Doesn't Everybody Just Break Out Singing In Real Life? Or Is It Just Me?

Seriously, I'm not THAT much a musical theatre queen. I just like to talk about it.

So if you've already read ModFab or Playbill or BroadwayWorld, you'll already know that the cast of Mamma Mia's movie version is growing everyday, now with Christine Baranski (The Birdcage), Julie Walters (Billy Elliot), Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried (Veronica Mars), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys, and who I picked last year as one of the next up and comers to watch for), Stellan Skarsgard and according to the imdb page, a rumoured Bill Nighy (though I have a feeling it's either Stellan or Bill as the third potential father), all who will join Meryl Streep (who apparently has just signed onto the film version of another Broadway hit, Doubt) as they sing and dance to Abba in a ludicrous, and ludicrously enjoyable musical.

Sweeney Todd opens in the fall. Hairspray's new trailer is out. I can't WAIT for all these movie musicals, even though they've been screwing up most of them of late (Rent, The Producers, Dreamgirls). Still, I'm optimistic. SEE, I'm not ANGRY all the time. I just get angry AFTER I'm disappointed when I actually see the results.

I have to say though, the cast of Hairspray STILL excites me. No, not John Travolta (who isn't in the trailer that much... hmm), but between Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer and all the teens, including Amanda Bynes (above with newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, who, after seeing She's The Man a few weeks back, confirms that I HEART AMANDA BYNES and she has the funniest facial expressions from any actress in that age group and can turn ANYTHING into comic gold (see What I Like About You)), Zac Efron (High School Musical), Brittany Snow (American Dreams) and Elijah Kelly (Take The Lead, the most awesomest movie of last year... okay. no, but better than you expected? yes? I for one, was actually surprised that it didn't totally suck, thank god.) Anyways, here's the first blogger review that I found that has seen a screening of a roughcut for Hairspray and so far so good!


ModFab also reports of a Spiderman musical in the works. Marvel confirmed. Good heavens no. Although what happened to the Batman musical they had talked about?

Fame is being redone for MGM for summer 2008 release in movie theatres. Sign Travis Wall up NOW. Highbrow (my former fellow blogger and initiator of this blog who dropped out due to laziness and somehow left me hanging around here, what the?) has said that now is finally the time to redo Fame (the incarnation on Fox a few years back in the 90's was just too early, and poorly executed at that), and So You Think You Can Dance's Season 2 runner up Travis Wall would be PERFECT as one of the dancing students.

Meanwhile, word on livejournal so far is that Legally Blonde is okay but not going to be really a contender against Spring Awakening for Best Musical. Which didn't win the Pulitzer (mainly cause apparently it didn't really qualify, or at least that's what I keep telling myself) but Rabbit Hole did, which also starred John Galagher Jr. (who totally deserves to win the Tony for Best Featured Actor this year).

John Lloyd Young just re-signed for another 6 months on Jersey Boys, not that you can really get tickets still for the next year, so it's still too late unless you want to line up for 4 hours for standing room or student rush (which yes, it's actually quite worth it. Just don't go next week because my sister is trying to get the student rush tickets again, and I'm a protective brother).

Anyways, ModFab does a great weekly column Stage Addiction that compiles all the new stories from the Broadway news sites and whatever insiders info he seems to have. Though he fears the Mamma Mia movie, which I'm all excited about, but I'll forgive the doubters! (I know, watch me ranting wrong in 2008...) hmm... I'm shilling a lot for this dude today...(?)