With A Little Help From My Friends

Music Monday: Songs that pick me up on a bad day!On sad gloomy days like today these are a few songs I can depend on to make me feel better.

1) Side by Side/ What Would We Do Without You?: Company (2006) featuring Raul Esparaza and company. This song's meaning is better sweet because it is the song where Robert realizes that he is alone but on the plus side its so upbeat that it softens the blow of being alone.

2) With A Little Help From My Friends: from the film the Universe featuring Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson and company. This song just makes you want to be drunk singing with close friends.

3) And Then There Were None (live at the apple store recording) from Spring Awakening Live featuring John Gallagher Jr. This is a great let out your anger song. You can sing it at the top of your lungs and release all that negative energy.

4) Skid Row: Little Shop of Horrors: Original cast recording featuring Ellen Greene and Lee Wikof. This song makes you see that even though life sucks you can sing a fun song about it.

5)La Vie Boheme: Rent (movie cast): featuring Anthony Rapp and company. There is no better song that one could sing to tell the world that yes I am different but I love it!

"With A Little Help From My Friends"-Song from Across the Universe.

Oh Somebody, ooh (Somebody)

Here are some video's to get you ready for GLEE on Wednesday!!!




"Oh Somebody, ooh (Somebody)"-lyrics from Somebody to Love a song performed on GLEE

I'm dreaming of a white christmas, with every christmas card I write

Since it is the season for giving here are some ideas for you if you are buying for a Broadway Lover: (key $-25 and under, $$-25-50, $$$ 50-100)

1) PlayBills $-$$: Find out what that person's favorite show is and get them the playbill for it. Or get them a Playbill binder for them to keep them safe. Where to buy? Playbill.com

2) Tickets to a Show $$-$$$: There are lots of great show in town right now. I would suggest for LA crowds to get tickets to Mary Poppins at the Ahmanson Theatre (now to Feb 2010), Dream Girls at the Ahmanson Theatre (Feb 2010- April 2010), Kelli O'Hara at the OCPAC (Jan 2010) or Paulo Szot OCPAC (April 2010).

3) The Broadway Cares Collection - 2009 Christmas Ornament: $ features the logos of more than 20 Broadway shows, including 9 to 5, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Finian's Rainbow, Guys and Dolls, Hair, In the Heights, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Memphis, next to normal, The Phantom of the Opera, Rock of Ages, Shrek the Musical, South Pacific, Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark, West Side Story, White Christmas and Wicked.

4) PLAYBILL BROADWAY YEARBOOK 2008 - 2009 Season: 5th Annual Edition: $This book is a must for any Broadway fanatic. It features a chapter for each of the shows that ran on Broadway between June 2008 - May 2009.

5) The Broadway Cares Collection - 2009 Throw Blanket : $$$ Features show logos from: 9 to 5, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Finian's Rainbow, Guys and Dolls, Hair, In the Heights, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Memphis, next to normal, The Phantom of the Opera, Rock of Ages, Shrek the Musical, South Pacific, Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark, West Side Story, White Christmas and Wicked.A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item go to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

6) Broadway Musicals Show by Show: Sixth Edition (Paperback) $: the volume includes basic facts about more than 300 important shows, a brief synopsis of each, credits, and gossipy facts. This book looks great I have stopped to check it out at the book store and I was great a must buy.

7) Get them show Mechanise:$-$$ A T-shirt, hat, key chain from their favorite show. Where to buy? go to that productions website, most of them have their own on-line store, amazon, and playbill.com also have great deals. Here are few popular shows:

http://www.avenueqgoods.com/

http://westsidestorygoods.com/

http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/shop/

http://www.intheheightsthemusical.com/merchandise.html
http://www.spamalotshop.com/

http://go-disneyshopping.com/DOBBTQ

http://www.playbillstore.com/netonobrmuso.html

8) GLEE: Disc One and Disc Two now in stores. I have both and they are SOOO GOOD.

DVD comes out on the 19th of Dec.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write "-lyrics from White Christmas from Meet Me In St. Louis and White Christmas the musical

Someone to watch over me

The Power of Two: Michael Fienstein and Cheyenne Jackson: So I do not have this CD just yet but I am hoping to get it once the holidays are over and I have some extra cash... but I am in love with it. Michael Feinstein is a 5 time Grammy Award nominee and platinum selling singer, and pianist. Cheyenne Jackson is known as a hit Broadway star of Xanadu, All Shook Up, the revival of Finian's Rainbow, and from 30 Rock on NBC. This is the two's 1st CD together and it is based on their sold out show at Feinstein's New York club at the Loews Regency. The song features a mix between Broadyway classics, American standards and pop songs. My favorite song on the album is Someone To Watch Over Me.

"Someone To Watch Over Me" song from Oh, Kay!

Do you know what's worth fighting for? When it's not worth dying for?

Green Day let their curious fans get a small a glance into show their 1st attempt at a Broadway show this week. They released a new version of '21 Guns' performed by the 'American Idiot' cast alongside Green Day themsleves. Click Below to here to the whole song:

Green Day With the 'American Idiot' Cast, '21 Guns' -- Song Premiere - Spinner

I personally love the song and I can not wait for the show to open in NYC soon. I am guessing that the show find a home by late spring ealry fall 2010. When it does open I will make sure I get to see it on the Broadway stage where it belongs!

