Curiozities By The Book: July 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

IFDC: Wizard of OddZ

The International Fashion Doll Convention held their 9th annual gathering celebrating high end fashion dolls and collector camaraderie with a 4 day Oz themed soiree. Registration was limited to 250. Events included a Lollipop Guild Opening Reception, Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My! Luncheon, Emerald City Dinner, and Friends of Dorothy's Witch's Cabaret Banquet where the highly anticipated souvenir and companion dolls were revealed.

The IFDC exclusive dolls are made by Integrity Toys in an edition of 300 each and inspired by the women of Oz. Each doll stands 12 inches, slightly taller than Barbie dolls.

Souvenir Doll Go Home

Attendees had the option to purchase companion dolls of the two witches and an Emerald City inspired fashion.

Go North

Go West Not surprisingly the most popular of the trio

Go Green fashion, doll not included

Dolls can now be purchased on the secondary market through eBay auctions or doll retail shops that specialize in fashion dolls such as Angelic Dreamz

Please enlarge photos for more detail

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wonderful Wizard of Oz Precious Moments

They measure 5.25" and retail for $45.00 each

Follow the Path of Knowledge

Heels Click 3 and Home I'll Be

Let Your Heart Guide You

True Courage

The figurines can be pre-ordered from Storyland Collectables

Toto Topps Card

Allen & Ginter's Topps

Portraits of Penultimacy

Toto

Faithful Companion

Reverse:

Toto, Dorothy's beloved dog, followed the yellow brick road to Emerald City, where he helped slay the Wicked Witch of the West. In the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, the pooch was played by a brindle cairn terrier that captured the hearts of moviegoers.

Photo shown is larger than actual card. Card measures about 1 1/2" by 2 5/8" Toto is part of a mini set of 10. No other Oz characters featured.

Dorothy of Oz Soundtrack

Next, year, Sony will release the soundtrack to the 3D animated musical "Dorothy of Oz," but the film's songs will be unveiled this Saturday (July 23) at Comic-Con in San Diego. The film, which features "Glee" star Lea Michele in the title role, is penciled in for an early spring release.

Bryan Adams has written several original songs for the film with his co-writer Jim Vallance, as has Tift Merritt. Mike Himelstein is providing lyrics, with additional songs and lyrics from Jim Dooley. Composer, orchestrator and arranger Deborah Lurie ("Prom," "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never") and engineer/producer Gustavo Borner are also part of the creative team.

Besides Michele, the album will feature performances by Megan Hilty (star of NBC's midseason musical "Smash"), Hugh Dancy and Martin Short. Adams also contributes vocals and will voice/sing the role of Beaver Foreman in the film. Vicki Hiatt is the music supervisor.
The film also stars Jim Belushi as the Lion, Dan Aykroyd as the Scarecrow and Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man.

Patrick Stewart, who plays Tugg in the film, will join Lurie, Hilty and other cast members and producers to discuss the film and show clips at Comic-Con on Saturday. Details about the soundtrack are expected to be announced at the "Further Over the Rainbow: A First Look at Dorothy of Oz" session at the San Diego Convention Center.

International versions of the soundtrack will feature local music talent not yet cast. The film will be done several different languages. Summertime Entertainment and Bonne Radford, Ryan Carroll and Roland Carroll are producing the film, which has reported budget of $60 million.

Produced with computer graphics and 3-D stereoscopic techniques for animation, "Dorothy of Oz" begins with Dorothy returning to Kansas to find it devastated by a tornado. She is quickly transported back to Oz, where her help is needed to find her former traveling companions. She meets new friends -- a man made of marshmallows who can't think for himself, for example - and winds up pitted against a wicked Jester.

http://www.billboard.com/news/lea-michele-s-songs-from-dorothy-of-oz-to-1005286612.story#

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Wicked Updates Summer 2011

Wicked: A Musical Biography by Paul R. Laird SRP: $39.95

Description per Scarcrow Press:

In 2004, the original Broadway production of Wicked earned 10 Tony nominations, including best musical. Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, the show continues to run on Broadway and has touring companies throughout the United States and around the world. In Wicked: A Musical Biography, author Paul Laird explores the creation of this popular Broadway musical through an examination of draft scripts, interviews with major figures, and the study of primary musical sources such as sketches, drafts, and completed musical scores.

Laird brings together an impressive amount of detail on the creation of Wicked, including a look at Maguire's novel, as well as the original source material, The Wizard of Oz. This volume also offers a history of the show's genesis along with examinations of the draft scenarios and scripts that demonstrate the show's development. Laird also explores Stephen Schwartz's life and work, providing an analysis of the composer and lyricist's work on the show through song drafts, sketches, and musical examples.

Laird also surveys the show's critical reception in New York and London, noting how many critics failed to appreciate its qualities or anticipate its great success. The unusual nature of Wicked's story--dominated by two strong female leads--is also placed in the context of Broadway history. A unique look into a successful Broadway production, Wicked: A Musical Biography will be of interest to musicologists, theatre scholars, students, and general readers alike.

About the Author:

Paul R. Laird is professor of Musicology at the University of Kansas, where he teaches courses in music history, musical theater, and directs the Instrumental Collegium Musicum. He is the author of The Baroque Cello Revival: An Oral History (Scarecrow, 2004) and coauthor of Historical Dictionary of the Broadway Musical (Scarecrow, 2007).

http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Musical-Biography-Paul-Laird/dp/0810877511/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309735699&sr=1-6#_

American Greetings (Carlton Cards) Heirloom Ornament Collection

Wicked: Popular 2nd in the Wicked Series SRP: $30.00