Theater Review: Hair Live at the Hollywood Bowl #HAIRatthebowl

The Age of Aquarius came alive under the stars tonight as the anti-war flower children of Hair took over the Hollywood Bowl. This was the first time I'd seen a musical at the Bowl and the first time I'd seen Hair at all so I was looking forward to a good time.

The powerhouse cast alone is enough to make this a must see show but to see them actually perform it only confirms that. The entire cast turned in a wonderful performance and made a memorable first viewing of this historical play.

With names like Kristen Bell, Hunter Parish, Beverly D'Angelo, Jonah Platt, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Sarah Hyland, and more you know you're in for something special. For me, the big draw was Kristen Bell. It's no secret I am a huge fan of hers and the chance to see her performing live on stage was too great to pass up. She was fantastic but it was another actress who stole the show: Sarah Hyland. I was blown away by her. She was charming, funny, and I am pretty sure she was on stage the entire first act. She handled some unexpected mic trouble like a seasoned broadway veteran, and even ad-libbed a joke about it in act two. This girl is definitely more than Modern Family.

Another stand out was Amber Riley. What a voice this girl has. A true talent with a killer voice and comedy chops as well.

I don't mean to leave the gentlemen out of the review here. The guys were great but to be honest, the ladies owned it tonight.

As the show went on, another unexpected issue came up: a rare summer rainstorm. Unfortunately, the fickle LA audience wasn't having the rain and a lot of people began heading for the doors. This was just moments into act two by the way and no amount of praying for star shine or sunshine was keeping the rain at bay. The cast referenced the rain in a couple clever ways and the Bowl staff passed out ponchos. The audience that remained (it was still a lot of people) were treated to a high energy and emotional finale.

One drawback is that a show like Hair is better served in a more intimate venue where cast interactions with the audience can be more appreciated and enjoyed than with a massive Bowl audience.

With great direction and choreography along with a talented and captivating cast, Hair at the Hollywood Bowl is a wonderful way to spend an evening.

You have one more chance to catch this great show tonight (Sunday August 3) at 7:30pm.

Hair

8/10 Tie Dyes!

For more information and tickets click HERE.

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Glee Is Ending

Ryan Murphy has confirmed that Glee will end after its upcoming sixth season.  He also knows how it will end despite having to alter his original plans after the untimely death of Cory Monteith.

Murphy said that the last season was going to be a Rachel/Finn storyline and that, "I always knew how it would end. I knew what the last shot was -- he was in it. I knew what the last line was; she said it to him. So when a tragedy like that happens you sort of have to pause and figure out what you want to do."

He also says the final episode will "honor" Cory Monteith.

What do you guys think?  Is it time for Glee to sing its way off into that great night?

SOURCE

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TV Review: Glee - The Quarterback

I was hesitant to write a review or anything on this at all for fear that some might think I was attempting to capitalize off the attention the episode was receiving. In fact, even as I am writing I'm considering abandoning it all together. So I guess if you are reading this that means I wrote the entire thing and hit that publish button.

This review isn't being done as a blogger or a journalist or whatever category someone like me fits into. It's being done as a fan of Glee since the beginning. I'm writing as someone who has the music, has the blu-rays, watches every week, and someone who has enjoyed these characters for five years.   It's pretty safe to say that I am invested.

I'm can also easily admit to the fact that Glee has never been as good as it was when it first started.  I still enjoy it and it still has moments of greatness but it's just never hit the highs of that first season.

You can see that encapsulated perfectly in last night's episode.

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Here Is Lea Michelle Singing A Beatles Song.

and it's awesome.

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American Horror Story Season 1 Blu-Ray Review

One of the most talked about new television shows last year, FX's American Horror Story, is now on Blu-Ray and DVD. Nominated for 17 Emmys, the show created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (the guys behind "Glee" and "Nip/Tuck") successfully brought the modern horror genre to the small screen.

The Harmon family, Dylan McDermott (The Campaign), Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights"), and Tarissa Farmiga (Higher Ground), move across the country to start anew. The problem is that they have moved into the infamous "Murder House" complete with a strange, southern belle neighbor played by Jessica Lange (Blue Sky) in a Golden Globe winning performance. A slew of supporting characters including Kate Mara ("24"), Zachary Quinto ("Heroes", Star Trek), Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under"), Mena Suvari (American Beauty), and Denis O'Hare ("True Blood") round out the stellar cast.

The Blu-Ray contains all 12 episodes from Season 1 on 3 discs. The Special Features include: Audio Commentary on Pilot by Ryan Murphy, Behind the Fright: The Making of American Horror Story, The Murder House presented by Eternal Darkness Tours of Hollywood, Overture to Horror: Creating the Title Sequence, and Out of the Shadows: Meet the House Ghosts.

Each one of the special features is great! I would have liked to see some commentary on a few of the other episodes. Also, I think the cover worked as a poster to create buzz, but the cover of the Season 1 Blu-Ray should be something different, but other than that it's great. If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend it to any horror fan!

American Horror Story Season 1 Blu-Ray gets a ghastly 9 out of 10 Haunted Houses!

Be sure to watch the Season 2 premiere of American Horror Story: Asylum on October 17th only on FX!

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Britney Spears to Appear on Glee

Rumors have been flying around about the Pop Princess appearing on the FOX hit show "Glee" for some time now.  Britney brought much GLEE to fans yesterday when she tweeted a pic from her first day on set http://twitpic.com/2fykx7.

Did the acting bug bite Britney again?  Can we look forward to a "Crossroads 2"?  ::holds breath::

Follow Britney on twitter @britneyspears for more updates as they come along and keep an eye out for new music from Brit-Brit too.

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