Friday, August 29, 2008

Rent Final Performance Movie Tickets Now On Sale!

Twelve years ago I saw Rent for the first time in Boston. Today I bought tickets to the filmed version of the final Broadway performance of the show.

Wow -- time flies.

The Hot Ticket had previously announced that the last performance of the show would be filmed and shown on movie screens around the country. The new company (also selling tickets to a filmed version of Cirque du Soleil's Delirium) has had a sign-up form on it's website for the last few weeks allowing you to enter your e-mail address so that you can be notified when tickets are on sale.

Well -- I didn't get a notification, but tickets are on sale -- and I got mine!

The dates the performance will be shown in movie theaters are September 24, 25, 27 and 28. Tickets are $20 plus a $1 handling fee. Click here for a full list of theaters showing the film, and to buy tickets now.

No day but today!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Full List of Dancing with the Stars Celebrities and Professionals: Maks is Back!

Here is the full list of the celebrities for the new season of Dancing with the Stars, along with their professional partners.

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer
Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough
Rocco Dispirto & Karinna Smirnoff
Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke
Kim Kardashian & Mark Ballas
Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas (Mark's father!)
Cody Linley & Julianne Hough
Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani
Misty May-Treanor & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Ted McGinley & Inna Brayer
Jeffrey Ross & Edyta Sliwinska
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson

SYTYCD's Lacey Schwimmer Will Partner Lance Bass on Dancing with the Stars



This is a reality TV show marriage made in heaven!

Season 3 So You Think Can Dance finalist Lacey Schwimmer will partner former boy bander Lance Bass on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. Holla!

Lacey clearly has a fanbase from her SYTYCD stint -- will the combination of her and Lance's fans make them unbeatable? Guess we'll have to wait and see!

FULL LIST OF DANCING WITH THE STARS CELEBRITIES AND PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sneak Peek: Five Minutes of Gossip Girl Season Premiere!

Monday, August 25, 2008

American Idol Adds Kara DioGuardi as Fourth Judge

Huge News!!!!!

Fox announced this morning that they will be adding a fourth judge to the American Idol line-up -- songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

Here's the press release:

Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined AMERICAN IDOL as a fourth judge. She will sit alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson at the judges’ table and use her background as an award-winning songwriter and producer to praise or critique the wannabe hopefuls throughout the competition. The eighth season of AMERICAN IDOL premieres January, 2009, on FOX.

“We are turning the heat up on ‘Idol’ this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”

“We had originally intended for AMERICAN IDOL to have four judges,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers.”

Mike Darnell, President, Alternative Programming of FOX, added “For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges’ table. She’s been as an island of consideration and gentle criticism between Randy and Simon, offering her invaluable expertise as a performer and No. 1 artist to the thousands who have competed on AMERICAN IDOL. With Kara by her side, Paula finally has some back-up and now there is going to be a lot more ‘girl power’ on the show.”

One of the industry’s most sought after songwriters and producers, DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records. Her songs have been recorded by Grammy award-winning artists including Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Santana, and Pink. Scores of major recording artists including Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jewel, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey and Marc Anthony have also released DioGuardi’s songs.

Over the last four years, she has been awarded 10 BMI Pop Awards for having written the most performed songs on radio. From her catalog of several hundred songs, over 264 have been released on major labels worldwide; and over 165 have appeared on multi-platinum selling albums. DioGuardi co-owns Arthouse Entertainment, where she develops and mentors fellow hit writers, producers and artists.

Dancing with the Stars Cast Officially Announced

ABC has officially announced the new cast of Dancing with the Stars -- and here they are!

Lance Bass (former boy-bander)
Toni Braxton (singer)
Susan Lucci (soap opera star)
Cloris Leachman (Emmy and Oscar winning actress)
Brooke Burke (TV personality)
Rocco DiSpirito (celebrity chef)
Maurice Greene (track and field star)
Kim Kardashian (TV personality)
Cody Linley (child actor)
Misty May-Treanor (beach volleyball player)
Ted McGinley (actor)
Jeffrey Ross (comedian)
Warren Sapp (football player)

Thoughts?

Monday, August 18, 2008

CW Statement Regarding Advance 90210 Screener

Just got this email from CW regarding the much-anticipated 90210...

"The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen "90210" for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time."

Interrrrrrrrrrrrresting.

