparently Pharaoh came out first, but that's her next book I plan to read). She even drops a mention of the Oz books. It's a tough book to track down (I remember all kinds of issues finding one, and then I was sent the wrong book!), but Eloise's fans will get a kick out of it.
• And finally, for today, a book I picked up when I went to see Wicked last year, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked by Carol de Giere. This is the updated second edition, so there's a lot about what came after Wicked debuted, and some other projects he's been involved with as well. But this goes way back, to Schwartz's early days and how he got into the field of composing musical theater. It has some biographical elements, but the bulk is devoted to his shows, both the successes and the ones that didn't do so well—although many of the latter are finding new life in community theaters and other local productions. Because Wicked is so recent, it is better documented, and takes up about half the book. This is an essential book for Wicked fans, theater fans, and those seeking insight into the creative process.

The pile is getting considerably shorter! One more entry tomorrow should take care of things.

How Ozzy Was Halloween This Year?

We had a little lower turnout this year for Halloween than we have in recent years—we gave out only about 750 candy bars. Yes, I say "only" 750 because in the past we've given out over a thousand! What can I say, we live in a great neighborhood for trick or treating! But the big question is, did any Oz characters show up? Surprisingly, no Dorothy's this year, when we usually get two or three. But there were quite a few scarecrows (probably not Oz's Scarecrow, but close enough) and a few green-skinned witches, so not bad at all.

Meanwhile, I've seen the Wicked Halloween party concert, and it was a lot of fun, a great celebration of the show. I just wish we could have had some captions of who the other Elphabas and Galindas were during "For Good". Anyway, if you missed it, you can still watch it for a while on NBC's website. It was great seeing Kristin and Idina in action, Pentatonix did a great job with "What Is This Feeling?" (and yes, I'm pretty sure that's a man singing Glinda's part), and Ariana Grande put a lot of heart and soul into her rendition of "The Wizard and I". I hope this is an extra on the home media version of the Wicked movie once it finally comes out.

The 31 Days of Halloween, Oz Style: Day 30

And we're in the home stretch, so let's talk witches. Oz is known for its witches. I've already talked about Mombi in this series (who, even after she had her powers taken away, came back to cause more mischief in The Lost King of Oz and, indirectly, The Giant Horse of Oz and Lucky Bucky in Oz. Blinkie, meanwhile, was a nasty piece of work in The Scarecrow of Oz, living in the isolated kingdom of Jinxland (and she even had three witch friends who helped her with a spell). Faleero is described as a fairy in Kabumpo in Oz, but let's face it, she's a witch. And Singra tries to make a comeback as the Wicked Witch of the South in the aptly titled The Wicked Witch of Oz. But there is, for many, only one true witch in Oz, and that's the Wicked Witch of the West. Her part is actually very small in the original novel that started this whole Oz phenomenon, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, only appearing in one chapter. Even I was surprised at that, last time I reread the book. She didn't even appear in the 1902 stage musical version, the 1925 movie, or the 1933 cartoon. It was MGM's need to give their famous film version in 1939 an ongoing antagonist, and Margaret Hamilton's classic performance, that cemented the image of the Wicked Witch of the West as the ultimate Oz villain. Writer Gregory Maguire, wanting to write a novel about the nature of evil, originally thought of Adolph Hitler, but realized how problematic that would be, so his next thought was the Wicked Witch of the West. (Ironically, there is now a book about Adolph Hitler in Oz!) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was an immediate hit, and almost immediately there was talk about a dramatic adaptation. Movies and television miniseries were first brought up, but eventually it became a Broadway musical that opened on this day in 2003, making this Wicked's fifteenth anniversary. And it's showing no sign of slowing down, so I have no doubt that it can go a lot longer. Last night's Halloween concert and the forthcoming movie adaptation just show how strong the story is. So happy birthday, Wicked.

The 31 Days of Halloween, Oz Style: Day 29

When I started this Halloween series, I had no idea that there'd actually be an Oz-themed Halloween special to report on later in the month. But we have one, and it's tonight! A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years onBroadway is on NBC tonight (10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific, check your local listings, no, I have no idea if it's being shown in other countries) does just what it says. It's hosted by the original Elphaba and Galinda, Edina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, with appearances by Ariana Grande and Pentatonix, and looks like it should be a lot of fun. Here's a preview clip:

Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I may not get to watch it right away, so my reaction may not become part of this Halloween series of blog posts. But I am very muchlooking forward to seeing this. And I'll have more thoughts on Wicked and Oz witches in general tomorrow.

