Tag: Laurie Holden

‘The Best of The Boys’ Music Vinyl Collection Releases Today – with Two Jensen Ackles Songs!

‘The Best of The Boys’ Music Vinyl Collection Releases Today – with Two Jensen Ackles Songs!

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A three disc vinyl collection of the music from Prime Video’s series ‘The Boys’ releases today covering the music of all five seasons. Like another Eric Kripke show we know and love (that would be ‘Supernatural’ in case you didn’t know), the music of ‘The Boys’ has always been an integral part of its storytelling, thanks to Emmy Award-winning composer Christopher Lennertz (who was one of two composers on ‘Supernatural’ also). This collection has an original score by Lennertz and Matt Bowen, and some original  and cover songs performed by the cast.

The official release of Jensen Ackles’ cover of Blondie’s “Rapture” is included along with his memorable rendition of ‘From A Logical Point of View’, plus songs from Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Karen Fukuhara, Laurie Holden and of course Daveed Diggs from last week’s musical extravaganza. There are also liner notes from the cast and crew. The collection is pressed on 3x 140gm Color Vinyl.

“We’ve spent five seasons building a musical identity for this show, and the Best of The Boys vinyl is a love letter to that evolution,” say composers Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen in the press release. “Curating the collection was like watching the entire series again through the music alone — you can hear the score grow up, get darker, get weirder, and find its identity over five seasons. But Season 5 is where all of that paid off. Everything we learned over the life of this show — every instinct, every risk — we poured into this final chapter. The score has never been this big, this emotional, or this relentless, and we think the Season 5 soundtrack captures the most ambitious work we’ve done for the series — the tension is sharper, the emotional swings are bigger, and the music goes to places we never would have attempted in earlier seasons. It’s the most complete and fearless work we’ve done on the show, and we think it’s the score this finale deserved.”

Christopher Lennertz (and me) Comic Con 2019

‘The Boys’ is also known for its standout original songs, performed by the cast and woven directly into the fabric of the show’s storytelling to enrich the show’s iconic scenes. Lennertz went on to talk about Season 5’s music, saying: “Over the past four seasons, original songs have played an increasingly important part of The Boys’ storytelling, and this final season’s entry might be the pinnacle of that satirical insanity. After the success of “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas,” we knew we had to go even bigger and better for the plot twist that would set the entire finale into motion. As soon as Daveed Diggs was cast as “Oh Father,” I texted [Eric] Kripke and said that it would be a crime if he didn’t sing on the show. Once Eric and the writers had the concept, I knew Daveed had to write the song with me to embody the authentic voice of this character he had developed. This season’s big original song release, “Raise Him Up,” became the most soulful and audacious anthem of Vought blasphemy that would exceed all of our expectations and finally ‘rise up’ and be worthy to represent the climax of Homelander’s unhinged hubris.”

If you missed it in last week’s episode, go check it out!

The collection also features artwork by Matt Ryan Tobin, who crafted packaging to make the set a collector’s item. Tobin gets the show’s appeal, saying in the press release that “This show is fucked up. It has me grossed out and recoiling one second, convulsing with laughter the next, before eventually ripping my heart out and bringing me to tears; and repeat. I can’t think of another show that recklessly toys with your emotions so much, yet so well. The music really pilots all of these emotions, and masterfully so.”

The collection is released by Mutant, whose co-founder Mo Shafeek said: “The greatest joy of The Boys comes from its stranger-than-fiction alternate reality where superheroes exist, but just about everything else about our world remains the same. Because of that, the world of music in The Boys universe, both diegetic and non-diegetic, is so compelling. What Christopher Lennertz, Matt Bowen, and their incredible collaborators have done for five seasons is worthy of celebration. We at Mutant are honored to bring the musical world of The Boys into the real world.”

Available for pre-order starting today at MadeByMutant.com.

If you’d like to read more about the music of ‘The Boys’, along with insights from the actors and psychologists into the complicated characters, check out the book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ too, available at https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/ with exclusive interviews from Jensen Ackles, Nathan Mitchell, Aya Cash and more (including Christopher Lennertz!)