Thoughts?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Counting Down to Dancing with the Stars

11 days until the announcement of the new Dancing with the Stars cast. I can hardly wait!

Broadway's Godspell Postponed?

I'm hearing rumblings the Broadway revival of Godspell, starring American Idol's Diana Degarmo, has been postponed indefinitely.

Bummer.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Nigel Lythgoe Says Joshua Allen Received Most SYTYCD Votes From The Get-Go

Apparently Josh had it in the bag.

"I see the votes every week and I knew what Joshua was getting, so I wasn't surprised," Nigel Lythgoe told Eonline's Kristin after the finale last week.

What to make of this? Is it fair that Nigel was seeing the votes each week, while he (and the other judges) were still determining the fates of the dancers? And doesn't this knowledge impact the way he speaks to the contestants, and presents his comments to the audience?

Thoughts?

Pacey (Joshua Jackson) Showed His Butt In a Movie!



Now the star of Fox's Fringe, Joshua Jackson will always be Pacey to me.

And he ain't at the Creek no more!

These pictures are from the movie Americano -- check out Pacey's ass!



Sunday, August 10, 2008

VIDEO: 2008 Chinese Olympics Opening Ceremony

Watch video of the 2008 China Olympics Opening Ceremonies here:

Pretty impressive!


2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Ranking the SYTYCD Top 4: Couples, Solos and Individual Rankings

Couples

For me there were only two stand-out numbers last night -- Josh and Twitch's remarkably athletic Russian routine, and Josh and Katee's emotionally stripped down performance. The rest, though not trainwrecks, were totally uninspiring.

1. Josh and Twitch, Russian
2. Josh and Katee, Jazz
3. Twitch and Katee, Fox Trot
4. Courtney and Twitch, Hip-Hop
5. Josh and Courtney, Jive
6. Katee and Courtney, Broadway

Solos

Josh leapt to the front of the pack this week, with last week's #1 solo performer Courtney slipping to #3, and Katee rebounding to #2. As for Twitch -- I'm over his gimmicks.

1. Josh
2. Katee
3. Courtney
4. Twitch

Overall

While Katee has had nary a misstep throughout the season, Josh, to me, was the most impressive performer last night. Those high jumps during the Russian routine were amazing! Does that mean he's going to walk away with the title? I'll have my prediction in a few hours, so keep checking back!

1. Josh
2. Katee
3. Twitch
4. Courtney

POLL: Who Is Going To Win So You Think You Can Dance?

Ranking the SYTYCD Final Four's Top Three Dances of the Season

Two SYTYCD Finalists Rushed to the Hospital

POLL: Who Is Going To Win So You Think You Can Dance?

Throughout the season, the polls on this website have come pretty close to predicting who will go home each week on SYTYCD. Sure, some weeks it's way off (the week Will Wingfield was eliminated), but for others it is spot-on.

Thus -- let's try and measure who's going to win this thing.

Of course, the dancing has happened yet. But let's be honest -- at this point, people pretty much have their favorites. Though, the argument could be made that Lacey had a much stronger shot coming into the finale last season than she did leaving it, based on her performances. Could one of the favorites fall into that trap this year?

This poll will be open through Thursday night's So You Think You Can Dance finale, when Katee Shean, Joshua Allen, Courtney Galiano and Stephen 'Twitch' Boss go head to head to head to head for the title. It'll be interesting to see how these poll numbers will change after the Final Four perform on Wednesday evening (CHECK OUT THE SPOILERS HERE). You DO have the option of coming back and changing your vote -- in fact, if you truly do change your vote, please DO come back and let us know!

My vote (as of Monday at midnight) is going to Josh, but I'll probably have changed my mind by the morning. Look for another article from me tomorrow detailing who I'm putting my money on and why.

Vote away!



READ: Two SYTYCD Finalists Rushed to the Hospital

READ: Ranking the SYTYCD Final Four's Top Three Dances of the Season

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Dallas From THE AMAZING RACE Poses Nude!

Well, he's not shy!

Dallas, a competitor on this season of The Amazing Race, snapped a photo of himself naked. What would his mom say?

This pic is definitely NSFW.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

SYTYCD Top 4 Spoilers: Choreographers, Pairings and Styles Revealed!

SPOILER! SPOILER!

You know the deal...don't read if you don't want to know!

SPOILER! SPOILER!

