Prop 8: The Musical

Celebrity soap-boxing can be annoying, but I don't think you can say "mind your own business" when a gay person in California writes a piece that protests a measure against...gay people in California.

Anyway, Marc Shaiman's music is the star here. Whether writing songs for movies or for the Oscar telecast, he is the master of blending humor and note-perfect parody of musical conventions. The music is rollicking fun and the enthusiasm of the performers is infectious.

If you enjoyed this, go back to the 2007 Oscar telecast and watch "A Comedian at the Oscars," also written by Shaiman and also starring Jack Black and John C. Reilly (plus Will Ferrell.) Here the target is the Academy's dreary taste in melodramas over comedy, and it's a hoot.