An Interesting Find

Franken Fran...
such an interesting manga. It's like a shoujo comedy, except with dismantling of bodies and disturbing imagery...
http://www.onemanga.com/Franken_Fran/
The basic premise is that Fran is a lover of love, a cute little girl doctor who likes to help people with her surgical/medical skills. Her definition of "help," however, is...

Parallax 16

http://parallax.smackjeeves.com/comics/545394/16-00/
http://parallax.smackjeeves.com/comics/545394/16-00/
http://parallax.smackjeeves.com/comics/545394/16-00/

time to meet

musical theatre

Aaaargh I want to find a cast recording for this, but it's hideously hard to find even legal buys of musical casts. Looking for 1991 Paris revival and 2002 London.

oh and just for fun so I don't lose the video...
If you can read Spanish or understand French, watch!





Yes, I was just practicing embedding videos.

some thoughts on KORG DS10

I bought a new game for my DS, except it's not a game. It's a synthesizer, for me to make electronic music. It is called KORG DS-10.
It's a blast! I've been making remixes of Zelda tunes, the Pathetique symphony, Mozart requiem, and Jesus Christ Superstar. When I put it like that, it almost sounds like I know what I'm doing. But what the hell! It's all good fun. Although my remixes sound kind of like MIDI inputs... or weird waltz versions of these songs.
It's a new experience, anyway! And I like new stimulation.
Just gotta figure out a way to record the sound from my DS now... too bad I can't email it to myself.

song-by-song-comparison-of-1973-vs-2000 cont.

Oh, dang, I noticed I forgot to include the 1973-only song, Then We Are Decided. Whatever, it's terrible anyway. There's some interesting instrumentation, but it's a very throwaway song. Too bad my numbering's a bit off now. Weirdly enough, this song makes me see Caiaphas/Annas...

5) This Jesus Must Die
1973
2000

Nn, the 1973 Caiaphas's phrasing is kind of odd at times. I'm all for a bit of creative phrasing, but the way he does it interrupts the flow of the music at times. And the Annas in this version is simply atrocious. But man, I love their hats! This version sounds a lot sleepier than the 2000, I must say, except for Caiaphas. Lacks the proper excitement, IMO.
The 2000 version is pretty fun! We experience the amazing powers of Michael Shaeffer as Annas. The priests and Pharisees are a lot more sinister/menacing in here, and the surveilance cams is a nice touch. The beat this song is infused with in this song makes it a lot more listenable. But but but! They took out the funnest line: "One thing I'll say for him, Jesus is cool." Oh well, that's my only beef with the 2000 version for this song. Oh, and Caiaphas's pitch problems and his over-the-top shoving the other priests around... But Annas really steals the show here! I can't think of any other singers that sound quite like him...

6) Hosanna
1973
2000

The '73 Hosanna is your typical Biblical image of the coming to Jerusalem, palm leaves waving around, etc. Caiaphas's weird phrasing is so annoying to my ear though. It's like, "They are a cuuurse... long long pause, theyshoulddisperse." The way they wave the palm leaves is cool though, so rhythmic. Ted Neeley is good in this one though, especially the way his smile evaporates when the mob sings, "Hey JC, JC, won't you die for me?"
The 2000 Hosanna has a much richer sounding instrumentation, sounding more sinister, even. Also, the crowd-goers have cool guerilla berets. And if Caiaphas can't sing, at least his phrasing is normal and his little reactions to Jesus are funny. Of course, we mustn't forget Judas' cute little pouting in the background! The reactions to the disagreeable bits of the mob's song are a lot less subtle, but what the hell! It's a musical! It's a bit impossible to be subtle! The Judas/Jesus interactions here entertain very much, especially when the mob goes, "won't you DIE for me?" and Judas gives Jesus an "I told you so" look. Ah, fun, fun.

7) Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem
1973a
1973b
2000

IMO, this is the most dated scene from the 1973 movie. It looks like an aerobics dance class from the 70s gone wrong. Still, you can at least appreciate the energy here, especially because of the Simon here! The still freezes and slow-mos are just not good, though. What I really don't like about this scene is the way they implemented it. It's like they're putting on a CCTV show to amuse Jesus in the middle of the ruins. Ted Neeley's bemused expression is funny, though. Wow, the Simon here is really thin and has huge eyes. Not sure how I feel about his end of the song YOU get the power YOU get the glory; sounds kind of funny. And I have no idea why he sticks out his arm like that at the end with his hand perpendicular to the ground. Fun to see Judas stomping around with a stormy expression though.
Nice camera work in Poor Jerusalem for '73, though, and I like how Mary is grabbing his hand going, "I understand! I understand! lookit meee." And Ted manages to seem sad without seeming pissy, a problem that Glenn has in this role. Simon's little head turn of confusion at the end is rather cute, I must say!
The transition in the 2000 version makes a lot more sense to me, too. The cops come to quell the huge crowd that is left over from "Hosanna," then COMBAT!! Yeah! It's fun to see the apostles beat up a bunch of Darth-Vader looking uniforms. Tony Vincent as Simon is great, too! He seems more like a zealot than the 1973, who just seemed hyper in general. His look is extremely extremely gay looking. Reminds me of that Ty guy from Extreme Home Makeover. I think it's the tiny goatee and bleached spiked hair. He has a great heroic pose, too, fist in the air, raised AK47. Did I mention the AK47s yet? They make this song a winner! I like how Jerome Pradon has such a stage presence even when he's not singing but just sulking around looking disillusioned, heheh. A few too many fade-cuts for its own good, though. But very good vibes otherwise!

8)Pilate's Dream
1973
2000

The 1973 Pilate was also the album one, and I must say he is the best. Hhe does a great job of seeming the conscience-troubled judge, and his singing has the perfect amount of emotion. Very short, but very pretty song. Very pensive and wistful.
UGH, the 2000 version is lame. Well, I won't say that Fred Johanson is a bad singer, but I don't think he's appropriate for that part. And why is he naked? It makes you think of .... a different kind of dream. And he is way too over-the-top. "They seemed... *sniffle* to HATE this MAA~AN!" There's no way that I can take that line seriously. I don't see why he has to be crying over some random dude who died in his dream, especially clutching his bedpost and his blankets in that way... it is entertaining, I'll give it that.

9) The Temple
1973
2000

The little anachronisms in the 1973 are very fun, especially the postcard rack. Cool to see how this scene is more modern compared with the rest of the movie. I like how Jesus storms in and immediately starts destroying stuff, unlike in the 2000... but I'll save that for the next paragraph. And he has quite a ball destroying stuff too!
The temple scene in the 2000 is the only one in either version I truly truly despise. Why did they have to make a beautiful thing sour with racism? Very tasteless how they made Arabs in the "depravity" scene and nowhere else in the movie. And I also hate how Glenn Carter is pushed around for the whole half of the song before he actually reacts and starts breaking stuff.
The Lepers scene in the 1973 is really creepy because they all come creeping out of the rocks and very slowly walking to Ted. Ted doesn't seem very enthusiastic about touching them, though, haha. Wonder why they changed the line "HEAL YOURSELVES!" to "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The Lepers scene in the 2000 is pretty good. At least Glenn looks happy to hug the lepers and stuff, until they start pushin' and crowdin' him. haha... The acting is not bad in this scene, not bad at all. Glenn actually manages to achieve a nice crescendo of annoyance as more lepers poke him.
But oh God! Why did they have to ruin it by putting Arabs in the depravity scene only? Makes me very sad indeed... The Glenn TV smash redeems it only a little.
"HEAL YOURSEEEEELVES!!" what a great line...

10) I Don't Know How to Love Him
1973
2000

The 1973 Mary is shyer than the 2000 one, from the way she refrains from constantly cuddling Jesus, haha. Yvonne Elliman, again, has such a pretty voice, but she looks so weird in this movie. I think it's her hairstyle; it makes her forehead look huge and weird. Her acting in this song isn't bad, at least compared to Renee Castle in the upcoming paragraph... The flute or whatever it is in the background sounds so cute!
Renee Castle was ok in the rest of the movie, but her acting here gets pretty lame. Too over-the-top. She's a nice singer though, a different tonal quality than Yvonne for sure. Not quite as good though. This arrangement is actually a bit sparser than the 1973, which is the opposite from the usual trend. She is a lot prettier than Yvonne though, to be shallow. And it's the return of gross facial expressions from Glenn, too. Bleh. Note the kiss at the end and Judas' subsequent reaction to it!! More fun!