Today's Oz Comic

It looks like, today in Lola, our title character has not done her research on the show she's about to see. (Come on, Lola, the show's been running, what, fifteen years now? It's not that hard to find out what it's about.)

Oz in Jeopardy!

We are nearing the end of season 34 (!) of the revived version of Jeopardy!, and it turns out our final Oz clue. I thought the category Classic Movie: The Video Game in the July 11, 2018 match was promising, but no Oz there. But when Alex revealed the Final Jeopardy! category of:

I didn't think a lot of it. And then the clue was revealed:

Ever since I've started blogging the Oz clues that pop up in Jeopardy!, I've tried to figure out if Oz knowledge translates to success on the show. The results have been mixed, at best. But tonight, Oz knowledge definitely paid off, because I'm sure you all know the correct response. But do these players? First up was Stel, at the right side lectern. He responded:

He was correct, of course, and bet all his winnings, doubling his score to $22,400. Next came George, in the center. He wrote:

I'm not sure how Son of a Witch ties into The Lion King, but he was clearly wrong. He bet $9,201, and ended up with a final score of $2,999. Then came Wes, the defending champion. He had a commanding but not insurmountable lead, so it all depended on his response and wagering. And he wrote:

Having bet $3,001, he won with a final score of 24,401.

And that's it! Jeopardy! and I are both on our summer breaks, but we'll both be back at work soon this fall. I hope to better stay on top of things this coming season (but I seem to recall saying that last year at about this time, too), but I do know that there will be many more instances of Oz in Jeopardy! forthcoming.

Oz in Jeopardy!

As I mentioned in my last of these posts, Jeopardy! went without a lot of Oz clues for a very long time. There wasn't even a mention in the College Championship, one of the show's annual tournaments, which this year was held in April. But boy, did they make up for it in May during the Teachers Tournament! After a week of preliminary matches, the May 14, 2018 match was the first semifinal. The winner would go on to play in the two-game final match. And it urned out that in the Double Jeopardy! round, the $1200 clue in Characters in Broadway Musicals would have a big effect. Here's that clue:

Steve, at the left side lectern, rang in first and responded, "What is Wicked?" Being incorrect, he lost $1200. Erika, on the right, rang in next and said, "What is The Wizard of Oz?" and also lost $1200 for being incorrect. Scott, in the middle, then rang in and correctly responded with, "What is The Wiz?" and his score went up by $1200. Unfortunately, Scott was never able to build on that huge swing in the scores, and he ended up with nothing at the end of the match, and didn't go on to play in the final. The winner turned out to be Steve—and you'll just have to keep reading these posts to find out how he came out in the end.

Oz in Jeopardy!

The first Oz clue of 2018 on Jeopardy! came during the January 4 episode. The category was At the Yard Sale, for $600 in the Jeopardy! round:

Steph, the defending champion, rang in first and correctly responded, "What is Wicked?" However, she ended up in third place at the end of the match.

There was another tangentially Ozzy clue earlier in the game, also for $600, in the category Cliches Made Fancy:

Meghan, the challenger on the right, got in first and correctly said, "What is a horse of a different color?" She, however, came in second. Of course this phrase has been around for a long time, but a horse of a different color (well, four, actually) appears in The Movie. Here, take a look at this clip to see him in action:

Oz in Jeopardy!

From the January 20, 2017 show, this clue for $1600 was uncovered in the category Literary Heroines in the Double Jeopardy! round:

Hardy, the challenger on the right, ended up ringing in first and correctly responding, "Who is Elphaba?" However, he ended up coming in second by only one dollar.

Oz in Jeopardy!

From the December 14, 2016 episode, for $800 in the Jeopardy! round category The Broadway Musical's Characters, in which you have to name the musical given only a list of some of the characters:

Defending champion Cindy rang in first and correctly responded with, of course, "What is Wicked?" She went on to win the game, and four more after that, but sadly, she never got to see her wins. You may have seen Cindy's story on the news, but in case you haven't (or forgot), she already had aggressive stage four cancer when she tried out. She asked if, under the circumstances, she could be fast tracked and put on the show as quickly as possible, which the Jeopardy! contestant coordinators were happy to do. Only the contestant coordinators and Alex Trebek knew at the time. Not long after she recorded her games, she passed away. That she did so well despite her disease and pain says a lot about her as a player, and it's too bad she never got the chance to play without distractions, nor in the Tournament of Champions.

