Legally Blonde heads to Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA GOES BLONDE!



WILL DEBUT AT ACADEMY OF MUSIC
ON DECEMBER 2

MUSICAL WILL FEATURE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST MEMBERS
AND FINALISTS IN MTV’S REALITY SHOW,
‘LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL- THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS’


LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL will make its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music beginning December 2 – 7.

Part of the Broadway Series, tickets ranging in price from $25 to $100 are on sale beginning Friday, Sept. 5 at 10:00 am. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad and Spruce Streets (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust Streets (open during performances only). Groups of 15 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Performances include: Tuesday – Thursday evening at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday evening at 8:00 pm; Sunday evening at 6:30 pm; matinees Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm.

Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

In its first year on Broadway, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations, ten 2007 Drama Desk Award Nominations, a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award and the chorus of the musical was honored by Actors’ Equity Association’s Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA) with the first ever ACCA Award. The musical also ranked in the top ten list of the most requested Ticketmaster “Arts & Theatre Events” for 2007.

Becky Gulsvig, the Elle understudy in the original Broadway cast, is Elle Woods in the tour. Fans of the MTV reality show “Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods”, which premiered on June 2, 2008, will recognize two familiar faces in the tour casting: Third runner-up Rhiannon Hansen plays Elle’s best friend Margot and fourth runner-up Lauren Zakrin is an ensemble member and understudies the role of Elle. The reality show represented the musical’s second venture with MTV. In the fall of 2007, MTV aired Legally Blonde The Musical in its entirety to stellar ratings and was subsequently nominated for two 2007-2008 Daytime Emmy Awards.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording for “Legally Blonde The Musical,” was released on Ghostlight Records, an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records, and captured the #1 slot on the Billboard Cast Album chart and charted at #86 on the Billboard Top 200. The album has continued its success, charting every week as one of the top-selling Broadway cast recordings and soared to the Top 10 albums (of any genre) on iTunes once the show premiered on MTV.

As on Broadway, Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell is the director and choreographer. Music and lyrics are by both Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and the book is by Heather Hach. The production features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and sound design by ACME Sound Partners.

LEGALLY BLONDE is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Fox Theatricals and Dori Berinstein, in association with MGM Onstage, Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber.

The new 2008-2009 Broadway Series, where theatrical presentations in Philadelphia will be presented at the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre, begins with the launch of its first production, The Wizard of Oz on Nov. 28 – 30, followed by Legally Blonde The Musical Dec. 2 – 7. The Series also includes: A Chorus Line (Dec. 16 – Jan. 4) at the Forrest Theatre; Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Jan. 9 – 11); Jesus Christ Superstar (Jan. 30 – Feb. 1); RENT (Feb. 3 – 8); Happy Days – A New Musical (Mar. 24 – 29); Riverdance (Mar. 31 – Apr. 5); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (April 7 – 12); Movin’ Out (May 15 – 17); and Spring Awakening (June 23 – 28). Subscription packages are on sale now by calling 215-893-1955 or online at www.kimmelcenter.org/subs0809.

All performances of the Broadway Series are supported by CITI, , WPVI-TV 6, The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Broadway Series.

www.LegallyBlondeTheMusical.com

Rocco DiSpirito's Last Dance

Alas, chef Rocco DiSpirito's short but sweet time on "Dancing with the Stars" has come to an unsavory conclusion.

Bested by eight rivals (including an 82-year-old woman and an 18-year-old boy), Rocco just couldn't get his groove on with the judges, no matter how many times he flashed those dimples or compared his risotto to "cashmere in the mouth."


Rocco DiSpiritoNot unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr., Rocco couldn't find any favor whatsoever with the judges, who panned his lack of musicality and other footwork faux pas throughout the four week contest.

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America's Best Dance Crew Tour Review

The next evolution of dance may very well involve white masks and gloves.

Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, a sold-out crowd made it clear that the six-man crew known as JabbaWockeeZ was the reason many of them had bought tickets to Randy Jackson's "America's Best Dance Crew Live."

From behind the judges' table on "American Idol," Jackson learned that if you've performed on a reality show, people will come see you live. So when Jackson created "America's Best Dance Crew," an MTV dance contest in which a winner is selected from a dozen dance crews from around the country, he also launched a touring show featuring five of the best dance teams - or crews, if you will - performing highlights from the show, paying tribute to modern dance pioneers (hello, Michael and Janet Jackson) and making the fans scream with delight.

"America's Best Dance Crew" somehow crammed its first two seasons into a single year. The Season 1 winner, JabbaWockeeZ out of San Diego, was crowned in March, and Season 2 ended in triumph in August for the six-man Super Cr3w of Las Vegas.