11) Blood Money/Damned For All Time
1973
2000

I still don't understand why there are tanks in the 1973 version trying to squash Judas. But it's a fun little visual all the same... The dance in the scaffolding is eye-catching too. The little twirls the priests keep doing with their capes is great. And of course Carl is a veritable vocal lion! Too bad it's partly ruined by the horrible Annas falsetto. Asides from the horrible falsetto, the dramatic effect here is pretty good. Carl seems proudful and righteous, but we see this slowly whittle away as he takes the BLOOD MONEY!!! But why the fighter planes at the end? Righteous angels coming to pwn Judas? Who knows?
Yay a Pradon song! I don't know why he's trying to eat Mary's eyeball in the beginning. Can you believe that weird fans ship Judas/Mary from the 2000 version because of that eyeball lick?! It's obviously just being done to piss off Jesus... my brain still hurts from searching jesus christ superstar on deviantart. Anyway, nice how Glenn DENIES Pradon from poking him after that. And we haven't even gotten to the actual song yet... Well, this is one of my favorite songs, so I reserve the right to ramble on for very long. His acting is actually very good! and his vocals make me go a bit wobbly inside. The ring-around-the-rosies scene is sort of strange. Oh well... Judas is a lot more pathetic in this one, in the way of arousing pity, especially the floor-crawling part. And Annas' creepy tenor is chilling! And it's a nice effect when he stops on top of the grating and the light shines upward. I think Pradon does a better job than Anderson on the "On Thursday night," part. And the "Well Done Judas" choir sounds a lot eerier in this version than in the 73. Love their fedoras.

Song by Song Comparison of 1973 vs. 2000 Jesus Christ Superstar Movies (pt.1)

This is fun!

1)
Overture 2000 and 1973
The 1973 overture has the coolest little framing device going on. The actors are on a bus going to the location in Israel to film... so it's a meta-thing. This framing device gives us enough substance to not be bored during the overture. I love how frantic all the actors are, and it's so surreal to see a cross prop tied to the top of a bus. And there's cool subtle little hints of the movie to come, like when Judas almost gets squashed by something and looks all depressed. We get to see all the actors getting dressed, and even a Roman soldier practice his whipping. And Pilate's little cloak whirl is just hilarious, especially because it matches the "crucify him!" little violin whirls. Also of note is how Judas runs away to his location much earlier than all the other actors. It's the subtle little things like this that make this movie so great. And the little butt wiggle during the other violin whirl always makes me laugh. The orchestration is a lot more old-school here, lots of lovely strings and a more acoustic feel. Too bad the sound quality isn't that good, but nothing to do about that...
For me, the 2000 visual is too campy. The graffiti is too 'cute.' And it gets boring staring at the nameless apostles standing around the ugly graffiti. Good points are the stormtroopers Romans marching and Peter's cool little martial arts stance during the "Die if you want to you innocent puppet" guitar riff. The slow motion shots are annoying, though, especially because their motions aren't that interesting to begin with. He's very slowly looking up from his graffiti! Oh, but the part where Simon (Tony Vincent) walks in and raises an AK47 into view from off screen is a pretty cool effect. The floodlights cross is kinda... eh...
The instrumentation is excellent; it has a grittier, more modern feel than the original orchestration. More electric, less orchestra. Both work very well in their separate contexts.
The winner of this round has to be the 1973, though. The framing device is a very cool meta after all.

