Customer Reviews

Fame: Season Two

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those of us late 30/early to mid 40 somethings who watched the original "Fame" on television in the early 1980s, this a real treat! I'm sorry, but the original television series still knocks spots off the latest film version. The first two seasons of Fame were definitely the best - series 1 was released a few years ago and MGM have ignored the series' legion of fans ever since. The only good thing about the new movie is it has encouraged MGM to belatedly release season 2, which features some excellent episodes with some half decent songs. My favourite is "Your Own Song" which features Jimmy Osmond as a singing student who comes from a school for kids who are disabled. Jimmy's portrayal of a young man with a mental disability struggling to fit into a mainstream school (if the High School for the Performing Arts could ever be regarded as one!) is well observed, down to his body language, tics and mannerisms. It is a heart-warming experience, and the episode is boosted by his brilliant singing voice belting out the classic Beatles song "Penny Lane". To me, this dvd set is worth the money even for this brilliant episode alone.

Amongst the collection is also the "Not in Kansas Anymore" where Doris gets knocked on the head, and whilst unconscious dreams that she meets the Wizard of Oz and all the other characters from the classical musical movie; of course, the main characters from the series take on the various film roles with Bruno as the Tin Man, Danny as the Scared Lion, Leroy as the Scarecrow, Miss Grant as the good fairy, Miss Sherwood as the Wicked Witch from the West, and Mr Shorofksi as the wizard himself. Another gem of an episode.

Overall, this is a welcome addition to the collection for "Fame" fans. Series 3 is awaited with baited breath, but knowing MGMs dismal track record so far, we'll probably have to wait until some film director decides to remake "Fame" in 2035 before we ever get to see any more, and us 40 somethings will be on our death-beds by then. (Message to MGM execs - you are a disgrace for sitting on many of your classic tv series and not releasing them onto dvd now whilst you have the chance and people still alive who want to buy them. Instead, you seem to prefer to churn out the more more recent film rubbish you've made. Shame!).

FORGET HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL AND GLEE. BECAUSE THIS TAKES PLACE AT A PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL (WITH THE MULTI-TALENTED DEBBIE ALLEN AT THE HELM IN BOTH THE LEAD AND AS EXEC. PRODUCER), THE CAST HERE IS LIKABLE AND HAS MORE ON THE BALL, AND THE SONGS AND MUSIC ARE FRESHER AND WAY MORE ORIGINAL. IN FACT, WAY BETTER THAN ANYTHING BACKSTREET BOYS, N-SYNC, OR THE HOKEY RE-MIXES ON GLEE COULD HAVE EVER EVEN DREAMT UP.

I WAS IN GRADE SCHOOL IN THE EARLY '80S WHEN FAME FIRST WENT INTO SYNDICATION, AND AS IT SAYS IN THE THEME SONG, "FAME, I WANT TO LIVE IT FOREVER" AND IT STILL RULES, THANKS TO OVATION TV (WWW OVATIONTV COM). PERIOD. ;-)

At last we get Season Two.
I hope we don't have to wait as long for Season Three.
An excellent TV series from the 80's. Singing, dancing and tears, all thrown in. Perfect escapism - even 20 years later.

hope enough people bought the first two seasons, so they will produce the third one.
I just love this show.

If you were a fan of the TV Series Fame and are on the fence about purchasing this second season of Fame, get off the fence and just buy it. I have no complaints about this set. It has been restored beautifully and just as you'll remember it. I had actually forgotten how much depth was in some of the story lines. Yes, some of the music is very 80s but the shows as a whole have withstood the tests of time. Personally, I'll take the TV series Fame over the new Fame movie any time. That movie was a major disappointment. This walk down memory lane with the cast of Fame was a joy. It took way too long to get season 2 after season 1 was released. Let's hope the subsequent seasons are released much more quickly. This DVD set was so good that I watched them all in less than 2 weeks. It usually takes me much longer than that to complete a DVD set, but this time I just couldn't stop watching one episode after another.