Here is a list of dances we will see on tomorrow night's finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Will the Top 4 live up to the hype? Leave your thoughts below.

Katee and Courtney, Broadway (Tyce Diorio)
Twitch and Joshua, Trepak (Yuri)*
Twitch and Katee, Foxtrot (Tony and Melanie)
Twitch and Courtney, Hip Hop Napoleon and Tabitha)
Joshua and Katee, Jazz (Wade Robson)
Joshua and Courtney, Jive (Jason Gilkinson)
Top 4 Group Routine, Contemporary (Mia Michaels)

*I am unfamiliar with "trepak" -- I believe it is a Russian style of dance (wikipdia says "A Russian dance in quick duple meter of Cossack origin"). If someone else knows more about it, please sound off in the comment section below.

POLL: Who is going to win So You Think You Can Dance?

READ: Two SYTYCD Finalists Rushed to the Hospital

READ: Ranking the SYTYCD Final Four's Top Three Dances of the Season

New Big Brother 'Final Four' Alliance Forms -- Will It Last?

It seems like every day there is a new alliance in the Big Brother house -- except when the alliances fall apart!

The latest group to claim solidarity through the Final Four is current Head of Household April, her boyfriend Ollie, nominee Jessie and his bestie Michelle.

The only problem? Keesha, Libra, Jerry, Renny and Dan might vote Jessie out this week!

Thus, it seems the only way this new alliance will last is if they are able to swing someone over to their side. Best bet? Freelancer (and America's Player) Dan.

What do you think? Will this alliance last? Or was it doomed before it even began?

Updated Madonna Set List for "Hard Candy" Tour

Courtesy of MadonnaTribe, here is the new, updated version of Madonna's upcoming set-list for the "Hard Candy" tour.

See ya in NYC Madge!

SPOILER! SPOILER!

Don't read if you don't want to know!

SPOILER! SPOILER!

Intro/Candy Shop
Beat Goes On
Human Nature
Vogue

Video Interlude - Die Another Day
Into The Groove
Heartbeat
Borderline
She's Not Me
Music

Video Interlude - Rain/Here Comes The Rain Again
Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
Spanish Lesson
Miles Away
La Isla Bonita/Lela Pala Tute
Doli Doli (Live interlude - Romanian folk song)
You Must Love Me

Video Interlude - Get Stupid (About saving the planet)
4 Minutes
Like A Prayer
Ray Of Light
Hung Up
Give It To Me (Finale)

Monday, August 04, 2008

America's Next Top Model's Yaya DaCosta to Make Stage Debut in Signature's "The First Breeze of Summer"



The reality TV/theater connection isn't just about musicals!

America's Next Top Model finalist Yaya DaCosta will make her stage debut in Signature Theatre Company's production of Leslie Lee's The First Breeze of Summer. The production starts performances in NYC on August 5.

Tickets are only $20 for all seats, and go onsale July 10 at 1PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling (212)244-PLAY or visiting http://www.signaturetheatre.org/.

The First Breeze of Summer received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play during its 1975 original Broadway run at the Palace Theatre. Leslie Lee won an Obie Award for his play, which takes place over the course of one sweltering weekend in June, as three generations of the Edwards family collide with their past and confront the choices that will define their future.

Joining Yaya in the cast will be Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams, Quincy Dunn Baker (Romeo and Juliet), Harvey Blanks (Tabletop), Sandra Daley (Defying Gravity), Crystal Anne Dickinson (Tyler Perry's House of Payne), Brandon Dirden (Prelude to a Kiss), Jason Dirden (Two Trains Running), Marva Hicks (Caroline, or Change), John Earl Jelks (Radio Golf), Tuck Milligan (Book of Days), Gilbert Owuor (The Brothers Size), Brenda Pressley (Dreamgirls), and Keith Randolph Smith (Come Back, Little Sheba).

Tyra would be so proud!

Two SYTYCD Finalists Rushed to the Hospital

How 'bout this for timing...two of the Final Four dancers on So You Think You Can Dance were rushed to the hospital over the weekend, just days before the finale of the show's fourth season.

Mary Murphy told People magazine this weekend at the Teen Choice Awards that two of the Top 4 finalists (Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, Katee Shean, Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen) were sent for treatment for dehydration. While she (and the show's representatives) have not confirmed which dancers were ill, it seems that whichever two it was are now out of the hospital.