2)
Heaven On Their Minds 1973
Heaven On Their Minds 2000
Like I think I said in my first post about JCSS, there's a lot of distance established in the 1973 movie. Judas from the start is estranged from the rest of the group by virture of dancing around in the rocks far above everyone else. It's definitely a more subtle take. I like how Jesus is the center of attention far below while Judas is skulking about on the rocks. But oh God! Carl Anderson needs to stop doing his pointing thing. Other than that, he's incredible! I like the slight growl that comes into his voice on some parts. And I like the little "He won't listen to me aaah! come on, listen to me, listen to me," improv stuff that he puts in at the end; the other versions don't have this line. It feels like he is shouting his despair from the mountaintops or something.
The 2000 version, on the other hand, is all about the touchy-touchy! Judas (Jerome Pradon) is practically shouting in Jesus' face, paddling grabbing his arm. But it actually works within the film, since they establish this claustrophobic energy. Jerome Pradon is a better actor than Carl, in my opinion, probably because he actually does acting outside of just singing. Anyway, he's very fun to watch. People on YouTube seem to like to say mean things about him, but screw em! I love his very unique voice, with the little whimper/whine/nasal sounds at the end of phrases and stuff. Jerome does a good job of alternating bitterness with tenderness. heh, heh. Oh, and we get to see Glenn Carter's terrifying mushy arm when Jerome grabs it and it just goes, mush. And I like it when he goes around yelling/singing at the apostles. And this song is more within his range than others (Judas' Death... sigh).
Gosh, it's hard to say which one I like more. But I have this thing for Pradon, actually, so I like the 2000 more. Most people, however, seem to prefer Carl. Whatever, they're both really good and this is one of my favorite songs from the musical.

3)
What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying 1973
What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying 2000
Ah, the 1973 Simon is so fun to watch because his hair bobbles about when he bobbles, which is a lot. Ted Neeley is a lot more assertive than Glenn Carter as Jesus. Also, I like how the light is focused on Jesus while the apostles are in darker light. I can learn a lot about shooting movies from doing this, hm... Also, Mary's annointing with ointment doesn't look too inappropriate here.
And man, I like what they did with the lighting on Judas, with the light coming from behind him and leaving his face in shadow. But argh! Carl's acting is kind of lame; he does little hand gestures that match each phrase, kind of like in elementary school. And the part that ruins this song for me in the 1973 is when Ted Neeley goes, Who aahhr yyeeew in je ne sais quoi, Texas accent or something. It sound so weird! The weirdness is accentuated because he is speaking that line rather than singing it. I just can't get used to it.
The pitch for the 2000 versions always seems a hair lower than the 73. Perhaps it's a recording thing, or just a rearrangement and I'm stupid. Anyway, the apostles keep... touching each other. It makes me laugh when they all stroke this bald guy's head... anyway, I like how this is not in a dark little cave so it's easier on my eyes. I like how Judas is smarmier in here too, rolling his eyes when the apostles are "buzzing" around. But man, Mary is a lot more touchy with Jesus here. And Glenn Carter looks like he's enjoying it a leeeetle too much. Renee Castle is a lot easier on the eyes than Yvonne Elliman, though! But oh, the slashiness... once Judas sees Jesus' head in Mary's lap, you can practically see the smoke rising from his head. I love how he sings amuuuuses. I think the part where he throws her down the stairs is overkill though. This is one of the few songs I think Glenn sings better than Ted. No weird "who ahhr yeeew." So much combat here, though! Peter is so violent, pinning Judas to the wall. Oh, and when Jesus goes "Not one, not one of you (cares if I come or go)" he grabs Judas and gives him a very smoldering look. Damnit, this is why I love/hate this version so much! The slash... aaaargh, not sure if want but actually do want. What am I even saying?
Bottom line, I like the 2000 version more for this one.