Back in the day, I was madly in love with the character of the beautiful Bruno Martelli. That gorgeous, curly, black hair, along with those sexy, soulful eyes of his made this little girl's heart go pitter patter each time he appeared on the screen! And his keyboard skills were immense - whether it was Chopin or soul music, Bruno had the talent to play it all well! Not to mention his original compositions, such as "Alone in a Crowd" and the lullaby he wrote for his aunt's baby. He was truly a prodigy. But the best thing about his character, was his sensitivity and compassion for others, such as Lori Singer's character in the first season episode, entitled "Metamorphosis"; and for Jimmy Osmond's developmentally-challenged character in the second season. He just seemed to stand up for the little guy and for what was right. He had the most maturity, individualism and integrity of all of the FAME kids. He was an excellent role model; something we desperately need in this age of bullies in high school and self-absorption and materialism on the part of our society. I guess art imitates life, and life back in the early '80's was a little slower and a lot simpler than it is now and the FAME series reflects that. How I wish we could go back in time and relive those fresher, more innocent days when putting on a school show was more stimulating than getting high on drugs or binging on alcohol! Rewatching this classic series is the next best thing to reliving those happy days. Long live FAME!

I love Bruno. I love Doris. I love Danny. I love Professor Shirovsky. Watching Glee made me long for the good old days with Fame, and the issues and teen angst and the attitude and the talent from the old tv show. I know the issues are dated, and the style of song is dated, but I love watching the end credits and seeing who wrote the music--because, on the whole, they didn't do covers of others' music, yes, there are several, but then there are some original compositions, even from the actors. I love the Wizard of Oz take, and I dissolve into tears every time I watch the Greg Evigan episode (country/western Romeo and Juliet, but that's not why I cry)--(all one has to do is quit doing the math). It was a more innocent time (or maybe more censored before the competition of cable shows), and a less "in your face" time, so issues are addressed without having the visuals to go with it. Okay, it's not perfect and totally realistic, but what a great time I have watching these characters.

I purchased Seasons 1 and 2 separately. These DVDS are beautifully remastered and packaged. Each episode begins with a preview of scenes from the upcoming episode. Each season's episodes, and a synopsis of the storyline can be found on the IMDb website.

Each multi-talented cast member is a first rate actor. Each one brought their own unique character to life, and each person makes you feel as though you could have gone to school with any one of them. Each of these wonderful people, both in real life, and in the character they portray, have so much heart and soul; something which is sadly lacking in any tv show today. I love how the characters all connect and interact with each other, and how their respective relationships with each other developed slowly. Original characters Danny and Doris, Bruno, Julie, Coco, LeRoy, Dwight, Miss Sherwood, Mr Crandall, Mr. Shorofsky, Miss Grant and Mr Reardon, plus numerous guest stars, made this show a joy to watch.

The stories are wonderful, and are written from the heart. The songs and music are uplifting and fun, and performed by this multi talented cast. Hi Fidelity, Step Up to the Mike, Desdemona, Life Is a Celebration, Friday Night are on these DVDs, as are many other great performances. A favorite episode is "A Tough Act to Follow," a very touching episode which dealt with the death of a beloved teacher, played by Michael Thoma, who had passed away in real life. Carlo Imperato, who played Danny, did an excellent acting job (though a lot of it was likely real) in portraying the grief he felt in losing his favorite teacher. Debbie Allen and Gene Anthony Ray are phenomenal dancers whose energy is contagious. Ditto for the wonderful Fame dancers.

While the original cast will always remain intact, people will definitely be interested in Seasons 3 and 4 because of some new cast members added: Cynthia Gibb, Billy Hufsey, Nia Peeples, Jesse Borrego, and Janet Jackson.

What in the world do we have to do to be able to own Seasons 3 and 4? Why selfishly keep them in a vault somewhere where nobody can experience them? Who is holding back their release???

It is so nice to see this fantastic series available on DVD. I have not seen a lot of these episodes since the early 1980s, so it is a wonderful trip down memory lane. I minused the DVD set one star because not all the episodes were included. For some reason, the episodes in which the kids are in concert (like "The Kids From Fame in London") are not included in this set. Curiously these concert episodes are not broadcast on TV as well; not sure why.

I hope that eventually the other seasons will be available on DVD.

I was watching Fame on Tv and I happened to look at Amazon and I found the seasons I wanted. They came fast and the Dvd's are clear just great. I just love it.