S: is for focus on Service

The new video “WAR ON CHRISTMAS DAY” debuts today. This is the first video from Carol Hall’s award-winning CD, HALLWAYS, The Songs of Carol Hall. The song, “War On Christmas Day”, was inspired by a young Pvt 1st Class, a friend of Carol Hall’s family, who had just finished her second tour of duty. The video was made in gratitude and appreciation for the valiant men and women serving in our armed forces. Performed by Scott Coulter, Tim Di Pasqua and Tom Andersen, “War On Christmas Day,” is the 12th cut on the award-winning CD, and has lyrics by Carol Hall and music by Robert Burke. HALLWAYS, The Songs of Carol Hall (LML MUSIC) was originally released on March 11th, 2008 nationally in stores and online at iTunes and Amazon.com. The CD’s critical and popular success led to a second printing, which shipped January 20th, 2009. Most recently winning the Bistro ASCAP Award for Outstanding CD, the album is being readied for a third printing. In a time when we are celebrating those close to us, this video brings us back to reality. This video will move you like no other. How easy it is to forget we are missing our young who so bravely are giving their lives. What a gift and we forget to cherish that. This vedio gives us a reality check. To view the video go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agC3t3KOvRs

T: is for the theatre Gods

The theatre Gods are shouting with glee as the Roundabout Theatre Company announces Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine return to Studio 54 with Sondheim on Sondheim, a new original Broadway musical starring Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton & Matthew Scott. Music & lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, and conceived & directed by James Lapine.

Sondheim on Sondheim will begin previews on March 19th, 2010 and open officially April 22nd, 2010 at Studio 54 on Broadway (254 West 54th Street). This will be a limited engagement through Sunday, June 13th, 2010.

It has been over 37 years since Barbara Cook appeared in a Broadway musical. Ms. Cook won the 1958 Tony Award for her portrayal of “Marian Paroo” in The Music Man. She has been called one of the greatest interpreters Sondheim and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Theatrical Event for her solo, limited engagement concert Mostly Sondheim in 2002.

Vanessa Williams received a 2002 Tony Award nomination for her performance of the “Witch” in Into the Woods and made her Broadway debut in 1994 in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

C: Is for Carrie Newcomer

Rounder Records announced Carrie Newcomer’s latest album Before and After, set for release on February 23rd, 2010. The acclaimed singer/songwriter has created a brand new album that captures her uniquely irreverent and spiritual take on the world. This latest release, Newcomer emphasizes “is not an album about being flashy or playing lot of notes, it’s about playing the most elegant notes and placing them perfectly.” And indeed, Before and After combines the very best of Newcomer’s folk-roots sound, overlaid with Appalachian and classical influences. Featuring a special guest appearance from Mary Chapin Carpenter, coupled with Newcomer’s voice, the album launches itself with an unforgettably haunting and beautiful collaboration from two of acoustic music’s most resonant female vocalists.

Before and After is Newcomer’s twelfth release on Rounder, with prior albums including Regulars & Refugees, The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty’s Diner collection and her last album, the critically acclaimed The Geography of Light. The melodious sound on Before and After results from closely working with a core of exceptional musicians who combine piano, violin, mandolin, cello, bass and percussion with Newcomer’s adept guitar work and soulful voice, which the Austin Statesman has described as being “as rich as Godiva chocolate.” As always, Newcomer’s work is inspired and influenced by her friendships and collaborations with influential authors, theologians and fellow songwriters, including Parker J. Palmer, Phillip Gulley, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Scott Russell Sanders, Barbara Kingsolver and Jill Bolte Taylor.

It is no surprise that her music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, Paste Magazine and many other outlets. She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station, and her song “I Should’ve Known Better” was recorded by Nickel Creek on their Grammy®-winning, gold-selling album This Side. Her successful 2008 release, The Geography of Light, earned her Artist of the Year and Album of the Year from Folk Wax Magazine.

In addition to a busy year of recording and touring, in 2009 Newcomer was invited by The American Centre to visit India as a cultural ambassador, where she met and performed concerts with Indian musicians, and taught workshops on songwriting and community involvement – continuing her emphasis on outreach and helping others. About her impressions of India, Newcomer says, “music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich, and what makes each culture unique should be celebrated, but I was also powerfully moved by what we share as a human family.”

For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit www.carrienewcomer.com and www.rounder.com.

Her music reaches the heart of America and that is a F.A.C.T.

A: Is for on again off again Art

Reeve Carney will play the superhero Spider-Man in the on again off again Broadway musical, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.
U2’s Bono and The Edge will be bringing the music and lyric to the mega-production, which will be directed by Julie Taymor.
Carney joins previously announced cast members Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s girlfriend and Alan Cumming as Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin).” Carney is the lead singer of the rock band Carney. He also starred in 1999’s Snow Falling on Cedars portraying a young Ethan Hawke and plays Ferdinand in the upcoming Julie Taymor movie The Tempest. Julie Taymor stated, "Having recently finished shooting 'The Tempest' with Reeve as the young prince, I was thrilled to cast him in an entirely different role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man. Not only is Reeve a great rock and roll singer but his acting is equally fresh and authentic."

On a business note: Michael Cohl has joined the production as lead producer on the show. Jeremiah J. Harris is now second producer on the show. The full producing team for the project is Michael Cohl, Jeremiah J. Harris, Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The show will open in 2010 at the Hilton Theatre in New York.

Visit www.SpiderManOnBroadway.com.

