NSA. Duncan-Sheik. Janet Jackson._________
After Sir Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, saw Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical in Sydney, John now wants to bring Priscilla to the West End before taking on Manhattan, according to The New York Daily News. The Tiny Dancer singer has had a fair share of luck with musicals, such as Billy Elliott, The Lion King and AIDA, but here is not the place to sink my teeth into that bloody mess, The Vampire Lestat. The Rocket Man can ponder pink buses some more during his spring run at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Following the successful sequined tails of Mama Mia!, Priscilla is based on the breakout hit 1994 movie. Even the disco-fueled soundtrack is being tailored for the stage. The movie originally was intended to be about a trio who loves Kylie Minogue, but she was later trumped by ABBA to ensure a broader appeal. The stage adaptation in Australia has the pop princess back as the show's icon of choice.
After a hiatus, RuPaul is returning to the silver screen as the title character in Star Booty: Reloaded. The Pam Grier-meets-Charlie's Angels-inspired persona is re-emerging alongside New York's Candis Cayne and adult film stars Gus Mattox and Michael Lucas. Suddenly it feels like 1977 all over again. Can't wait that long? Check out Ru's fierce sleaze dance cut, Computer Love, with NSA. Here, the supermodel of the world is a shade shady about on-line chat rooms, all while remaining the queen of clubs.
The recipe for any great musical movie includes deceit, drugs, premature death and scandal, and the forthcoming Milli Vanilli biopic will have it all. Jeff Nathanson ( Catch Me If You Can ) is pegged to pen the screenplay. Will the Milli Vanilli motion picture turn out more like Ray or will its fate be in the same realm as Rockstar? Somebody had to like Milli Vanilli. Not only did the act's debut disc sell over 6 million units in the U.S. alone, but it spawned five hits and earned the lip-synching pair the Grammy for Best New Artist. Honestly, it would be great to see Downtown Julie Brown portray herself in this film. At least give the former Playboy pin-up a cameo.
In good company with Sinead O'Connor and The Grateful Dead, Duncan Sheik is pigeonholed as a one-hit wonder. The Barely Breathing singer-songwriter keeps his fans thriving with five albums and regular concert appearances. The Northalsted Street Market Days veteran's latest project is the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Spring Awakening. Described as a more modern take on Rent via Camp and Hair, Spring Awakening is based on Frank Wedekind's play about the woes of adolescence. Sheik is scheduled to perform on May 3 at the Raue Center for the Performing Arts in Crystal Lake.
Slated for a September release, Julie Taymor's ( Frida, Titus ) next film Across The Universe is a love story amid the height of the protests, the Vietnam War and the counter culture of the late 60s. The picture is loaded with covers of Beatles' songs as a back drop. In Universe, which is a far cry from Jessie Nelson's I Am Sam, the protagonist is named Jude, as in Hey Jude. There are characters named Lucy and Prudence, referring to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and Dear Prudence. Expect appearances by Taymor alumna Salma Hayek, Bono and Eddie Izzard.
While the visual effects in the trailer are mind-altering, I am still on the fence when artists cover the Fab Four's catalog. Does anybody remember Michael Jackson or Junior Vasquez remaking Come Together? I didn't think so. However, there are some are outstanding interpretations, such as Siouxsie and the Banshees' Dear Prudence, Nina Simone's Here Comes the Sun, Annie Lennox's unplugged Don't Let Me Down, George Michael's Long and Winding Road and PP Arnold's—yes, of the Ikettes and KLF fame—Eleanor Rigby.
Now how can we not mention Yoko Ono? John Lennon's widow just came out with the aptly titled Yes, I'm A Witch, on Astralwerks. Here, Lennon's muse is sampled and covered by the next generation, including Antony and the Johnsons; Le Tigre; Cat Power; The Flaming Lips; Blow Up; and Peaches. Ono did not need to hide behind her trademark sunglasses or the moniker ONO in 2003 when she teamed with The Pet Shop Boys for her dance hit Walk On Thin Ice. In 2004, she specially tweaked her classic Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him to have the lyrics in favor of same-sex marriage. Hoping to step out on the dance floor again, the human rights activist's compilation of remixes, titled Open Your Box, is due out in April. Also on the 50th anniversary of meeting her soul mate, Ono is releasing Strawberry Fields: Keeping The Sprit Of John Lennon Alive.
Does anybody else recall Jermaine Dupri promising that Mariah Carey would duet with Janet Jackson on last year's 20 Y.O.? It did not happen, but both divas are looking to venture back into acting. Miss Jackson is rumored to be linked to the next Tyler Perry film and Carey will trade in her Long Island accent for a southern one in Tennessee. Yes, that Tennessee—the movie for which Jackson gained weight and learned to play the guitar, but decided not to be in. With both Carey and Bernie Mac in it, the small budget Tennessee ought to glitter as a comedy.