As a result, rehearsal ended early on Saturday, and was completely called off on Sunday. Since there was no rehearsal at all, according to Murphy, all of the dancers are "in the same boat."

I hope they're all okay!

In other So You Think You Can Dance news, the show was renewed today for a fifth season. Holla!

POLL: Who is going to win So You Think You Can Dance?

READ: Ranking the SYTYCD Final Four's Top Three Dances of the Season

Pretty Boy Explosion: Zac Efron and Chace Crawford Pose Together



Zac Efron and Chace Crawford pose together on the Teen Choice Awards rec carpet.

It's a pretty boy explosion!

Next up... naked sex video!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Big Brother 10 Spoiler: The Nominees and POV Winner Are...

SPOILER! SPOILER!

Don't read if you want to be surprised!

SPOILER! SPOILER!

A lot has happened in the Big Brother house since Thursday night!

As I reported earlier, April took home the HOH, promising Michelle, the runner-up, that she wouldn't nominate her or Jessie. Of course she went back on this, putting Jessie and Memphis up for eviction.

Then everyone started fighting. I mean everyone -- Keesha, Libra, Jessie, April, Ollie, Michelle, Renny, Jerry. (As far as I can tell, Dan and Memphis have stayed out of it so far). I could recap the whole thing, but it's been done elsewhere in more detail, so if you want to know the minutae of the fight, click here.

Bottom line -- everyone hates everyone. Mostly Libra and Jessie.

Alas, Jerry (of all people) won the Power of Veto. It's hard to believe that he'd take down Jessie (who at this point the whole house, and most of America, hates) or Memphis, with whom he had a screaming match last week.

My guess -- Jessie will finally be shown the door. The houseguests have just had enough of him. We'll see if Memphis can stay out of trouble long enough for that to happen, though -- by having a POV competition in the early Sunday morning hours leaves almost four days for things to change -- and change again.

Stay tuned for more...

More Big Brother news:

Jessie Did Muscle Porn!

John Mayer Performs Concert Shirtless -- And He Looks Good!



John Mayer peformed his concert in Dallas this weekend shirtless.

I'm not complaining -- he looks good!

Enjoy the pics and video.







Saturday, August 02, 2008

First American 'Equus' Promo Pics: Shirtless Daniel Radcliffe!



Courtesy of NY Magazine, here are the first promotional pictures for the Broadway production of Equus, starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, as well as Tony Award-winner Richard Griffiths. Radcliffe, of course, famously appears naked in the show.

Compared to the shots the British production put out before performances start, these pictures are tame! Think we can expect more salacious ones, of Harry's bum or wand?

Enjoy!

Click here to see the promo pics from the British production of 'Equus,' including Harry Potter's ass!

Ranking the SYTYCD Final Four's Top Three Dances of the Season

In anticipation of next week's So You Think You Can Dance finale, I thought I'd select my favorite three dances from the season for each of the Top Four. It was an interesting excercise -- there were tons of Joshua and Katee stand-out performances to choose from, but Courtney, who has had nary a misstep throughout the season, seemed to have less super-memorable routines from which to select. Twitch's highlights, on the other hand, were fairly easy to identify. Does this say something about how the results will go next week? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comment section below

Katee
1. Hip-Hop (Napoleon & Tabitha) with Joshua
2. Contemporary (Mia Michaels) with Joshua
3. Pas de Deux with Will
Honorable Mention: Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) with Joshua, Contemporary (Mia Michaels) with Twitch, Paso Doble with Joshua, Bollywood with Joshua, Broadway with Joshua, Samba with Joshua

Joshua
1. Hip-Hop (N&T) with Katee
2. Contemporary (Mia Michaels) with Katee
3. Argentine Tango with Cheslie
Honorable Mention: Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) with Katee, Paso Doble with Katee, Rumba with Courtney, Disco with Chelsie, Bollywood with Katee, Broadway with Katee, Samba with Katee

Courtney
1. Jazz (Sonia) with Mark
2. Cha cha with Gev
3. Jazz (Mandy Moore) with Gev
Honorable Mention: Viennese Waltz with Mark, Rumba with Joshua, Rumba with Gev

Twitch
1. Hip-Hop (Dave Scott) with Comfort
2. Contemporary (Mia Michaels) with Kherington
3. Viennese Waltz with Kherington
Honorable Mention: Hip-hop (N&T) with Chelsie, Contemporary (Mia Michaels) with Katee, Broadway with Kherington

Thanks BSYTYCD -- Check Out Idol Thoughts for Spoilers, Recaps and More (No Pop-Ups!)

