Yesterday was a mixed bag. The sun shone (some) which was a novelty given recent weather. Got all the Things done in the morning which I was hoping to get done. And then the Cosmic Guffaw hit and knocked many plans into a hat. Ultimately, this led to us all going downtown to see the new iteration of Annie, as a way of recovering from all the hat-bound plans. Quevenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx are terrific, and I'm always happy to see Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (who had too little to do in the Not Punjab, Thank God role). And it's always good to see NYC, home of my heart. But the music was very watered down--in some cases they start out with a song you recognize, then shift it into something else. Very pop-ish, which I suppose was the intention, but no punch, and all weirdly non-dynamic. Sandy is a nice, agreeable dog, but does nothing but wag his tail.. And really, Cameron Diaz isn't funny-bitter, she's just nasty. I enjoyed the way they brought some of the original material in in sly ways (there's a club band named the Leapin' Lizards), but the whole thing felt lackluster to me.
Still, Becca (for whom Annie is an ur-text) wept all the way through it.