Stevie's Cameo on AHS: COVEN revealed!

[MarkMc1990]

Originally Posted by goldenground

Here's the mp3's of Rhiannon and Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You from last night, for anyone who wants them

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/yh44...S%20Piano).mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/a60s...S%20Piano).mp3

Thanks! Is there a version with the extended intro (even with Jessica Lange saying "That is so beautiful. I have always loved this song, Stevie.")

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well yeah. But this is of an extreme nature. I used to watch Damages on FX and it wasn't like this.

But certainly you're going to get cursing and murder a lot. It's just usually more traditional.

Michele

Touche. Still, this Season 3 of American Horror is downright campy compared to the gorey Season 2. I'm pretty averse to graphic violence (I almost walked out of 12 Years A Slave multiple times because of that), but this season of American Horror seems to have a much better balance of humor to horror than either of the preceding seasons have.

Plus, I think I'm just somewhat desensitized to this particular genre of horror after reading so many Anne Rice novels. Anne went to far greater lengths than American Horror has ever dared... and she did it 2-4 decades before American Horror.

Speaking of Anne, does anyone else see rampant shades of her work across all 3 seasons? So many of the themes, taboo topics, and settings that Anne has dreamt up have come to life on the American Horror screen. Insane Asylum, witches, the Garden District of New Orleans, ghosts who walk amongst the living, spiritual possessions of unborn children, incest, supernatural powers being passed down through the generations, etc. That being said, True Blood seems to pay even greater homage to Anne's ideas than American Horror does.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Touche. Still, this Season 3 of American Horror is downright campy compared to the gorey Season 2. .

Blame my gothic heart, but I'm just more attracted to stories that take place in old mansions, as opposed to an institution. I watch Celebrity Ghost Stories and I feel the same way. If it's a school or an old hospital that's supposedly haunted, I'm not really that interested. But if it's a Bed and Breakfast that used to be a sprawling private family home where romances ended tragically and family's braved death and disaster, then I'm all in.

Season 2 was never going to appeal to me that much anyway, but certainly from descriptions like yours, I'm glad I stayed away.

Michele

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Touche. Still, this Season 3 of American Horror is downright campy compared to the gorey Season 2. I'm pretty averse to graphic violence (I almost walked out of 12 Years A Slave multiple times because of that), but this season of American Horror seems to have a much better balance of humor to horror than either of the preceding seasons have.

Plus, I think I'm just somewhat desensitized to this particular genre of horror after reading so many Anne Rice novels. Anne went to far greater lengths than American Horror has ever dared... and she did it 2-4 decades before American Horror.

Speaking of Anne, does anyone else see rampant shades of her work across all 3 seasons? So many of the themes, taboo topics, and settings that Anne has dreamt up have come to life on the American Horror screen. Insane Asylum, witches, the Garden District of New Orleans, ghosts who walk amongst the living, spiritual possessions of unborn children, incest, supernatural powers being passed down through the generations, etc. That being said, True Blood seems to pay even greater homage to Anne's ideas than American Horror does.

Well, I'm still watching American Horror Story Coven. That says something. Usually, I get bored with all the "gore for gore sake" and quit watching. When everything on the show is shocking, the show no longer is shocking and becomes boring.

This season is interesting and fun. Also the acting is terrific. Jessica Lange's tearful scene to Has Anyone Ever Written Anything to You was a great TV Moment. Angela Bassett and Emma Roberts did some great acting on last night's episode.

I think Nan got short-changed though. It was too easy to kill off her character.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well yeah. But this is of an extreme nature. I used to watch Damages on FX and it wasn't like this.

Damages is one of the best shows in the history of television. I put it right up there with Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The Shield and Sons Of Anarchy.

None of Ryan Murphy's shows even approach this level. He is a complete and utter hack. Here is how I assess him - he creates a compelling and sympathetic bunch of characters and a compelling storyline. It is impeccably cast. But after the first season or two, all the ground level relationships and character definitions are tossed aside for preposterous and out of character plot lines that utterly undermine the identities of all the initial series definitions. No one has a base level identity. All the characters become pawns to the plot. So the audience can no longer identify with any of the main characters. I dunno about anyone else, but by the end of season 3 of Nip/Tuck my fondest dream was to have all the main characters die in a fire. They all had become despicable.