4)
Everything's Alright 1973
Everything's Alright 2000
Hmm, the 1973 is a lot higher and bouncy than the 2000. Not really a plus or a minus, just an observation. The lighting is pretty interesting here too; it's all in candlelight. Heehee, Carl goes "Hey hey hey, woman," a fun little addition. I do like the way Yvonne Elliman's mouth opens when she goes to Judas "Try not to get WORried," it looks like a muppet. I mean that in a good way. But oh my! There's slashiness even in here! A very intense stare and arm to shoulder touch grab thing. And the way their hands slowwwwwly slide over each other. But in this version you could still see it as bro-love, while in the 2000... well. And Oh my God Ted Neeley becomes a wax sculpture or something at the end. Not literally, but his face becomes so weird looking and unfocused. It might actually work with the effect, though, since it's all about close your eyes, close your eyes... The hand up, hand down thing is kind of annoying though.
Mm, the 2000 version flows a lot more intuitively from the previous scene. The song is a lot slower, actually, more lullaby-ish. But that Mary is soooo touchy. But it's really fun to see Pradon's very upset expression. Oh my if I'm not careful all reviews for the 2000 version songs with Pradon in them will turn into fangirlisms, which is not what I want. But anyway, it does very successfully build up the er... tension in this love triangle. Urrrgh! I hate Glenn Carter's gross smile and head tilt when Mary is fondling him. It's such an annoying expression... anyway... I like how Judas just SNATCHES the ointment from Mary's hand. Glenn Carter is a lot bitchier looking than Ted Neeley, also. Ahahaha, when Mary touches Judas' face you can see him twitching, like "yucck!" Glenn Carter is at least more enthusiastic in the rebuttal to Judas though. But I really don't like how he sticks up his arm and falls down. Lame slow-mo... ugh. I like how the other apostles glare at Judas after that, like he broke the nice toy or something... and I just have to mention how Mary glares at Judas, then hugs Jesus and pushes him away, like she's going "mine!"
I'm on the fence as for which one I like more here, if I surpress my irrational liking for Pradon. The wax-face Ted Neeley is pretty amazing, but I love the slashiness in the 2000. Well, what the hell! I can't make every song a victory or loss. The two versions are different, after all, not necessarily better or worse. But it's still fun to compare them.

Well, that's it for today. I will amuse myself further with this tomorrow.

a small personal achievement -> happiness!

hooray! I ran 6 laps around the park without stopping to walk today! about equivalent to 2 miles (I figured this out on Google Earth.) To people in sports, this is probably pathetic, but it is a personal accomplishment for me.

new personal goal: run at least 2 miles every day!
I wonder how I shall go about adding length. adding a third of a mile every week? I could try that.

Hey, these exercise-generated endorphins feel pretty good!

Oh, to add to that personal goal, I should walk my doggie at least 1 lap around the park every day. He should be active too.

call it a new year's resolution if you must!

This is for me! since no one else cares about this music

Having spent almost all of winter break obsessing over this concept album/musical/movie, I am writing a review comparison of the 1973 vs. 2000 productions of Jesus Christ Superstar. I gotta get this out of my head or I'm going to watch endless clips of Jerome Pradon, not good definitely not good. The following will mainly focus on the movies, though I'll throw in a few thoughts about the original concept album just for kicks.

My overarching feel/vibe from the movies
The 1973 version directed by Norman Jewison has a very spacious feel while the 2000 version has a sort of claustrophobia to it. They both have their merits and flaws, and to my horror I've found I've become obsessed. The 1973 version occasionally doesn't flow as well between songs as does the 2000. It is cool that the 1973 is filmed on location in Israel, although looking at that huge desert makes me feel so hot. Urgh! The costumes for the 1973 have quite a cool vibe, combining Biblical-style wear with hippie bell bottoms and bangles and stuff. I really love Caiaphus' and Annas' hats!!! The 2000 costuming is very... "cute," what with all the leather and so forth. But at times it looks like a massive gaybar... all those buckles and capes and knee high leather boots and whips... ahem.
I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but the 2000 version is very homoerotic. I feel kind of dirty for seeing it in this context, but just watch it and you'll see! It's not just me being ridiculous. And whatever, this musical is supposed to be a humanization/artistic interpretation anyway, and the 2000 is Gale Edward's doing. Not the Bible. So I'll enjoy it as that. And I do... enjoy it. heh. heh.
The all-indoor set work sometimes and sometimes not for the 2000 version, but you have to remember! The poor 2000 version was just a made-for-tv movie, while the 1973 was a major motion picture. I'd say the 2000 version is great fun all the same.

