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| October 29th: Play time. Better ask for PlayStation 2 for Christmas if you don't already own one. Vivendi Universal Games has announced plans for 'Van Helsing' the action game, based on the movie. It will put the player in the monster hunter's leather boots as he/she goes after Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein. It's due to come out this spring in conjunction with the movie's release date of May 7th, 2004. Check out Coming Soon for more details. If you are a big Adam Cooper fan, you've no doubt already logged onto his site and read (and re-read) part three of the mini opus he's written updating us on the last three months of his very hectic life. A tip of the hat to you Mr. Cooper. The crew at ac.com have also listed some of the dates for the Japanese tour of On Your Toes coming up late spring. Sure fire bet every one of those shows sellouts. October 23rd: Van Helsing soon to be in a theatre near you. Did that jump start your heart? Well, we're teasing you just a bit because it's actually the teaser for VH which may be fronting Matrix Revolutions when it opens on November 5th. This according to a report on AICN frrom the NATO Winter Update. You have to tip your hat to Universal's excruciatingly painful for the fan marketing ploy for this movie. Very few breadcrumbs thrown our way, but always timed so nicely and pitched at whipping us all into a frenzy. Oh for a bad pun about now. In any case, we'll hit the Matrix when it opens in our corner of the world and let you know if VH does indeed make its big screen teaser debut. October 22nd: Speechless. You know how I love to talk about George Piper Dances. Well, for once I can't find any words. Eventually I may recover from the ecstacy of last night's performance. For now, let me just share this with you. This past Sunday, George Piper Dances walked away with the Theatrical Management Association's 2003 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for their Critics' Choice***** programme. William and Michael invited five of today's hottest choreographers - Matthew Bourne, Michael Clark, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Christopher Wheeldon - to each create a small work and be filmed during the process. These bits of video were then used to introduce each work to the audience, providing a better understanding of the creative process as well as an inside look into a dancer's life. Needless to say, these video clips are also highly entertaining. Let's face it, you don't often get a chance to see a dancer rehearsing in his bathtub!! This is just one of the many innovative ways that sets GPD apart from other dance companies. So, our congratulations to GPD on this wonderful honor. We know this is only the beginning of many more to come. And we thank them for a brilliant evening of dance here in Washington. We will have more for you on the Boyz in the form of an interview Carol and I were granted while they were here in Washington. We thank Fern and Louise in the GPD office for helping us set it up and to Michael and Billy for generously sharing their time with us. If you live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Albany or New York City, they are immediately headed your way. They will return to the States in February with shows in St. Louis and Chicago. Please, see them. I literally guarantee you will get hooked. I'd like to say 'or you money back', but that would get me into a lot of hot water. October 21st: "Remains is Reamed. I could revive it, but frankly I'm sick of hanging around listening to people bicker and lie." So says Director Idle in an interview with IGN FilmForce. Definitely a bummer about this film. Meanwhile, according to Dark Horizons, Van Helsing is currently back in LA for a couple weeks of additional photography and reshoots. We know Hugh's not there. As for Mr. Kemp? Umm..... dunno. He'd make a good Invisible Man, wouldn't he? Just kidding Will. We love ya and hope you are having a great time wherever and whatever you are up to right now, which of course, we are hoping to find out what that is. Hint. Hint. Okay, so Matthew Bourne once said he thought himself rather lazy. Let's see. He's busied himself with auditions, workshops and rehearsals for Play Without Words, Nutcracker! and Swan Lake. Hmmm. Yes, we could see how that might constitute slacking off a bit. NOT! According to Whatsonstage.com, Matthew has now also joined up as co-director and choreographer for a stage production of the Disney classic, 'Mary Poppins'. The show is set to open December 15, 2004. If memory serves, this isn't Mr. Bourne's first stab at helming this production. He was a seasoned veteran of what, nine or ten years old the first time. Seasoned veteran some of you may ask? Yes, he started putting on shows at about age six. Kid you not. Creative genius. He's it and that's that. Finally, working in Washington, DC you get to see the Presidential motorcade and all sorts of Prime Ministers and Heads of State always dashing about town. But I guarantee you, seeing all of them put together, would still pale considerably to seeing Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt standing at 21st and H Streets NW before your eyes. Yes, the Ballet Boyz are in my hometown. Ain't it suweeet!! GPD perform tonight at Lisner. Cloud Nine!! Why oh why can't we keep them just a little bit longer? By the way, I will be redoing the GPD Swoon page shortly. Lotsa changes. October 20th: A Message for Will From Hugh: "Thanks for the flowers. See you at the premiere." Okay here's the short version: In New York this weekend with friends. Saw Hugh Jackman in Boy from Oz. Next stop, stage door, where Hugh signed autographs, posed for photos and chatted away with fans. He was genuinely gracious, funny and warm. I asked him if he had fun working with Will on Van Helsing, to