((( AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME )))

"There is one thing

that is stronger than all the armies in the world,

and that is an idea whose time has come"

~ Victor Hugo ~

Hugo began planning a major novel about social misery and injustice as early as the 1830s, but it would take a full 17 years for Les Misérables to be realized and finally published in 1862. Hugo was acutely aware of the quality of the novel and publication of the work went to the highest bidder. The Belgian publishing house Lacroix and Verboeckhoven undertook a marketing campaign unusual for the time, issuing press releases about the work a full six months before the launch. It also initially published only the first part of the novel ("Fantine"), which was launched simultaneously in major cities. Installments of the book sold out within hours, and had enormous impact on French society.

The critical establishment was generally hostile to the novel; Taine found it insincere, Barbey d'Aurevilly complained of its vulgarity, Gustave Flaubert found within it "neither truth nor greatness", the Goncourts lambasted its artificiality, and Baudelaire – despite giving favorable reviews in newspapers – castigated it in private as "tasteless and inept". Les Misérables proved popular enough with the masses that the issues it highlighted were soon on the agenda of the National Assembly of France. Today the novel remains his most enduringly popular work. It is popular worldwide, and has been adapted for cinema, television and stage shows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo

MY COMMENT:

I was suddenly inspired to do a study into the life of Victor Hugo and was amazed to find how this novel, panned by most of the critics, was so well received by the public that it led to social reforms in France. If that were not enough it eventually became a major Broadway Musical hit and blockbuster movie. Quite an accomplishment for a novel. I never remember hearing the like of such a thing before.

I'm going to look into singing a karaoke version of at least one of the main songs from the film. The spirit of Enrico Caruso loves to sing show tunes through my being, Ha!

I just checked and, unfortunately, all the songs are...miserable. As that should come as some big surprise considering the name of the movie, right?

Wassamatta fo you, bebe?

And what of Madonna

starring in the movie version of Evita?

'Don't cry for me Argentina...'

cry for yourselves because I starred in this movie

and feel guilty every time you rejoiced

seeing me slapped around

I just did some studies on the real life Evita

"* La Gran Puta: The Evita haters played the sex card 

and permanently tagged her with the label of "the great whore."

No wonder Madonna was "great" for the role...um...I guess

didn't see the movie

don't intend to

But it's fun to pass judgment

when I don't really know what I'm talking about

Hey, everybody's doing it!

Hooo Boy!

No wonder

the Republicans hated her!