Ditto Glee. I wanted to vomit after the first season. The characters had lost their roots. No one has any consistency of moral fiber or identity. I think he is a brilliant show creator but a dismal showrunner. After seeing a number of his shows, I am convinced he must be a sociopath. The New Normal? If I had met those gay guys in the street I would have stuck a knife in them myself. Laws notwithstanding. So disturbing that he says he based those guys on himself and his partner after they purchased their own gayby. So creepy and cringeworthy. Really? A silly shallow Broadway obsessed queen that acts like a stunted 13 year old girl who hooked up with neutered gynecologist? The mind boggles. The stomach wretches.

Thus, AHS is his perfect vehicle. It is a short cycle, and a closed storytelling box. He is pretty incapable of creating characters that have any redeeming value. They always end up unpredictable, evil to the core, and ultimately people you have to hate. AHS is the first show he has done where you can find something sympathetic at the end for any character. Thus the 13 episodes. He doesn't have enough time to utterly destroy every single person on the show.

I have enjoyed AHS on its own terms. I particularly enjoy Coven. There are some epic scene chewing lines for the great actresses he has found. I mean really, Angela Bassett telling a baby to "Shut up. I'll give you something to cry about!" And Jessica - "This coven doesn't need a new Supreme, it needs a new rug." His writers have given Kathy, Jessica and Angela some epic Baby Jane worthy dialogue.

Fantastic.

There are other great lines in Coven that will give drag queens material for years to come. Pretty rich material. But I think he is a shallow storyteller. All flash and no substance. He is no Alan Ball. No David Milch. No Kurt Sutter. He skims the surface and has a great sense of camp, but is for the most part devoid of giving his characters a lasting sense of humanity. He has no idea how to create and sustain characters who are multi-faceted and real human beings who have faults but can remain lovable and human They all become monsters in the end.

And that makes AHS okay. I think he could have used Stevie and her songs in a much more sophisticated manner. Those songs could have had so much more gravity. I can only dream what Alan Ball could have done with it. But he didn't embarrass Stevie. It came off all right. Could have been genius, but it was just average. It could have been far worse.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by sparky

Thus, AHS is his perfect vehicle. It is a short cycle, and a closed storytelling box. He is pretty incapable of creating characters that have any redeeming value. They always end up unpredictable, evil to the core, and ultimately people you have to hate. AHS is the first show he has done where you can find something sympathetic at the end for any character. Thus the 13 episodes. He doesn't have enough time to utterly destroy every single person on the show.

Even 13 episodes is too much for them plot wise. The setting just doesn't change every year. They aren't really telling a story within ONE season. Each week almost gives us its own vignette. It's like they have a premise and they know what the finale is going to be. Everything that happens in between is just trying to keep us entertained as they tread water. There's no true progression. I do enjoy it more than I did the first season which was too David Lynch for my tastes.

Michele

[singertobe]

Originally Posted by Dex

Not to be flip, but hasn't Patti died in loads of roles over the years? Evita? Les Mis? Sweeney Todd? And those are just the parts I'm familiar with. It seems she kinda digs it. And it's something that seems to lend favour to actresses come awards season.

I'm excited to see Stevie in this! I'm a little nervous at the "well she was good for someone who isn't an actress" comments, but I didn't expect much else. Hopefully her part is undemanding and I won't really notice.

That's actually a really good point. Maybe Patti is hard to work with so all the directors kill her so they don't have to deal with her.

[Jondalar]

Strange that the ratings were down for this episode. Lot of people were tired of reruns though.

[Jondalar]

It is so nice that one of Stevie's solo songs is being rediscovered and gaining her fans - Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You. Her solo Landslide.

[vivfox]

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by sparky

Damages is one of the best shows in the history of television. I put it right up there with Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The Shield and Sons Of Anarchy.

None of Ryan Murphy's shows even approach this level. He is a complete and utter hack. Here is how I assess him - he creates a compelling and sympathetic bunch of characters and a compelling storyline. It is impeccably cast. But after the first season or two, all the ground level relationships and character definitions are tossed aside for preposterous and out of character plot lines that utterly undermine the identities of all the initial series definitions. No one has a base level identity. All the characters become pawns to the plot. So the audience can no longer identify with any of the main characters. I dunno about anyone else, but by the end of season 3 of Nip/Tuck my fondest dream was to have all the main characters die in a fire. They all had become despicable.

