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So, went and saw Rock of Ages today. As expected, the trailer for Pitch Perfect was in front of it. Yeah, I definitely can't wait to see that movie!

Anyways, while the movie uses much of the same music, and the most of the same characters, the play and movie couldn't be any more different! There were a huge number of significant changes!

1) Sherrie (who is from Oklahoma instead of Michigan here) leaves for LA, but she didn't have a whole "if you leave don't ever come back!" throw down with her parents. Instead, she was raised by her grandma, who told her to go to LA and follow her dreams because her grams didn't want Sherrie to get in some podunk small town like she did.

2) Instead of the nemesis being German developers wanting to level the Bourbon lounge to build a mall, Bryan Cranston is looking to get re-elected as mayor, running on the platform of cleaning up the streets. Catherine Zeta Jones plays his wife, and is spearheading this campaign, under the guise of Rock and Roll is evil and all that. But we find out later its because she secretly used to be a spurned groupie of Tom Cruise's Stacee Jaxx character.

3) Speaking of Jaxx, I dunno if Tom Cruise had any input in this, but he is no longer the douchey sort of bad guy of the story, that is instead his manager, played by Paul Giamatti. Indeed, Jaxx is your typical drugged up weirdo rocker, and Paul (Paul Giamatti's character is also named Paul in this) is kinda snowing Jaxx because he's always out of it, doing things like screwing over Alec Baldwin's Dennis without Jaxx's knowledge, which Jaxx fixes in the end. Which is totally different from the musical where Stacee is just a big-egoed rocker who tries to split up from the band and go solo, ends up unable to make the big gig, allowing Drew to step in and set up the second act and in the end ends up ruined. Indeed, in the end of this one Stacee Jaxx sticks with Arsenal and is still a huge star!

4) The Drew/Sherrie relationship is totally different- in the musical, Drew is playing it way too safe and being a "friend" to Sherrie even though she is obviously into him. So in the musical, she sleeps with Stacee because she thinks Drew isn't into her, and Stacee gets her fired afterward. In the movie, Drew and Sherrie totally become a couple. Before the big gig, the opening band drops out, so Sherrie suggests to Dennis that Drew open. So there's no stepping in because Stacee couldn't play. Of course, one of the waitresses, remarks to Sherrie that Drew will prolly dump her when he hits it big.

At the same time, Stacee is getting interviewed in the back by Malin Ackerman's character (who isn't in the musical) Constance, a reporter for Rolling Stone. Stacee tries to seduce her, and they almost do it, but Constance tells him how it is and he ends up falling for her eventually (at the end of the movie they're together and she's pregnant with his child) However, after Constance leaves, Sherrie goes in to deliver some liqour Jaxx asked for, and due to typical movie misunderstandings, Drew thinks they slept together. So he's mad, and after he rocks out his set, he confronts Sherrie, who thinks he's dumping her because he's gotten a big head, not because she thought he cheated on him.

Anyhoo, in the end, they work it all out, and because huge rock stars together. Which again, is totally different from the musical, where they don't make it, but they end up happily married in suburbia, not caring they're not famous, because the original message of the play was "The dreams you start with may not end up being the ones you end up living" or some such jazz.

(no subject)

WO blather- So since I finally maxed out the big stars for many of my favorite usual characters, decided to start branching out and trying some of the new folks- Kiyomasa Kato and Joan of Arc. Kato had a cool look, and an awesome looking weapon (a giant scythe), and having played him he definitely has a great moveset, he's become one of my favorites. Joan of Arc, I finally see why she ranks so high- her ex-attack (which is off her C5) is ridiculously powerful, as its a series of lightning strikes all around her followed by her calling down a rain of arrows. The fact that she's a wonder type character and can thus follow such an uber-powered attack with a spirit charge makes her even more insane. She's also a new character I like a lot.

Speaking of uber-powerful, I also discovered why Nu Wa ranks so high as well. Just max her out on osmosis and frenzy and just spam her r1 special attack over and over and you'll take out anything.

Also, started playing Nobunaga as well, since he seems so bad-ass with the black outfit and sword and the light saber sound from his weapon. I cannot believe I forgot how to friggin play him. It was more than a few hours of playing before I remembered you can "charge" his sword up to give him a more powerful moveset. I thought something was missing! So osmosis is a must on him, as the easiest way to charge him up is to use R1. Also, the iron gauntlets are essential given his "charging" charge attacks if you don't want them interrupted (particularly his c1 shadow fireball things, and his c4 shadow blast)

I'm currently working on maxing out his and Joan of Arc's big star weapons (and leveling them and Ginchiyo up, I just don't have her big star yet) But I definitely want to try out that Nemea guy. Also want to start working on Cao Pi, Zhong Hui, and Masamune. I actually haven't broken level fifty with anyone yet (Xiahou Dun, Musashi, and Mitsuhide are my highest and they're only in the low to mid 40s), because I usually switch characters after they're big star (or 4 star, in the case of Keiji, Honda, and Achilles) I wonder if more people spend the growth points outside of battle on raising the people they're playing? Because I actually only use them on the current characters if they're close to the next level. But I've been distributing them amongst everyone (and I did unlock everyone this morning), getting them to at least 20 before I play them, as they have access to all their moves at that point.