Vinyl Track List:

Side A

  1. Never Truly Vanish Performed by Erin Moriarty
  2. Faster Performed by Jessie T. Usher, Aimée Proal
  3. Rock My Kiss Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
  4. Dream a Little Dream of Me Performed by Karen Fukuhara
  5. You’ve Got a License to Drive (Me Crazy) Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
  6. America’s Son Performed by Laurie Holden
  7. From a Logical Point of View Performed by Jensen Ackles

Side B

  1. Rapture Performed by Jensen Ackles
  2. Chimps Don’t Cry Performed by Laurie Holden
  3. Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas Performed by Shoshana Bean, Andrew Rannells, James Monroe Iglehart and Christopher Lennertz
  4. See Something Say Something Performed by Christopher Lennertz, Alex Karukas, and Baraka May
  5. Faster (Gospel Version) Performed by Bryson Camper, Baraka May, David Loucks, Cherise Thomas, Brittany Wallace, Princess Jones, Aja Marie Grant, and Christopher Lennertz
  6. Avenue V  Performed by Christopher Lennertz and Alex Karukas
  7. Stay Back! Performed by Antony Starr, Christopher Lennertz, and Alex Karukas
  8. Raise Him Up Performed by Daveed Diggs, Christopher Lennertz, Baraka May, Caleb Curry, Kadeem Nichols, Carmen Carter and Alex Karukas

DISC TWO

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side C

  1. Truck Robbery
  2. Homelander and Stillwell*
  3. Boys Arrive*
  4. Hughie Trashes Room*
  5. Hospital Shootout
  6. Break Every Bone
  7. Meeting Blindspot
  8. Homelander in Hallway
  9. Halloween Store
  10. Fake News
  11. Brother and Sister*
  12. The Vial
  13. Shootout

Side D

  1. Not Ready
  2. Dawn of the Seven
  3. Termite Fight and Rescue*
  4. Soldier Boy
  5. Home for the Super Abled
  6. Butcher Sold Me*
  7. Soldier Boy vs. Homelander*
  8. This Is About Loyalty
  9. Maeve’s Ultimate Sacrifice*
  10. The Only Way I Could Save You*
  11. Homelander’s Dream

DISC THREE 

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side E

  1. I Can Do Anything / Finale
  2. Vought Through the Years
  3. Bat Mitzvah Rock*
  4. Mirror Mirror
  5. Training A-Train
  6. Final Audition
  7. Virus
  8. Ol’ Dealey Plaza
  9. Family Is All You’ve Got
  10. Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite
  11. The Democratic Church of America
  12. Cast Those Demons Out
  13. Soldier Boy Reborn
  14. Meet Quinn
  15. Cowboys and Jesus

Side F

  1. Passing the Crown
  2. Kessler
  3. The Speech*
  4. It Has Always Been You
  5. Blood and Bone
  6. The Wreckage
  7. To the Tower
  8. Canary in the Coal Mine
  9. Goodbye

Mutant is a pop culture art, music, and collectibles shop headed by creative director veterans Spencer Hickman, Eric Garza, Mitch Putnam, and Mo Shafeek and CEO Jenny Jacobi, a division of the genre-bending production company SpectreVision.

Check out the music collection and then get ready for the series finale next week!

–Lynn

You can read the book that takes a deep

dive into The Boys, with insights from its

actors, composer Chris Lennertz, artist

Darick Robertson, and  many more at:

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

The Cast of ‘The Boys’ Dishes on Those Complex Characters and What They Hope For in Season 5!

The Cast of ‘The Boys’ Dishes on Those Complex Characters and What They Hope For in Season 5!

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Last month was the first Creation Entertainment convention for Prime Video’s hit streaming series, ‘The Boys’ – which, as I write this, somehow seems more prescient than ever. Filming for Season 5, the final season of the show, begins in a few weeks, with Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy returning for hopefully every episode (and maybe being joined by his former Supernatural costar Jared Padalecki for some episodes too!)  As filming draws near, I couldn’t wait to hear what the actors were hoping for and what might be next for their characters.

Lucky for me, the convention was held in Whippany, New Jersey, so I was able to drive up and join the fun. It was the cast’s first Creation convention, which are modeled differently than multi-series Comic Cons or Fan Expos. The entire con was devoted to ‘The Boys’, so they had a great time getting to interact with fans of the hit Prime Video series. The cast is clearly as excited as we are about the upcoming final season of the show, as well as its spinoff Gen V and the prequel starring Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) and Aya Cash (Stormfront), Vought Rising. Here are some highlights of the convention and what the actors are hoping for for their characters in the final season.

I brought copies of the new book that takes a deep dive into ‘The Boys’ and all its complicated characters, Supes Ain’t Always Heroes, to give a copy to the actors, most of whom contributed interviews to the book, including in depth exclusive chapters from Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash, the stars of Vought Rising.  There are also chapters devoted to figuring out what makes all the characters tick, written by people who can do that – psychologists, sociologists and media experts. The Boys is such a smart show, I love digging deep and analyzing what makes IT tick too! Turns out, the cast is just as thoughtful about the show.

