The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #17

TIMELESS

Day two - "You're Timeless to Me." "Timeless" is going so well - I'm beside myself with glee. We're doing the second day of the backyard sequence with John and Chris, who are doing their two changes as the tango dancers and then as Fred and Ginger. It's actually scary having to do a big change on John, because its both hair and make up, and that takes well over and hour - not to mention the four and a half hours its taking him to get ready in the first place.

But it's coming off like a dream. The tango dress came out so hysterical I almost wet my pants when he walked on stage. He really does look like Barbra Streisand if she ate the entire state of Rhode Island - all stuffed sausage encased into black lace and rosettes. It's absolutely romantic. Beautiful - and Chris and John are so committed that it's making things pretty easy. I'm having a great time moving the camera all over the place. The reverse shots are a bit of a pain in the ass because we have to lift the entire brick wall out to shoot into the laundry lines. Marc and Scott are having a little bit of problems right now because the song is such a sentimental center piece for them. I hope that their split is temporary; I love them so much. They're two of my best friends and I can't imagine them without each other; and frankly they are timeless to each other.

One of the things that I'm finding curious is that that we're having so few outtakes that are really funny - because Chris and John are just so damn good and they know their choreography so well. How bizarre that this movie is going to have practically no gag reel. I think that people are really going to love this sequence. I know I do.

More to come on Monday...