Tammy Faye Messner, someone who made strides in acceptance and support of the gay community and a huge AIDS activist passed away this Sunday.
Lindsay Lohan commits 3 crimes in 1 night.
Tammy Faye Messner gets a 10 minute write up. Lindsay Lohan's misdemeanors are being treated like 9/11, with up-to-the-minute coverage.
Question me this.
Ah President Bush. Our dear leader has chosen to work on something really important in his final year at the presidency: the dress code for tourists in the White House . Yes ladies. This mainly effects you.
Touristas can no longer sport:
- flip flops
- jeans
- "sneakers"
- shorts
- mini-skirts
- t-shirts
I went to Catholic school. This dress code is now stricter than both my Catholic school of origin and The Vatican . Yes folks, you can either go to Rome and view the amazing ceiling of the Sistine Chapel while sporting an "I love the Pope t-shirt", or you can go to DC in a shirt and tie, and see where Bush lives. (gag).
Or else. Even you, Lara. Pressing Pressing.
My employer (Yours Truly) had kept me under some strenuous conditions which caused me to go on strike. No comment. I'm back.
Read more!
John Travolta said to the Daily News:
"I love big boobs on a woman, so I wanted [my character] Edna [Turnblad] to have them. My boobs and butt got a lot of attention on the set. The whole crew kept coming over and groping me. The scary thing is, I liked it."
Cough.
There is talk that Beyonce might portray the title role of Aida in the upcoming feature film. The theatre community is divided. Check out this article in NY Magazine.
So - Are you Anti-Beyonce? Are you Pro?
I was perusing Yahoo! News this morning. Not that I actually READ it. (Please don't tell anyone I was looking at Yahoo News, I'm a veritable news source I swear). I found this story.
Really?
Yes folks, Chicago's Reuters has published a story called Women Drawn to Men with Muscles . It goes so far as to detail the scientific results and provide an analytic explaination. Quote, "it makes them more sexy to women". "Muscular men were twice as likely to have had more than three sex partners than less-built types."
Shocking. I'm sure there will be a follow up study that concludes "Ugly People are Less Attractive to Everyone."
Variety recently featured upcoming film, Swing Vote . The plot: "an apathetic working-class single dad who's thrust on the world stage when the presidential election comes down to his vote."
Guess what? Nicholas Cage is NOT in this movie!
However, three amazing stage stars, Kelsey Grammer , Nathan Lane and Stanley Tucci are. The lead role, of course, will be played by Kevin Costner, while Lane and Tucci will play rival campaign managers. And who doesn't want to see Kelsey Grammer run for president? (Well...I'm sure there's a lot of people...). No word on its release date, though filming begins this month in New Mexico.
Bad news: George Lopez has a small role..(AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF JOXESS!!!!) (That was my best worst typed george lopez impression)
Broadway vets Chita Rivera and Joel Grey will be part of a new reality series about the theatre industry. The show, called Triple Sensation (the word "threat" is probably not very network friendly) will air on Canada based CBC-TV this fall. Rivera and Grey recently gave a lecture to the 12 finalists who are attempting to win a theatre-study scholarship. (NYU??)
And speaking of threats, Grey says he loathes American Idol, because it's "not about craft, it's not about preparations, it's not about passion". Rivera added that this show will be a break from "television shows with people that don't dance and think they can because they have a glittery dress on". Ouch!
I talk about this musical too much.
You may remember April. I started covering Xanadu's rise to Broadway. I (once) called it Xana-don't. This morning, 10 (count-'em) 10 articles called this musical Xana-don't. Sigh. The pun wasn't even that good....
ANYWAY, the reviews are in!
Charles Isherwood loved Kerry Butler, who played Oliva Newton- John's old role: "Ms. Butler is the rare Broadway ingénue who is as funny as she is pretty, and she sings gloriously, too".
However, he said of the design:
"A few dozen audience members are seated onstage, but this device, used effectively in “Spring Awakening,” seems less an aesthetic choice than an economic one here. With a cast of just 10 and minimal sets (the designer David Gallo seems to have blown much of the budget on disco balls), “Xanadu” uses these onstage viewers as unpaid extras and space-filling, mildly animated scenery.
