Alan Menken

The Comedy of Nothingness: Nihilism of the Comedian in Watchmen In Alan Moore and Gave Gibbons’ 1986 comic Watchmen, a recurring theme throughout the novel is the use of Nihilism. I will be doing a close reading/literary analysis of how nihilism is reflected and used in the comic Watchmen. I will argue that doing a close reading of the character The Comedian in Watchmen, I can show how the philosophy of Nihilism is reflected not only in the comic but how that connection is represented in present…

TV Series Review: Empire “Empire’s are not built in a day but this one was created in one season. Writer and Producer Lee Daniels has once again out done himself with his creativity and adaption of his new hit series Empire which first aired on FOX news last spring. Daniels directed and produced many other hit movies such as Precious and The Butler which won several awards for its outstanding production and outstanding performance by the cast. Empire, a new television series created by…

On January 7, 2015 Empire premiered on Fox. The show quickly gained a strong fan base. Not far into the first season Empire was ranked one of Fox’s number hit television shows. Empire is about the hip hop and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders’ family. It is about their fight for control of the company. It stars Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon, who was a former drug dealer turned hip hop mogul and CEO of Empire. After Lucious learns that…

The Little Prince, by Antione de Saint Exupéry, isn't an ordinary story. In fact, it was tailored for the child inside of us, but even as grow-ups we can't seem to understand it fully. However, Saint Exupéry's use of Archetypal theory, the hero's journey in specific, assists the reader throughout the story and eventually reveals the meaning of it. There are conflicting opinions on who exactly goes on this heroic journey. In my opinion, it's only the the little prince: the pilot on the other…

Knowledge is what makes one thrive and grow, this is best done through the interaction of others. When the Little Prince and the pilot meet, the pilot had just crashed his plane in the Desert of Sahara. The Little Prince asks the pilot to draw him a sheep. Since the pilot had only drawn two drawings in his entire life (a boa constrictor from the outside and a boa constrictor from the inside), he was really confused. When the pilot drew the first sheep, the Little Prince rejected it saying the…

“Vittoria Mio Core” by Carisimi was also performed by Evan. Giacomo Carissimi (baptized April 18, 1605 – January 12, 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the characteristic features of the Latin oratorio and was a prolific composer of motets and cantatas. He was highly influential in musical developments in north European countries through his pupils and…

Sister Act, a musical comedy, was reviewed by Charles Isherwood on April 20, 2011. This production was directed by Jerry Zaks. The music and lyrics were composed by Alan Menken and written by Glenn Slater. The book was written by Cheri Steinkellner. Some of the fantastic leads include, Patina Miller (Deloris Van Cartier, Victoria Clark (Mother Superior), Kingsley Leggs (Curtis Jackson) and Chester Gregory (Eddie Souther). Mr. Isherwood had a lot decent things to say about the production. He…

late 1920s. Some of the great American songwriters have had their music showcased in film including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen, Michel Legrand, Randy Newman, Alan Menken, Elton John, and many others. The art of writing a good song takes a special and refined talent. Songs are usually short and have to speak to us in a limited span of time. Although they may be considered to be simple on one level they also…

On April 29, 2016, Spencer Giles watched the NWFSC Fine Arts HONORS Recital at the Tyler Recital Hall. The Tyler Recital Hall is at the Northwest Florida State College. The event was of free admission and the doors of the concert closed at 3:00 pm. There were seventeen students at the Recital. There were nineteen performances at the Recital. The first performance was by Hunter Brake, who performed Bolt by Kirk Gay. Brake played Bolt on the Tympani. Brake started the song fast and ended it slow.…

On November 11th, I saw “The Little Mermaid” at St. Ignatius College Prep. The musical was composed by Alan Menken and directed by Kevin Bellie. There was an array of songs however, I chose to review the pieces “Part of Your World,” “She’s in Love,” “Her Voice,” “Under the Sea,” and “Kiss the Girl.” Although there was no live pit orchestra however, I was thoroughly impressed by the musicianship and creative liberties the cast took on the songs. The first solo, “Part of Your World,” was…