which he replied (with this incredible grin on his face), "Are you kidding?? It was great!" I shamelessly mentioned I had a site for Will and he asked if I wouldn't mind posting that message to Will. Like I am going to say no to Hugh Jackman??? In any case, if you get to New York, be sure to catch BFO. It's great fun, has a wonderful cast (Isabel Keating who plays Judy Garland looks so much like her it is almost unnerving) and Hugh, well, I'm thinking he redefines charismatic. His portrayal of Peter Allen is both funny and poignant, not to mention Mr. Jackman is smooth on his feet and can really belt out a tune. He also makes filmy shirts with sequins and glitter have a life of their own. The man knows how to sell saucy and sexy. I believe the entire audience agreed, especially when he camped it up in the number 'I Go to Rio'. My personal favorite, however, was 'Everything Old is New Again', a song I have loved forever. In white tails and top hat and a rousing Rockettes style number, he just put that baby over the top. It was absolutely astounding. I definitely count myself lucky to have seen Hugh perform live as he really puts everything he's got into his performance with an effervescent energy that spills over onto you. Plus, he may be a big star, but he is also a big sweetheart. And in a business of unchecked egos, you truly don't find that very often. You've gotta love the guy. Be sure to visit Jackman's Landing for more info and reviews on Boy from Oz. One other item. The Energizer Bunny has a hold on Adam Cooper. He's still going strong. Part two of his diary up. Also, it appears On Your Toes may be headed to Japan. More on this later. October 10th: A very chatty Adam Cooper makes up for lost time in his newest diary entry. Dig in Cooper fans! October 7th: Bigger is better. As you can see, we've changed our 'news' photo and bumped it up in size. Thank goodness someone still keeps these premiere photos coming; at least until Van Helsing loosens its grip on Velkan or Will decides to party on the red carpet again. You can see a larger version of this photo as well as a second premiere photo by checking what's behind door number one. And now for something completely different. And it's not a man with three buttocks. (That would be Monty Python humor for those thinking we've gone mad). The director of 'Remains of the Piano', also a former Python alumni, definitely feels a need to get a few things off his chest. Is he mad or just a madman? We don't care, we love the interview and we love him. Check out what's behind door number two for the delightful 'R' rated rantings of the decidedly different Eric Idle. Thanks to countingdown.com for this link. A year ago a relatively unknown british dancer drove millions to utter distraction when he donned a pair of loose fit jeans for Gap and 'got his rocks off jumping around' for what turned out to be 30 seconds of pure tease. His career path has branched out since then and he is well on his way to stardom. Some things are inevitable. If it's been awhile since you've watched that video clip or you can't get enough of it, check behind door number three, and relive the fall of 2002 all over again. Hasn't lost its punch one bit, has it? Definitely a classic. That would be both Will and the video. And in case you haven't seen him yet, this year's Will Kemp for the Fall 2003 Gap Campaign is an Italian movie actor. Well, he is no Will, but we have to admit, he does have a certain panache when it comes to throwing himself onto an unmade bed. Check behind our bonus door for this pretty nice video clip. We dare you to only watch it once. And don't forget to breathe. Arrivederci!! Second Update: Once again our plaintive cries have been heard. Okay maybe it was more liking whining. It's uncanny all the same. Nonetheless, after countless rumors back and forth, it has been confirmed that Will shall once again set sail as the loveable Ratty in this year's production of Wind in the Willows. How happy are we? Don't ask cuz we will bend your ear telling you. Also confirmed, the brilliant dancer who broke the mold as the original Toad last season, (and Dani's second favorite dancer in the world), Matt Hart. We can also confirm, Adam Cooper is out and Kenneth Tharp is in as Badger, and Iohna Loots and Tom Sapsford are back as the Rabbits. We will let you know more of the cast as we hear it. But boy oh boy is this some kind of great news!!! A million and one thank yous to the lovely lady at the ROH who sent us this treasure. (So much for 'nada'. This takes care of it quite nicely). October 6th: Will has left the building. Actually, we are not even sure he was ever in the building! Yep it's Monday, which means lame humor. On this Monday it also,unfortunately, means we've got nada on Mr. Kemp. However, all is not lost because we do have some kind of wonderful for you. He is a choreographer and he is currently 'the hottest ticket in town'. He has been called 'Britain's Balanchine','the saviour of ballet', 'the most explosively talented choreographer in the world'....the list goes on and on. He's got even the stodgiest critics purring. At 30 years old with blazing and provocative talent, boyish good looks and an amazingly gracious and savvy manner in handling all this acclaim, we knew it would not be long before someone entered his hat in the ring as one of those artists whose work leaves you absolutely breathless. Please welcome our newest Swoonworthy member, Christopher Wheeldon. October 1st: A tiny bundle of GPD joy. Our congratulations and best wishes to Michael and Belinda on the birth of their little boy this past Saturday. Mother and baby are doing fine and we imagine Michael is doing pretty darn fine too. Welcome to the world George Jacob. And thank you to Fern in George Piper Dances' office for sharing this happy news with us. |
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