Both champions are given ample stage time in the touring show alongside Season 2 competitors Fanny Pak of Los Angeles and A.S.I.I.D (And So It Is Done) of Detroit and Season 1's roller-skating dancers, Breaksk8.

As entertaining as all the crews are in this vaudeville show for a new millennium, JabbaWockeeZ - named after Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" - is the crew with superstar charisma. Outfitted in their spooky Michael Myers-like masks, white gloves and sharp costumes, the six men of the crew move with a fluid elegance that separates them from the pack. Oh, they pop and break and do some incredible head spinning, but they elevate street dance to art form and give it more than a touch of performance-art weirdness.

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Misty-May Treanor off DWTS

Beach volleyball champion Misty-May Treanor has been forced to withdraw from the US dance show 'Dancing with the Stars' due to an injury.

Eonline reports that the double-Olympic gold winner had to withdraw after rupturing her Achilles tendon on Friday during a practice session.

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Wizard of OZ travels to Philadelphia

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…
The Wizard of Oz Travels
Over the Rainbow to Philadelphia!

Opens at Academy of Music on Nov. 28
Tickets On Sale Now!


The greatest family musical of all time, THE WIZARD OF OZ, is touching down in Philadelphia as NETworks Presentations brings this national treasure to the Academy of Music for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Nov. 28 through Nov. 30.

Part of the Broadway Series, tickets ranging from $25 to $100 are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad and Spruce Streets (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust Streets (open during performances only). Groups of 15 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Performances include: Friday (Nov. 28) and Saturday (Nov. 29) at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm; and Sunday (Nov. 30) at 1:00 pm.

This magical production, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, is presented with breathtaking special effects that will sweep audiences away, from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas.

Director Nigel West, choreographer Leigh Constantine and set and costume designer Tim McQuillen-Wright utilize the glamour and elegance of art deco Hollywood as the visually stunning technicolor backdrop for THE WIZARD OF OZ. Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow are transported “Over the Rainbow” to adventures in Munchkin Land, the Haunted Forest, and the Emerald City.

Featuring the classic songs, as composed by Harold Arlen, “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” and “If I Only Had A Brain,” along with the beloved characters, THE WIZARD OF OZ will have the entire family captivated as they travel down the yellow brick road for an unforgettable evening at the theater.

For more information visit: www.wizardofozontour.com

The new 2008-2009 Broadway Series, where theatrical presentations in Philadelphia will be presented at the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre, begins with the launch of its first production, The Wizard of Oz on Nov. 28 – 30, followed by Legally Blonde The Musical Dec. 2 – 7. The Series also includes: A Chorus Line (Dec. 16 – Jan. 4) at the Forrest Theatre; Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Jan. 9 – 11); Jesus Christ Superstar (Jan. 30 – Feb. 1); RENT (Feb. 3 – 8); Happy Days – A New Musical (Mar. 24 – 29); Riverdance (Mar. 31 – Apr. 5); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (April 7 – 12); Movin’ Out (May 15 – 17); and Spring Awakening (June 23 – 28). Subscription packages are on sale now by calling 215-893-1955 or online at www.kimmelcenter.org/subs0809.

All performances of the Broadway Series are supported by CITI, WPVI-TV 6, The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Broadway Series.

THE WIZARD OF OZ is being produced by NETworks Presentations, LLC. For more information visit http://www.networkstours.com.

DWTS:Eliminations

This season of Dancing with the Stars has been a season of superlatives. We've had the largest cast, the youngest star, the oldest star, and this year was the first time everyone has had to prepare two dances in the very first week of competition. And this week, the stars had to perform two of the most difficult styles in the second week - the earliest these styles have appeared in the history of Dancing with the Stars.

Last night's scores show the diversity in talent this year, with some very high scores and some very low scores. The audience votes have all been tallied, and we'll soon find out whose dancing journey ends tonight.

Live! From Hollywood! This is Dancing with the Stars!

As usual, we start with a lengthy recap of last night's performance show, but you all can just read my recap or my live thoughts.

For the encore tonight, Len Goodman requests to see Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson's paso doble tonight. Yay! This was one of my favorites from last night. It's totally Spanish bullfighting-meets-The Matrix.

The elimination process begins thusly: Having combined the judges' scores and the audience votes, the first two couples, in no particular order, who will be continuing to the next round are Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo, and Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff.

Uh oh, Jessica Simpson takes the stage to perform her latest country single. Is it me, or is her heart not in the performance. Her eyes are all glazed over

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