Oz in Jeopardy!

I have fallen way, way behind on this. Real life will do that to you! But I hope to get caught up in the coming weeks. It didn't get off to a good start, however, when I researched the October 20, 2016 episode, as every quick overview I gave of the board didn't reveal any Oz or Ozzy category or clue. So I finally just started the episode in the background as I went on with other stuff. I thought it might have been something in the contestant interview, but that wasn't it. Finally, at the end of the Double Jeopardy! round, this clue popped up in the category A Bette Midler Medley:

Only Doug, the challenger in the middle, was brave enough to give a response—and he said, "What is Wicked?" Um, that isn't even a movie yet! (However, wouldn't Bette Midler make an awesome Madame Morrible?) Needless to say, the correct movie is Hocus Pocus. By that point, however, Doug had a comfortable enough lead that was going to win anyway, which he did.

As a bonus, even though it has nothing to do with Oz, here is the Divine Miss M herself, performing "I Put a Spell on You" live! (I love the audience's reaction when she steps out in costume.)

Oz in Jeopardy!

I know, I know, it has been a very long time since I've run one of these. I Have been busy, but I should be able to start getting caught up soon, and I may very well catch up by the time this year's season of Jeopardy! ends. But thanks to the Stanley Cup causing my local station to juggle their schedule, the DVR I use for my screen grabs didn't record this past Thursday's episode. So, I may as well do this one by hand.

Here's the set-up: In the Double Jeopardy! round, the first category was Prequels and Sequels. Hmm, I thought to myself, that's promising. And sure enough, the third clue uncovered in the round was for $1200, but it was the Daily Double, so defending champion Bala bet $2200. Then Alex read the clue:

THIS POPULAR 1995
GREGORY MAGUIRE
NOVEL
IS A PREQUEL
OF SORTS TO
THE "WIZARD OF OZ"
BOOKS

Of course he correctly answered, "What is Wicked?" and went from $3800 to $6000. He didn't quite make the game a runaway, but he did win, and went on to play the next day.

Wicked in Brazil

The World Cup and the Olympics aren't the only big worldwide cultural events to have recently been staged in Brazil: So has Wicked! Yes, the stage show made its South American debut in Saõ Paolo last year, and it's still going strong. I can't recall if I've put up a video from it here yet or not, but in case I haven't, here's a snippet of "Ódio" in Portuguese:

Oz in Jeopardy!

Yes, more! All from the same week, no less, and all from the same ratings-grabbing event. For one week, the show recorded in Washington, DC for Power Players Week, where politicians, journalists, and others who work in the city played for charity. So, let's see what was so Ozzy about this week.

First, on the May 17 game, Lara Logan of 60 Minutes chose the $800 clue in the Double Jeopardy! category Get Out The Vote, and uncovered a Daily Double. She bet $1000, and saw this:

She correctly replied, "What is a straw vote?" and Alex helpfully added, "Or a straw poll." She added $1000 to her total and went on to win the match, being awarded $50,000 for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Okay, that one may have been a stretch as far as Ozziness goes, but it got better. The next day, on the May 18 episode, one of the Jeopardy! round categories was Musical Theater. Sure enough, under $400, this clue was uncovered:

Kate Bolduan of CNN's At This Hour rang in first and correctly responded with, "What is Wicked?" She ended up in a distant third, but the show still gave $10,000 to her charity, Free Arts NYC.

Finally, on the May 20 program, in the Double Jeopardy! round Category Echo Category (called that because all of the responses were repeated words or syllables), this clue for $800 was uncovered:

Matthew Weiner, one of the creators of Mad Men, rang in first and replied, "Who is Rin Tin Tin?" Yes, he got it wrong. Nobody else wanted to guess, "Who is Toto?" Despite getting this so very, very wrong, Matthew won the game and Alexandria House received $50,000.

And that was it for Sweeps Week special events for the season. There are a few more Oz clues to come, but they all involve ordinary people, so I'll tell you about them in another post.