Opera Chic

Les Grossman For Metropolitan Opera General Manager

 

Ben Stiller's 2008 action-comedy film Tropic Thunder set in the Vietnamese jungles (but shot in Kauai) was a smart satire of Hollywood's war movies and spoiled actors. But it was Tom Cruise's cameo that made it memorable via his lampooning of greedy Hollywood execs. Cruise transformed (thanks to a fat suit that included fat hands and a gigantic gold Panerai that costs as much as out of state yearly college tuition to a crappy state school) into the crass, middle aged caricature of a studio executive/producer fond of affecting hip hop culture for cred and screaming "Playaaaa" when he wasn't telling people to f**k their own faces. But even better, Cruise transformed from the couch-jumping Scientologist, overly-serious control freak into a good sport and an actor willing to turn himself into a grotesque character in the name of fun. Okay, fun and profit.  

At last night's MTV Movie Awards, Les showed up for the first time since Tropic Thunder to shake it with J.Lo to Ludacris' "Get Back", Les Grossman's official theme song. And by the way, Les Grossman would be a fine match for the Met, if and when Peter Gelb decides to leave -- that's how you make opera cool. Imagine a meeting between GM Grossman and Angela Gheorghiu or Roberto Alagna! Playa! Playa!

Here's the embed:

Watch the 2010 MTV Movie Awards at MTV.com!

Anne Hathaway At Carnegie Hall: Actress To Star In Judy Garland Bio

The Hollywood producer's mind -- so beautifully portrayed by that underrated American genius of the art of acting, Tom Cruise, in his Tropic Thunder (DVD 50% off here, Blu-Ray 58% off here) amazing cameo ("cameo" link very very NSFW, you've been warned) as Hollywood producer Les Grossman, a portrayal that, if anything, seems understated when considering the real life inspirations -- the Hollywood producer's mind has hatched a new idea blessed by the usual clear-cut , even Cartesian simplicity: that pretty French chick who thinks the World Trade Center kind of fell down on its own won one of our precious Oscars playing messed-up chanteuse Edith Piaf?

Well let's hire one of our pretty girls to play our messed-up chanteuse, Judy Garland, and win that Oscar back and make a bunch of cash in the process. The choice? Jersey girl Anne Hathaway. Can she sing? Whatever!

And who knows, it might even work.

Les Grossman ftw?