With all the gossip floating around this show I will believe it is a F.A.C.T. when it opens.

F: Is from Film to Broadway to Museums

Disney Theatrical Productions donated objects from the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical The Lion King, to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Costume elements from the show’s protagonist Simba, and the tribal shaman Rafiki, will join the ranks of iconic objects from Broadway musicals Cats, Rent and The King and I. The stylized lion mask and headdress of Simba and costume, custom shoes and hat designed for Rafiki will be added into the museum’s permanent entertainment collections. This landmark musical event recently surpassed the 50 million mark in worldwide attendance, becoming the first American musical to reach that milestone.

The costume components designed by Julie Taymor, and the mask (co-designed by Michael Curry) were conceived for the original Broadway production, which opened on November 13, 1997. Taymor, a designer and director, has garnered acclaim for her innovative productions combining actors, masks, puppetry, ritual and large theatrical landscapes. Taymor won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design and Best Direction of a Musical for The Lion King.

The Simba mask-headdress is made of carbon graphite, a lightweight but durable material cast from a silicone mold, paint and polyester fibers. The Rafiki costume is made of cotton fabric, decorated with metal amulets, and a horsehair collar. The hat is made of textured kente cloth and the custom shoes are made of rubber.

To date, the show has been presented in 13 different countries.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Now these are F.A.C.T.S.

S: Is for Stritch at the Carlyle

The Carlyle Hotel, announced the return of resident leading lady, Elaine Stritch, to the Café Carlyle in an all-new show: “At Home At The Carlyle: Elaine Stritch Singin’ Sondheim. . . One Song At A Time.” The strictly limited engagement will play the month of January 2010, at the legendary nightspot, with opening night set for Tuesday, January 5 (through January 30).

The iconic musical theater careers of Ms. Stritch and Stephen Sondheim are inextricably linked, and this new show is the culmination of a personal and professional relationship that has spanned the better part of four decades. In “At Home At The Carlyle: Elaine Stritch Singin’ Sondheim. . . One Song At A Time,” Ms. Stritch (with Rob Bowman, Music Director) will perform the music of Mr. Sondheim, orchestrated by Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Jonathan Tunick.

“At Home At The Carlyle: Elaine Stritch Singin’ Sondheim. . . One Song At A Time” will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:45 p.m. There is a $125 music charge for all performances. Dinner is required for all shows. There will be dinner seating’s at 6:00pm, 6:30pm and 7:00pm. The Café Carlyle is located within The Carlyle Hotel (35 East 76th Street at Madison Avenue).

Stritch's Broadway credits include Angel in the Wings, Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Bus Stop, Goldilocks, Sail Away (which she performed in both New York and London), a concert at Carnegie Hall to celebrate Noel Coward’s centennial), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (following Uta Hagen in the role of Martha), Company and Showboat. Other stage credits include the concert version of both Follies and Company at Lincoln Center and her appearance in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters with Jason Robards. Ms. Stritch made her film debut in the 1957 remake of “A Farewell To Arms.” Today's audiences remember her for Monster-in-Law” with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, and “Romance and Cigarettes,” with James Gandolfini and Susan Sarandon. Ms. Stritch’s television credits include “The Cosby Show,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Soul Man,” and “30 Rock,” for which she has received a 2007 Emmy Award for her guest starring role as Colleen, Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) mother. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in “An Inconvenient Woman,” written by Dominick Dunne and won an Emmy for her recurring role on “Law & Order.” Ms. Stritch won a Tony Award and two Drama Desk Awards for the Broadway production of Elaine Stritch At Liberty and a 2004 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program.” In 2005, Elaine made her New York cabaret debut with her critically-acclaimed show “Elaine Stritch: At Home at the Carlyle” and returned the following year with an all new program entitled “Elaine Stritch: At Home at the Carlyle…Again.”

T: Is for Trouble with Health Care

One of the leading progressive champions of health care reform is pessimistic, he sees virtually no path to passing strong legislation and predicting potential congressional losses for Democrats as a consequence. Howard Dean stated that Senate Democratic leadership was "in deep trouble" on health care, even after Majority Leader Harry Reid gather over the weekend the 60 votes needed to get legislation to the floor. This is going to be death for the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] and the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]. Why would anyone donate if they're supporting candidates who defeat the Democratic agenda?"

Despite countless attempts over nearly a century, no chamber of Congress has ever before passed comprehensive health reform. This is history. Tragically, 39 Democrats, mostly corrupt, bought-out Insurance Industry shills, crossed the aisle and found themselves on the wrong side of history. Representative Paul Ryan Just Said No To Affordfable Health Care For America's Middle Class. The House of Representatives took historic bipartisan action by passing health insurance reform. Putting big insurance company profits before struggling middle class families. For years, middle class families have seen their health insurance costs skyrocket, while insurance companies have made enormous profits by limiting coverage.

The nonprofit Americans for Prosperity Foundation launched a new campaign called Patients United Now "to educate citizens about the threat of government controlled health care." As part of the campaign, an ad called "Survivor" was released on Wednesday that says Washington wants to bring "Canadian-style" health care to the U.S. -- and began airing on Wednesday a 30-minute documentary-style video entitled "End of Patient’s Rights — The Human Consequences of Government-Run Health Care." The video is airing nationally on cable networks and will air on A&E, the History Channel and the Washington NBC affiliate after "Meet the Press" on Sunday. The notion of a "government-run" health care plan is a F.A.C.T people should read up on before you lose your rights!