Colby Minifie, who plays Ashley, was as delightful onstage as she is onscreen. Yes, I know she’s not exactly one of the “good guys” but I love her character and she plays Ashley with such wit, I love watching her. There are several chapters in Supes that analyze her character, and she was excited to get a copy of the book. In fact, she could hardly believe there WAS a book about the show!

Here are some highlights of her panel and the others. She puts a lot of thought into her character, which is clear in her answers to some fan questions.

Colby: The dominatrix scene made sense to me because Ashley needs control somewhere in her life. We had lots and lots of meetings to be sure everyone felt safe.

We had lots and lots of meetings to be sure everyone felt safe. We have an intimacy coordinator on set. For example, I asked Jack if he was okay with it before I licked his feet.

Something you can only say on a show like ‘The Boys’ and just have everyone nod.

Another fan asked, what didn’t happen that she would have loved to see?

Colby: I would have loved to see what would’ve happened if Ashley did go escape with A Train. But I trust the writers.

(I for one was hoping Ashley would take A Train up on it when he suggested that things were about to go to shit and they should just get the hell outta there! I may have been yelling ‘run Ashley run!’)

It’s hard to answer a question about the “most shocking scene” in a show that’s known for its shocking scenes, but Colby weighed in.

Colby: The salad tossing human centipede… and the dick explosion. There are also simple things that are shocking in The Boys. I really do think the commentary on celebrity and the entertainment industry is quite out there and bold in its satire. It’s interesting from the tiniest thing to, you know, dick explosions.

(I told Colby that there’s a chapter that delves into the show’s commentary on celebrity and industry in Supes – I’m guessing she’ll read that one first!)

Some of Colby’s insights at the con were hilarious – and on point for the show. She told a story about how she pitched that Ashley’s super power should be that she has acid pee.

Me: I can’t believe you didn’t go for this, Kripke!

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The Boys Episode 5 (And More Reluctant Jensen Ackles-Induced Empathy)

The Boys Episode 5 (And More Reluctant Jensen Ackles-Induced Empathy)

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It’s the day after the release of The Boys Episode 5 (The Last Time To Look on This World of Lies) after another week of anticipation running high and the official accounts doing a great job of teasing us while we wait. This episode was billed as “The Boys Musical” which left some fans expecting all the characters to burst into song ala Buffy’s musical episode – and while it wasn’t that, we did get some amazing song and dance (and there’s more if you make use of the XRay function on the streaming videos). Those moments provided a welcome interlude of lightness and even joy interspersed between the more usual moments of darkness, angst and violence. Oh, and kinky sex. I love The Boys for its ability to swing between those different states seamlessly, something Kripke seems to have mastered in all his shows.

The episode also introduces the new character of The Legend, a Stan Lee homage and iconic figure from the comics who is played to perfection by Paul Reiser. In the comics, The Legend was a Vought comic book writer who helped sell the Supes as heroes, and who later gives information to the boys.

Prime Video
Original comic art by Darick Robertson

He’s a former Vought employee in the series too, but more a producer and manager for the Supes with the official title of VP of Hero Management before Stillwell took that job. He’s also quite a character – decadent, irreverent, a man from a bygone era a bit like Soldier Boy is. He’s probably a complete asshole but somehow kind of appealing anyway. The Legend also provides some more pointed commentary on celebrity – to him, the Supes are “the talent”, and as he wryly notes, “who knows why they do what they do?”  If you’ve ever been backstage or on the other side of the celebrity fence for even a little while, it’s both fascinating and disturbing to see how differently someone is treated who’s identified as “the talent”. They are both coddled and infantilized simultaneously, which is a great way to encourage narcissism and discourage self awareness. It’s doubly fascinating when this is a show employing a bunch of “talent” in real life, but The Boys never backs away from its own attempts at self awareness (or self parody).

I feel like I say this every time, but there are pivotal happenings in this episode for many of the characters. SPOILERS AHEAD, so be sure you’ve watched before you read!

Butcher is still sliding down that slippery slope at breakneck speed. He embraces taking the Temp V, rationalizing his decision to MM when he asks if it felt good to use his laser eyes and kill Gunpowder.

Butcher: It did – for once I leveled the fucking playing field.

MM isn’t having it, with the one line that encompasses the primary message of this show.

MM: The whole point of what we do – the whole goddamn point – is that no one should have that kind of power.

Butcher is not without ambivalence himself, especially about Hughie also taking the Temp V. He imagines Hughie as his younger brother Lenny, upset when Hughie reacts to the drug by vomiting a lot of green puke into the sink repeatedly.

Prime Video

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