Ditto Glee. I wanted to vomit after the first season. The characters had lost their roots. No one has any consistency of moral fiber or identity. I think he is a brilliant show creator but a dismal showrunner. After seeing a number of his shows, I am convinced he must be a sociopath. The New Normal? If I had met those gay guys in the street I would have stuck a knife in them myself. Laws notwithstanding. So disturbing that he says he based those guys on himself and his partner after they purchased their own gayby. So creepy and cringeworthy. Really? A silly shallow Broadway obsessed queen that acts like a stunted 13 year old girl who hooked up with neutered gynecologist? The mind boggles. The stomach wretches.

Thus, AHS is his perfect vehicle. It is a short cycle, and a closed storytelling box. He is pretty incapable of creating characters that have any redeeming value. They always end up unpredictable, evil to the core, and ultimately people you have to hate. AHS is the first show he has done where you can find something sympathetic at the end for any character. Thus the 13 episodes. He doesn't have enough time to utterly destroy every single person on the show.

I have enjoyed AHS on its own terms. I particularly enjoy Coven. There are some epic scene chewing lines for the great actresses he has found. I mean really, Angela Bassett telling a baby to "Shut up. I'll give you something to cry about!" And Jessica - "This coven doesn't need a new Supreme, it needs a new rug." His writers have given Kathy, Jessica and Angela some epic Baby Jane worthy dialogue.

Fantastic.

There are other great lines in Coven that will give drag queens material for years to come. Pretty rich material. But I think he is a shallow storyteller. All flash and no substance. He is no Alan Ball. No David Milch. No Kurt Sutter. He skims the surface and has a great sense of camp, but is for the most part devoid of giving his characters a lasting sense of humanity. He has no idea how to create and sustain characters who are multi-faceted and real human beings who have faults but can remain lovable and human They all become monsters in the end.

And that makes AHS okay. I think he could have used Stevie and her songs in a much more sophisticated manner. Those songs could have had so much more gravity. I can only dream what Alan Ball could have done with it. But he didn't embarrass Stevie. It came off all right. Could have been genius, but it was just average. It could have been far worse.

This is the best analysis I have ever read about Ryan's work. I was a huge fan of Nip/Tuck and Glee. I considered both top tier TV shows during its first seasons. However, both shows completely lost their way by season 3. Nip/Tuck, especially, turned into a circus side show with outlandish and ludicrous plots. I totally agree that AHS is much better in the fact he is limited by 13 episodes. It doesn't give him an opportunity to run amuck with the characters and story.

[kak125]

saw this today on rolling stone for the 20 Best TV Moments of 2013.

#15
American Horror Story: Coven, FX

A couple of witches bond in a Louisiana swamp cabin, listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon." They ponder the greatness of Stevie Nicks. "The white witch!" one gushes. "This song was her anthem. Doesn't it just penetrate your soul and tell the truth about everything you've ever felt in your whole life?" The other replies, "Totally!" Rock on, gold-dust witches.



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/l...#ixzz2qIAolboF
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

[olive]

in case anyone still hasn't seen it

[jcfree]

Olive, thanks so much for posting these two videos of Stevie's appearance on Coven. My favorite is HAEWAFY and Jessica's emotional response to the song. Great ending the for the show!

[sparky]

Originally Posted by Dreamz19

This is the best analysis I have ever read about Ryan's work. I was a huge fan of Nip/Tuck and Glee. I considered both top tier TV shows during its first seasons. However, both shows completely lost their way by season 3. Nip/Tuck, especially, turned into a circus side show with outlandish and ludicrous plots. I totally agree that AHS is much better in the fact he is limited by 13 episodes. It doesn't give him an opportunity to run amuck with the characters and story.

Thank you. I viewed AHS with utter skepticism from the get go because of this. Murphy has no grasp of humanity. Thus it is best for him to deal with monsters and ghosts. He has no idea what real human beings are like. I like AHS solely for the camp and suspense value. Each season has far too many characters, and even when it comes to the DEAD, Ryan Murphy cannot wrap up their storylines to an emotionally compelling resolution. I really think he is a soulless creature. Nothing he does has a ring of emotional truth. It kind of works for AHS. Kind of. But not really. We all still want to love the characters. If only a bit. But within a few episodes of every series, it is clear he and his writer hate the characters. All of them. So how does the viewer even have a choice? If you cannot love a few of the people in a show it will never truly mean anything.