Is Repo The Genetic Opera Going To Change How People Feel About Paris Hilton?

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: WENN

Many fans have been sceptical of the casting of Paris Hilton in Darren Lynn Bousman's latest film "Repo! The Genetic Opera." When the news of the young socialites appearance in the film became public just about everyone from fans to Bousman's own mother thought that the director was making a huge mistake.

Even Bousman himself thought that he may have been committing cinematic suicide, "I was adamantly opposed to casting Paris because the first thing people said to me was, 'Think of the press you'll get if you put Paris in it.' I thought, 'Whatever horror cred I have is about to go down the toilet."

The most outspoken criticism, however, didn't come from the horror movie fans, it came from Bousman's own mother. "My mother calls me crying from Kansas City - 'Why did you cast her, that charlatan?' She was very upset."

Despite the hesitations that Bousman had originally, he went ahead with the casting of Hilton and was presently surprised by the young actresses charm. "She stayed at the exact same hotel and ate at the same restaurants, and went to the same s**tty bar as all of us. I'm a dive bar kind of guy and she didn't come with an entourage or a single dog. She had just gotten out of her legal trouble so it was important for her to show that she wasn't this person. She really won me over."

Paris has apparently fallen in love with her character, Amy Sweet, and has aspirations playing the part on Broadway someday. Recently she told WENN, "If they did Repo on stage I'd do it because I really believe in it and I love it, but I wouldn't do anything else."

Is it possible that we have gotten Paris Hilton all wrong? Is that whole rich and snobby persona just a wall that she puts up to protect herself from the cruelties of Hollywood? Is Paris just like any other girl-next-door?

Naaaaaa........I doubt it.

See Also: Saw Director Bousman Explores His Musical Side For Repo! The Genetic Opera / Sarah Brightman - The Angel Of Music / Someone Needs To Be Checking Stan Lee's Medicine / Stan Lee Turns Paris Hilton Into A Superhero?

Saw Director Bousman Explores His Musical Side For Repo! The Genetic Opera

Written By: Ken Hulsey

As a fan of both film and music I have rarely found a situation were both types of media have come together in such perfect harmony. Can you imagine my joy when I learned that my favorite vocalist, Sarah Brightman, had been cast in a Sci Fi/Horror film? It sounded to good to be true.

I held back my anticipation and put aside my fears that somehow "Repo! The Genetic Opera" my have turned out to be another of Darren Lynn Bousman's horrible, "Saw" gore fests. I held on to hope that this would be something different.

Then I found the clip for "Chase the Morning". Wow! I was blown away by the image of Sarah as Blind Mag, with her hypnotic hologram producing eyes and the haunting music that accompanies her interaction with Shilo Wallace. I became a believer. Now I can't wait to see the film.

Screeeech.......hold it! This film also stars Paris Hilton doesn't it? Oh Crap! Now this presents a problem. I promised myself that I would never pay to see a movie with her in it. Heck, I even passed on free tickets to see "House of Wax". What am I to do. I'm torn......okay....I'll endure the mess that is Paris, to see Sarah Brightman.

The kinds of things a die-hard fan will do to see someone he idolizes!

Here's the info on "Repo! The Genetic Opera."

An epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Panic erupts and scientists feverishly make plans for a massive organ harvest. Out of the tragedy, GeneCo, a multi-billion dollar biotech company, emerges. GeneCo provides organ transplantation for a profit. In addition to financing options, GeneCo reserves the right to implement default remedies, including repossession. For those who can't keep up with their organ payments, collection is the responsibility of "organ repo men", skilled assassins contracted by GeneCo, ordered to recover GeneCo's property by any means necessary.

At the heart of the story is Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega), a 17 year-old girl with a rare blood disease. She has been kept locked up and protected in her house, where she is guarded from the outside world by her father, Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head). While Shilo struggles with her wish to leave the house and experience the outside world, Nathan struggles with his secret job as the Repo Man, and more specifically, his next target, a woman named Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman). Blind Mag, an opera singer, was a friend of Nathan's now-deceased wife, and is Shilo's godmother.



The Largo family, consisting of GeneCo president Rotti (Paul Sorvino), his daughter Amber (Paris Hilton), and his two sons Luigi and Pavi (Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre, respectively), have their own plans. Rotti is dying, and the three siblings bicker and fight about who is to take the role as head of GeneCo. But, disappointed with his own children, Rotti takes an interest in Shilo.

The stories intertwine and merge at the GeneCo opera.