Blogging SYTYCD (bloggingsytycd.blogspot.com), a truly great site, is going on hiatus. For all of the displaced BSYTYCD readers, I would like to offer Idol Thoughts as a new forum for So You Think You Can Dance spoilers, recaps, rankings, discussion and more.

Best news of all -- after much digging around through HTML code, there are now NO pop-ups on the site!

Enjoy the site, and goodbyle bsytcd!

BSYTYCD: BSYTYCD Going On Hiatus

Friday, August 01, 2008

'Guess the Butt' Round 1

A new game here at Idol Thought for all you cute boys lovers. It's called "Guess the Butt," and it's just like it sounds -- I'll post a picture of a famous lad's ass, and you all can leave comments guessing who it belongs to. I'll post a new butt every couple of days, so check in at Cute Boys of Pop Culture to see the latest.

Here's number one...

I'll give a hint tomorrow afternoon, and reveal his identity on Friday afternoon.

Happy guessing!

Weeds' Hunter Parrish Finally Shows His Ass!



The picture of Hunter Parrish (Silas on 'Weeds') we've all been waiting for is finally here -- his beautiful butt!

I mean, he's been appearing shirtless all season, it was about time he got nude!

He'll be showing off that fine ass in Broadway's Spring Awakening beginning in August.

Enjoy these naked pics!





CLICK HERE for more pics of Hunter wearing only slightly more clothing.

More to come...

VIDEO: Opening Ceremonies of Beijing Olympics!



This is the footage that a South Korean television station took of rehearsals for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

This will probably be removed soon, so enjoy it while you can!

Listen to David Archuleta's New Single "Crush"

American Idol runner-up David Archuleta premiered his new single "Crush" on New York's Z100 radio station this morning.

The mid-tempo pop songis not quite as treacly as I might have imagined coming from the 17-year old, but I can't say I instantly fell in love with it. Time will tell if he'll have the radio success of Jordin Sparks, or if radio will treat him the way they did Clay Aiken.

Listen to the song below and let me know what you think!

Surprises Galore as SYTYCD Loses Chelsie and Mark

I'm sad, I'm not gonna lie. While I've loved Courtney all season long, over the past few weeks I've really come to love Chelsie. As I wrote in my post last night, I don't think there's anything she can't do.

Except advance to the So You Think You Can Dance Top 4.

I'm also bummed that Mark got bumped in favor of Twitch. By now regular Idol Thoughts readers know how I feel about Twitch, and, I'm not gonna lie, I truly believe he's going to bring down the quality of the final four. More than that, though, I'm disappointed we won't be treated to Mark's special brand of talent. Sure, he wasn't gonna win this thing, but it would have been fun to see him try.

As for that final four, I'm guessing it's going to come down to Katee vs. Joshua. Twitch and Courtney will have their moments (especially if Twitch and Josh are paired on a fierce hip-hop routine), but, since neither Katee or Josh has ever been in the Bottom 2, common sense says they'll be battling it out for the crown.

How appropriate. I can't wait.

Big Brother 10's Jessie Godderz Did Muscle Porn



Big Brother 10's Jessie Godderz is the gift that keeps on giving. First there were the naked pictures (CLICK HERE TO SEE 'EM), and now it comes out that he did muscle porn!

Now, the "real" name for this kind of "art" is repetrope. According to "New Vulgarity," this is muscle videos marketed to [gay] men who get off on big muscle working out and flexing. A few of their featured flex masters have gone onto porn careers - of the gay kind."

Yeah...muscle porn.

Also featured in the pictures is Jessie's "good buddy" Ward Patrick.

Enjoy the pics!



Big Brother 10 Spoiler! The New Head of Household Is...

SPOILER! SPOILER!

You know the deal...don't read if you don't want to know.

SPOILER! SPOILER!

The new Head of Household is...

April!

Ugh.

Thought April promised to keep both she and Jessie safe this week, Michelle, who came in 2nd, is apparently not taking the loss well. 20 minutes after the competition she is still crying.

Maybe she is this season's Amber after all.

Stay tuned for more...

READ: Big Brother's Jessie Did Muscle Porn!