A direct comparison of characters
Jesus
Played by Ted Neeley in 1973 and Glenn Carter in 2000. First of all, I must say that I hate Glenn Carter's face. He always has such an insufferable expression... probably because of his oddly thin lips. And his gross hair-metal hair. Ted Neeley looks pretty good in the movie, and his voice is definitely excellent. It has a weird twang to it, actually, probably because he used to be a Texas rocker or something. It takes some getting used to. Glenn Carter has a very boring voice, nothing remarkably offensive about it, but it isn't great either. Also, to be more shallow, Glenn has a mushy body. In "Heaven on Their Minds," when Judas grabs his arm, you can see his meat just go muuush beneath his fingers! Ted Neeley's body is very lean and cut, much more pleasant to look at. But that part's really not that important. Glenn Carter's acting is pretty lame at times. Overall, I like Ted's look a lot more. But vocally, I prefer the concept album Jesus (Ian Gillan).
Gethsemane 1973
Gethsemane 2000

Judas
I should confess straight up that I've developed a fancy for Jérôme Pradon (the 2000), as in, a fangirl-ish fancy, which is strange considering he is sort of balding. Well, I love all the versions of Judas! Murray Head from the original concept album is really amazing vocally. Carl Anderson (1973) is probably technically a better singer than Pradon, at least for this role, but his acting isn't too great. I swear, he does this very distinctive pointing motion in every song he's in! It's a very odd point, kind of like the "Objection!" from Phoenix Wright. And he likes to kind of hunch over and throw his arms backward as he sings, making me think of a running ninja in Naruto. But there are some very good scenes with him as well, at least, when he's not pointing or doing the weird crouch. Carl Anderson has a very solid voice; his range is just right for Judas and he sings an incredibly difficult part seemingly very easily. Jerome Pradon, however, is a slightly different story. He is actually not a tenor, so for a lot of songs he is a bit strained vocally. But this gives off a really endearing sort of nasal twang. It's a very distinctive singing style, you either love it or hate it. I heavily fall into the former category. I don't know that much about singing technical stuff, but whatever! Musicals should appeal to the common folk, and Jerome certainly appeals to me!! Also, I find Carl Anderson's red top + red bell bottom costume atrocious, while Jerome's leather jacket is pleasing to my eye. Jerome's slight French accent shows through at times when he's really screaming in the emotional parts, another endearment to a ridiculous teenage girl like me! Aaah, this is kind of embarrassing. Overall, Carl Anderson is more of a roarer while Jerome is more of a whiner. Carl gives off wronged justice vibes while Jerome gives off spurned boyfriend vibes.
Heaven on Their Minds 1973
Heaven on Their Minds 2000

Mary Magdalene
Yvonne Elliman plays Mary in the 1973 and the original concept album and Renee Castle in the 2000. Yvonne Elliman is a beautiful singer, but sadly, she is not very photogenic... not very photogenic at all, I fear. Or maybe it's just in the movie, since she doesn't look so weird in other photos. It may be a makeup-crew disaster. Well, her voice is the best anyway. Renee Castle is pretty cute and an ok singer, but not as good as Elliman. Also, in the movie she is a leeetle too touchy-feely with Jesus. And by leeeetle, I mean way too much. Cling, cling, cling, though I guess that's more the director's fault than the actress's.
I Don't Know How to Love Him 1973
I Don't Know How to Love Him 2000

Caiaphas
Nn, the Caiaphas in the 2000 (Frederick B . Owens) is not very good. I think perhaps the part was below his range, since he was really growly and had a bit of trouble hitting the notes. His look was ok though, he had the big buff manly low voice thing going on. If only he was a better singer... Bob Bingham in the 1973 version was in the range, but his voice has a flatness to it. Maybe it's just the old sound recording technology showing through. Overall, I prefer Victor Brox from the album. None of the Caiaphas's are that remarkable, actually. Mahh...