The New York Post disagreed, giving the musical one star and calling it a "camp disaster".
Did I mention this was the last film Gene Kelly ever made? :(
As you may know, the Chicago SummerDance program of free dance lessons from 607 every Thursday - Friday through August 26 has started in Grant Park.
You can see the schedule Here.
This week's schedule: Thursday has "Songs of the Balkans (?)" On Friday, you and I are going square dancing (just like gym class!!) and on Saturday there will be some "House Steppin'". Apostrophe noted.
For potential partners, here's a video of my prom.
Fosse Choreoraphy...great new sound. Ha! Turn up your speakers.
But what would Fosse say?
ew.
Lance Bass is going to join the Broadway cast of Hairspray on August 14, almost 5 years after the show initially opened on Broadway. He will be playing Corny Collins. I think he'd make a better Penny Pingleton, but maybe that's just me.
Also joining the cast will be Mario Lopez as Edna Turnblad and Jennifer Love Hewitt in any role that she can get.
I kid.
Chris Jones, theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune, recently posted an article about Couch Place, the alley that connects the Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Theatre. He suggests that this alley, recently renamed James M. Nederlander Way. Sounds nicer, doesn't it? He suggests that this alley will become a gathering place for theatre-goers similar to New York City's Schubert Alley.
I then remembered two things: 1) During Looptopia, this alley featured performances by different DJs. 2) While seeing a show at the Goodman Theatre, I saw one of those Untouchables Tours busses pull up. In case you don't know, the Untouchables tours show tourists and locals all the spots that the Outfit and other gangster groups have frequented. (They're probably rolling in dough now, with the trial going on)
Does anybody know what murder or gangsta event happened there??
Anyway, here's my idea: Makes James M. Nederlander Way a cabaret theatre of sorts: a late-night bar-combo-theatre space that features all different kinds of acts, ie 365 Days/365 Plays or songs sung by Chicago theatre vets. (So, I kind of stole the idea from Joe's Pub which sits next to the Public Theatre of Manhattan). But wouldn't that be fun?
What do you think?
Yes, the musical about a Razzie-winning movie starring Aussie Olivia Newton-John, hit Broadway today. Here are the photo call's pictures (courtesy of broadway.com)....Apparently this is performed without an intermission. What a way to start off the Broadway season...
Hold onto that skate...it's your only hope. At least the director, Chris Ashley has been quoted saying, "it's awesomely bad"
I think my gaydar is ringing.
Two Dianas, a Technicolor Revival, and Royal Freeloading.....
Rumors, mostly started by Diana Ross' speech at the BET Awards and the oh-so-reliable (phsh) Fox News, are swirling that there may be a Supremes reunion. Riding on the coattails of recent Dream Girls fame (Jennifer Hudson I love you, kill Beyonce) this would be a perfect opportunity for Ross and Mary Wilson to make comebacks. If I was Mary Wilson, I would screw the drunk and just how she screwed me decades ago, and make my own solo comeback. But that's just me.
Speaking of famous Dianas...as you all probably know, royal freeloaders William and Harry presented their fabulous 46th birthday concert (what will 50 be like???) for their deceased mother, Lady Diana.
Andrew Lloyd Webber promoted his own upcoming revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by singing a medly of songs from it, along with other hits. Meanwhile, Elton John sang his Diana version of Candle in the Wind. However, this morning, NBC 5 Local Chicago news showed a clip of Sir Elton playing "Your Song" while the anchorwoman said, "And here's Elton John playing Candle in the Wind". Wrong! Just callin' it likes I sees it.
Other performers at the concert included the Queen's favorite rap artist, P-Diddy, and Nelly Furtado--Prince Philip is her biggest fan.
Percent of artists that Diana would not have known: 60%. Who was this really a concert for? And, what about the other knighted artists?? Paul McCartney who has whored himself all over Starbucks wasn't there. or Jagger??? or even David Bowie who snubbed the knighting?
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