Ben Vereen

Was It Good For You Too?
$1.99

Zoobilee Zoo: True Blue Zoobles [VHS]
$9.98
I am 18 years old and I still remember when I was 2 years old and sick in the hospital with cancer. I had to have a lot of catscans and things like that and the 'tunnel of surprise' from Zoobilee Zoo made the tests more fun because the tests reminded me of the tunnel of surprise. Yes, the actors may not be emmy quality, but kids don't care about that. They care about what is going on in the lives of the characters and how the characters work out their problems. The characters on this show teach children how to be kind to others and how to help friends solve their problems. I can still remember looking forward to watching it everyday and I hope my future children can enjoy it the way I did.

Pippin
$19.99
My school is currently doing the production of the show "Pippin" as our 2008/09 season play this year. Now I am fortunate enough to have seen a video of a professional production floating around on the internet somewhere, and it was really well done. Then I saw this movie... I'll break down this version of the movie.

THE GOOD: We have a version of Pippin out on DVD finally. Ben Vereen is in it and gives a very good performance, after all he IS the Leading Player, nobody else can hold a candle to him. The set is FANTASTIC, Most of the cast are really good (William Katt ESPECIALLY), and not to mention this video was shot in Canada!

THE BAD: Several songs are cut down here. For example, half of Spread A Little Sunshine is cut out, therefore making it confusing to anyone who has not seen the show on stage already or have had any experience with Pippin whatsoever. The second (and most essential) verse of "War Is A Science" is out, "Glory" is extremely missed opportunity. The slow-mo battle scene is cut out! This isn't no G-rated happy-go-lucky play. And What happened to I Guess I'll Miss The Man??? Pacing problems also ensue; some fast songs are too slow, some slow songs are too fast (Simple Joys is ruined by this), and the cast seems to be rushing it at times, as if they have somewhere to be after the show. EVerybody, even the incomparable Ben Vereen is guilty of this (Glory is a sign of this). And the final line (cutting out "But Happy") is a total WTF moment.

THE UNFORGIVABLE: THe social Commentary/political overtones of the show are missing, and elements like Pippin not being used to life are gone and replaced with happy-go-lucky family version themes. This is a show that kids shouldn't watch. And the band of players didn't really come off to me as creepy, not to mention as much as Ben Vereen is an amazing actor and singer, he seems to be a tad psycho in the last 20 minutes. I felt like I was watching a demented lunatic serial killer have a freakout. Martha Raye's performance was PATHETIC (what's with the microphone????), and the guy who plays Charlamagne YELLS a lot, which did get on my nerves after a while. At times I wondered if Fosse even saw a production of the original production. Lastly, the camerawork is not the best- the audience shots on "No Time at All" make me cringe. THe blame for this falls squarely at the feet of Bob Fosse, who apparently had the wrong ideas.

In short, I give this 3 stars for Ben Vereen and William Katt, and the sets. I'd say purchase it, despite its flaws, because this is the best version we'll currently get on DVD.

Ben Vereen autographed photo 8x10
$195.00
Ben Vereen signed photo 8x10 **This item comes with a Certificate of Authenticity along with matching tamper-proof holograms from Autograph Warehouse, guaranteeing the authenticity of this hand-signed autograph. Autograph Warehouse stakes its reputation on every item it sells, and authenticity is their number one priority. Each and every autograph is guaranteed for life to be authentic.**