"Repo! The Genetic Opera" is a rock opera film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Originally planned for an April 25 release date, it has since been reported that it will open with a limited release in 4 U.S. cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Las Vegas) on November 7, 2008 followed by Toronto, Canada on November 21, 2008, and a subsequent DVD release in January 2009. A 22-track soundtrack was released online on September 30, 2008, and another will be released in CD-format to coincide with the release of the DVD. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. It received an R rating by the MPAA for strong bloody violence and gore, language, some drug and sexual content.

See Also: Sarah Brightman - The Angel Of Music / Someone Needs To Be Checking Stan Lee's Medicine / Stan Lee Turns Paris Hilton Into A Superhero?

Sarah Brightman - The Angel Of Music

This year acclaimed vocalist, Sarah Brightman released her first album in five years, Symphony, influenced by gothic music. The Song "Symphony" is a cover of "Symphonie" by the German band Silbermond. Featured on the album are artists Fernando Lima, Andrea Bocelli, and KISS vocalist Paul Stanley, who duets with Brightman on "I Will Be With You", the album version of the theme song to the 10th Pocket Monsters motion picture, Dialga vs Palkia vs Darkrai (Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai). To accompany Symphony, Brightman will embark on a tour in Autumn 2008. Brightman made several appearances on television in the United States to promote Symphony, including Fashion on Ice on NBC, The View, Martha, and Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel. She performed two songs, "Pie Jesu" and "There You'll Be", at the United States Memorial Day concert held on the west lawn of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.

Sarah Brightman was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England to Paula and Grenville Brightman, the eldest of six children. At three, she took ballet lessons at Elmhurst School and appeared in local festivals. At 11, Brightman attended the Arts Educational boarding school for jazz and acting, an experience she recalled with The Independent as troublesome. Brightman was teased by other students and ran away once, but remained at the school. Later, she auditioned for London's Royal Ballet but was rejected. At 16, in 1976, Brightman joined the dance group Pan's People, on the BBC series Top of the Pops. She left a year later to lead Hot Gossip, a mixed dance act who appeared on The Kenny Everett Video Show. The group, more provocative than Pan's People, had a disco hit in 1978 with "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", which sold half a million and reached number six on the UK charts.

In 1981, Brightman auditioned for the new musical Cats and received the role of Jemima. In rehearsals she met Andrew Lloyd Webber. The two married in 1984 and Brightman starred in Lloyd Webber's musicals, including Song and Dance and the mass Requiem, the latter written for her. With Requiem she earned her first Grammy nomination.

Brightman starred as Christine Daaé in Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The role of Christine was written specifically for her. Lloyd Webber refused to open The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway unless Brightman played Christine. Initially, the American Actors' Equity Association balked, due to their policy that any non-American performer must be an international star. Lloyd Webber had to cast an American in a leading role in his next West End musical before the Equity would allow Brightman to appear (a promise he kept in casting Aspects of Love).

Her stage career curtailed, Brightman pursued solo recording in Los Angeles. In 1992, she sang the song for the Olympic Games, "Amigos Para Siempre" with José Carreras, written by Lloyd Webber. She was inspired to go solo by the German band Enigma and requested to work with one of its members. Her request was answered and in 1991 Brightman traveled to Germany to meet her producer, Frank Peterson. Their first release was Dive (1993), a water-themed pop album that featured "Captain Nemo", a cover of a song by the Swedish electronica band Dive.

Fly (1995), a pop rock album and her second collaboration with Peterson, propelled Brightman to fame in Europe with the hit "A Question of Honour". The song, introduced at the World Boxing Championship match between Germany's Henry Maske and Graciano Rocchigiani, combined electronic dance music, rock elements, classical strings, and excerpts from the aria "Ebben? ... Ne andrò lontana" from Alfredo Catalani's opera La Wally.

Later albums included Eden (1998) (the title track of which was a cover of a song by Belgian band Hooverphonic), and La Luna (2000). These albums, unlike Time to Say Goodbye, incorporated more pop music elements. Reviews were mixed - LAUNCHcast deemed Eden "deliriously sappy", while Allmusic called Eden "a winning combination" and La Luna "a solid, stirring collection".

Her 2003 album Harem represented another departure: a Middle Eastern-themed album influenced by dance music. On Harem, Brightman collaborated with artists such as Ofra Haza and Iraqi singer Kazem al-Saher. Nigel Kennedy contributed violin tracks to the songs "Free" and "The War is Over", and Jaz Coleman contributed arrangements.

Sarah has served as inspiration for younger classical artists such as Elizabeth Tryon to produce "cross-over" albums that feature several different types music, ranging from opera and classical to rock and pop.

Upcoming, Brightman stars as Blind Mag in the rock musical film, "Repo! The Genetic Opera", due to be released on November 7th, and she will also release her first ever holiday album entitled A Winter Symphony later this Fall.