Annas
Michael Shaeffer (2000) blows the other Annas's out of the water, hands down. He is a very tenor tenor, so much so that is is frightening. He is totally bald and pale, and actually looks pretty scary in black leather. Kurt Yaghjian from 1973 is kind of awful because he tries to put on a comical falsetto which falls flat on its face more often than not. The album Caiaphas is ok, but a bit inconsistent with the falsetto. But man, Shaeffer has an amazingly weird voice.
Caiaphas and Annas pretty much share all their songs, so they get to share links too.
This Jesus Must Die 1973
This Jesus Must Die 2000

Simon Zealotes
Tony Vincent (2000), in the words of a rarely-seen coherent YouTube comment, "does a great job of acting like a crazed fanboy." He has a Backstreet Boys look, but it totally works for him, especially because he gets to wave around an AK47 in his song and because he's a very good singer. But ugh! I heard he got the role for Judas for the Broadway tour. I can't imagine this guy as Judas! Wrong image!! Anyway, Larry Marshall from the 1973 isn't bad either. He has a really strange look. I think my judgement of him is worse because the Simon Zealotes scene in that version was insufferably lame/dated, but I'll save my song-by-song analysis for later... I actually don't like the singer from the album for once! John Gustafson just doesn't work for me, he sounds too bored or something.

Pontius Pilate
Ugh! Pilate (Fred Johanson) 2000 terrifies me for some reason, and not in the right way. He's uncomfortably big and buff, and every scene he is in is gayed up so, so much. Not that there's anything wrong with some gay, but this guy is just way overboard and it doesn't fit the character. tooooo much mascara is scary on a buff dude with a whip, by the way. He has a way of prancing about in his leather and swishy black cloak, you see, that is kind of unfortunate. And his acting is rather off-character. He's too mushy and emotional. Pilate should be more cool. Barry Dennen, who's Pilate in the 1973 movie and the album, is much much much better. He has a refinement to his singing and acting which Johanson sadly lacks. The emotion is laid in just the right amount and tone, really perfect!
I keep saying Pilates (Pi-lah-teez) Dream instead of Pilate's (Pai-lat)! It's driving me nuts! Pilates is the exercise, Pilate is the judge! arrrgh
Pilate's Dream 1973
Pilate's Dream 2000

Peter
Considering Peter only has one song to himself, I don't have that much to say about him. I prefer the 2000 one (Cavin Cornwall) because he gets to lunge at the Pharisees with a knife and lamely trips. The 1973 one is Philip Toubus, who actually became a porn star after the movie. Strange... his beard is scary in the movie anyway. Paul Davis in the album is pretty forgetable.
Peter's Denial 1973
Peter's Denial 2000

King Herod
Rik Mayall (2000) is a good actor probably, but a horrendous singer!!! Half the time he's just speaking! And while I do condone occasional speaking in singing for effect, he does it too much so that you can tell he's just faking because he can't sing for crap. Urgh. Josh Mostel (1973) has the most hilarious image... you have to see the video for I have no words to describe. He makes it work, though! His singing is quite good though, only just surpassed in my mind by the album Mike d'Abo. Well, I don't know about that, even, it's just one line that I prefer from the album. They're about par.
King Herod's Song 1973
King Herod's Song 2000

That wraps it up for the important characters! When I'm seized by the mood I shall do a song-by-song analysis. This is pretty fun, looking at different interpretations of the same music.

You can and should watch either version of Jesus Christ Superstar by YouTube!
Song order is as follows

1. "Overture" – 3:56
2. "Heaven on Their Minds" – 4:21
3. "What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying" – 4:13
4. "Everything's Alright" – 5:14
5. "This Jesus Must Die" – 3:33
6. "Hosanna" – 2:08
7. "Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem" – 4:47
8. "Pilate's Dream" – 1:26
9. "The Temple" – 4:40
10. "Everything's Alright (reprise)" – 0:30
11. "I Don't Know How to Love Him" – 4:07
12. "Damned for All Time/Blood Money" – 5:07
13. "The Last Supper" – 7:06
14. "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" – 5:32
15. "The Arrest" – 3:20
16. "Peter's Denial" – 1:27
17. "Pilate and Christ" – 2:43
18. "King Herod's Song (Try it and See)" – 3:00
19. 19."Judas' Death" – 4:14
20. "Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)" – 5:12
21. "Superstar" – 4:15
22. "Crucifixion" – 4:01
23. "John Nineteen: Forty-One"^[1] – 2:04