"Do you know what's worth fighting for? When it's not worth dying for?"-lyrics from 21 Guns from American Idiot

Maybe / Next to Normal

Could the Next to Normal cast and crew memebers be any cutier?
I want to see this show soooo bad!Watch below:

"Maybe / Next to Normal"-song from Next to Normal

If This Isnt Love

I think I am kinda in LOVE with Cheynne Jackson and here is why:


"If This Isnt Love"-somg from FINIANS RAINBOW

9 to 5

Congratulations to the following Broadway casts for on their Grammy nominations. Best Musical Show Album:
-Ain't Misbehavin'Robert Sher, producer (Various, composer; Various, lyricist) (30th Anniversary Cast Recording With Ruben Studdard, Frenchie Davis & Others)[Rhino]

-HairNoah Cornman, Kurt Deutsch, Joel Moss & Steve Norman, producers (Galt MacDermot, composer; James Rado & Gerome Ragni, lyricists) (New Broadway Cast With Sasha Allen, Gavin Creel & Others)[Razor & Tie Entertainment/Ghostlight Records]

-9 To 5 The MusicalFrank Filipetti, producer; Dolly Parton, composer; Dolly Parton, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty & Others)[Dolly Records/Artist2Market Distribution]

-Shrek The MusicalPeter Hylenski & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; David Lindsay-Abaire, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Brian d'Arcy James, Sutton Foster & Others)[Decca Broadway]

-West Side StoryDavid Caddick & David Lai, producers (Leonard Bernstein, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (New Broadway Cast with Matt Cavenaugh, Josefina Scaglione & Others)[Masterworks Broadway]

"9 to 5"-song from 9 to 5 the musical

Smile

GLEE WEEKLY UPDATE!

Episode 12: Once Upon A Mattress

What a GREAT episode! What drama! Let's review: Its school photo's time. Sue got work done for her pic. Emma is set to marry Ken on the same day as Sectionals. Will thinks Ken choice that date so that he can not attend. Rachel wants to be the most involved person in school. Ever year the GLEE club photo gets defaced in the yearbook. GLEE gets their page removed because of the defacing, but Will pays for them to have one anyways. The GLEE club elects Rachel as team captain because the do not want to get their face written on. She thinks her photo for the yearbook is practice for the paparazzi. Rachel books a commercial for the GLEE club to become stars. They sing for a mattress commercial and get free mattress as a thank you. Will finds out Teri is faking her pregnancy. He confronts her and all HELL breaks lose. She tells him that she lie to save their marriage because she thought she was losing him to the GLEE club. He spends the night in his office on one of the mattresses the kids got as compensation for the commercial. Then Sue sees the commercial on TV and claims that if the kids accept the gift of the mattress then they should be disqualified from performing because it is against the rules. Will stands up and takes the fall for the kids and is no longer able to be part of the team. Quinn comes to the rescue and confronts Sue about her accepting gifts. She blackmails Sue into giving the glee club one of the Cheerios' six pages. GLEE gets a group picture and sing Smile. Amazing

ON GLEE WEBSITE: Target 12 days of GLEE (click on each song title to watch the video clip):

On the first day of Glee: Don't Stop Believing
On the second day of Glee: Take a Bow
On the third day of Glee: Single Ladies
On the fourth day of Glee: Somebody to Love
On the fifth day of Glee: It's My Life
On the sixth day of Glee: Walking on Sunshine
On the seventh day of Glee: Hate on Me
On the eighth day of Glee: Keep Holding On
On the ninth day of Glee: Busta Move
On the tenth day of Glee: Sweet Caroline
On the eleventh day of Glee: Defying Gravity
On the twelfth day of Glee: Lean on Me

NOW ON iTUNES: The Glee cast sings "Last Christmas," originally recorded by Wham! Buy it! b/c it is soooooo good!

Do not forget next week is the fall finale of GLEE. The show will not be back until APRIL. Until then I will still have weekly updates, so stay tuned!

"Smile"-song performed on GLEE

My Friends

As previsouly reported the Roundabout Theatre Company will welcome back Stephen Sondheim to Studio 54 with Sondheim on Sondheim. This is a brand new original Broadway musical with music & lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, conceived & directed by James Lapine. The show will star Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Michael Arden & Leslie Kritzer. This limited engagement will start priviews on March 19th, 2010, with an official open April 22nd, 2010 and will Sunday, June 13th, 2010. Tickets on sale this month and can be bought by phone at (212) 719-1300, online at http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/.

Roundabout Theatre Company will also host a 2010 SPRING GALA: SONDHEIM 80: The Gala will be held on Stephen Sondheim birthday Monday, March 22nd, 2010. They will have an all star tribute celebrating his six decades on Broadway. All proceeds from this event will benefit Roundabout Theatre Company's Musical Theatre Fund. For more information, please contact Steve Schaeffer, Director of Special Events, at 212-719-9393 x312 or steves@roundabouttheatre.org.

"My Friends"song from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street