The impending Spider-Man musical (Spider-Man Turn on the Dark) makes me giggle with delight. It seems like possibly the worst and best idea I’ve ever heard. I love Julie Taymor, so I’m definitely going to see it, and the idea that Bono and the Edge are doing the music makes it even more intriguing.
The concept of a guy in a Spider-Man costume singing… it’s just beyond words.
After hitting up an amazing party for the opening of the new Sassoon Salon at 7 West 56th Street, I went to go see Sienna Miller and Jonny Lee Miller in the new staging of the Patrick Marber play, After Miss Julie.
Joc pretty much summed it up with her review, “I’m not sure whether the play was bad, or the acting was bad.”
This weekend I was holed up in my apartment trying to defeat a winter bug that has been plaguing me all week. As a result, I found myself in front of the boob tube watching a lot of television (namely the first season of Weeds on Netflix instant), so I caught this week’s Saturday Night Live, with host Neil Patrick Harris (NPH).
I was pretty excited to see NPH on SNL, knowing how funny he is, especially on live television, but sadly this weekend’s skits were all kind of lame. Even the skit where they made fun of the current Broadway closing situation (with NPH playing an actor portraying Mark in Rent–which he actually did do in 1997 in the LA cast of Rent) only produced a chuckle from me:
That said, NPH was the best thing in the skit, with his over-the-top angsty Mark. (However, I did love all the Broadway nods–like the lame, slow chandelier drop from Phantom of the Opera.) As you may already know, NPH has a great past of producing hilarious musical moments in the past. Here are a few of my favorites:
Woah, this could be amazing…or horrible. Either way, I hope the Frames’ Glen Hansard is getting a TON of money for his beautiful music. From Broadwayworld.com:
Hey guys! Right now I’m literally looking outside the window onto the beach. Yup, it’s a Modern Age vacation. Anyhoo I needed to make sure I told you guys about one thing before I completely detach from the world. (Do you know how hard it is to blog from someone’s iPhone?)
The thing I wanted to mention is the Hot Ticket showings of RENT: Live On Broadway, which is going on this week starting on Wednesday, Sept 23rd and playing again on Thursday, Saturday, and Saturday.
I went to an advanced screening last week, and let me tell you, it’s really well done and a joy to watch.
Buy tickets for one of the four showings at The Hot Ticket.
So I didn’t wake up today and say to myself, “Dude, you should totally be a paparazzi specializing in CW stars,” but it seems as though I ended up being one today… I just happen to spot almost all the major players in the cast of Gossip Girl! I was walking around the tent for Diane von Furstenberg at Bryant Park today and all of a sudden out the corner of my eye I saw a girl wearing yellow, and then a herd of people instantly swarming around her and her friend.
Walking closer, I recognized Miss Leighton Meester! I snapped a few photos, and then only later did I realize that the other girl accompanying her was none other than Jessica Szohr!
As I’m sure you’ve already heard, the long-running musical RENT will have its final performance on Broadway on September 7th. As a result, there’s been a slew of RENT-related events which have caused old-timer RENTheads like myself to come out of the woodwork. (One such event was the GMA Summer Concert series a few weeks ago where both the current Broadway cast and Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp performed songs.)
This morning I got up at the buttcrack of dawn in order to get to Bryant Park by 6am. “Why?” you may ask? Because the current cast of RENT, alongside original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, were performing as part of the Good Morning America (GMA) Summer Concert series, and I had good enough fortune to get a VIP entrance with a fellow “RENThead” friend who worked at ABC.
Yes, yes, as you are probably alreadyaware, I’m a long-time RENT fan, so although it was not *fun* trying to catch the subway when it was nearly pitch black out, I did it anyway (for the sake of the LOLz).
After 7am there were a few sound checks–first with Adam and Anthony (practicing “What You Own”), then with the full current cast, which just happens to feature two additional original cast members: “Seasons of Love” soloist Gwen Stewart and former ensemble member Rodney Hicks (now playing Benny). Tracie Thoms, who played the role of Joanne in the 2005 movie remake of the musical has also joined the production for it’s final months. (RENT will close September 7, 2008, making it the seventh longest running show in Broadway history.)
During sound check, one of the current members of the Bway cast handed Anthony their camcorder and Anthony went gonzo filming them as they rehearsed “Seasons”–to the point where he was directly in the audience’s sightlines, up in all the performer’s faces. I guess once a “Mark” always a “Mark.” Continue reading ‘RENT on Good Morning America’ »
I’m kinda gonna cry. After 12 years of being on Broadway, the hit musical RENT will CLOSE. The last performance perform at the Nederlander Theater in NYC will be on June 1. RENT will be the seventh-longest running show in Broadway history. [UPDATE: The run of RENT has been extended until September 7, 2008]
Idina sang the National Anthem during the Giants/Patriots game last night. Unlike so many stars that attempt to sing the song, Idina sang it perfectly and beautifully. No off-key warbling for her–she’s a real pro.
In case you missed:
Thanks to Deb for the heads.
PS- Anyone else disturbed by Tom Brady looking kinda hot? Y/N?
