Don McLean News

Stephen Hanks, BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Columnist has produced and will host Stephen's Angels, a cabaret variety show presented by ScoBar Entertainment and slated for the Iridium Jazz Club on May 14 at 10pm. Stephen's Angels will introduce audiences to six 'smart, sassy, sexy young women, whose singing is sublime.' Five of the six ladies are currently preparing summer or fall cabaret shows for the Metropolitan Room, and one will be launching a CD release show at the Laurie Beechman Theater in June.

The phenomenal 45-year career of international megastar Julio Iglesias, one of the world's ten best-selling recording artists with global sales in excess of 300 million units, is the focus of an inspired new collection of his signature songs entitled 1 – GREATEST HITS. The title is set for release today, April 9, 2013, through Legacy nd Sony Music Entertainment.

The phenomenal 45-year career of international megastar Julio Iglesias, one of the world's ten best-selling recording artists with global sales in excess of 300 million units, is the focus of an inspired new collection of his signature songs entitled 1 GREATEST HITS.

The phenomenal 45-year career of international megastar Julio Iglesias, one of the world's ten best-selling recording artists with global sales in excess of 300 million units, is the focus of an inspired new collection of his signature songs entitled 1 – GREATEST HITS. The title is set for release April 9, 2013, through Legacy nd Sony Music Entertainment.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today 34 additions to its 2013 summer schedule at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. In a wide-ranging season that features opera, theatre, comedy, dance, symphony, international and contemporary music, Wolf Trap continues to strengthen its commitment to the presentation of high quality, accessible and affordable arts experiences for the broadest possible audience. Tickets to the newly announced shows go on sale Saturday, March 16 at 10 am, with more performances to be announced later this spring.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today 34 additions to its 2013 summer schedule at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. In a wide-ranging season that features opera, theatre, comedy, dance, symphony, international and contemporary music, Wolf Trap continues to strengthen its commitment to the presentation of high quality, accessible and affordable arts experiences for the broadest possible audience. Tickets to the newly announced shows go on sale Saturday, March 16 at 10 am, with more performances to be announced later this spring.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today 34 additions to its 2013 summer schedule at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

West End and Broadway superstar Ruthie Henshall has just released her new solo album, I'VE LOVED THESE DAYS..., featuring an ecclectic assortment of musical material sure to please fans of the triple-threat performer on both shores and beyond.

The phenomenal 45-year career of international megastar Julio Iglesias, one of the world's ten best-selling recording artists with global sales in excess of 300 million units, is the focus of an inspired new collection of his signature songs entitled 1 GREATEST HITS.

Wow, talk about a thumbs up! BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Reviewer/Columnist Stephen Hanks received such a positive reaction to his '2012 Best of New York Cabaret' piece posted yesterday that we thought it would be fun for him to add to his original 13 "honorable mentions" list. So, here for your holiday week reading pleasure is Part 2 of his "Best" and "Most" Honorable Mentions in Cabaret for 2012 with 21 new listings (because an even 20 would be trite). Enjoy!

This past Saturday night, I was finally able to catch Jeff Macauley's show 'It Was Me: The Lyrics of Norman Gimbel,' and found it to be one of the most charming cabaret shows-male or female-that I saw this year. Macauley doesn't possess a particularly powerful voice or a wide vocal range, but he has a smooth, endearing baritone that can occasionally hit tough tenor notes, and for this show he displayed a knack for offering interesting and humorous biographical anecdotes as if he were a smooth jazz FM deejay. Dapper and Mad Men-esque in a tight black suit and black bow tie, Macauley presented his show as if he was a classic 'lounge lizard,' but in the best sense of that term.

NBC will air the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this Thursday morning at 9am ET. John Piper, VP Creative Director at Macys Parade Studio, gives NBCUDirect a private tour of all the new floats that will appear in this year's parade. Check it out below!

America's favorite holiday tradition, the 86th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, returns to dazzle and enchant millions nationwide on Thursday, November 22. "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" will take to the streets of New York City with a cornucopia of whimsical treats for the whole family. With more than 3.5 million spectators watching the revelry live -- and more than 50 million viewers tuned in to the magic nationwide -- the 86th edition of the world-famous spectacle promises to be the nation's largest Thanksgiving Day celebration.

America's favorite holiday tradition, the 86th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, returns to dazzle and enchant millions nationwide on Thursday, November 22. "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" will take to the streets of New York City with a cornucopia of whimsical treats for the whole family. With more than 3.5 million spectators watching the revelry live -- and more than 50 million viewers tuned in to the magic nationwide -- the 86th edition of the world-famous spectacle promises to be the nation's largest Thanksgiving Day celebration.

This year's MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE will feature performances from Broadway's best musicals, including "Annie," "Bring It On," Rodgers + Hammerstein's "Cinderella," "Elf" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It." In addition, the world-famous Radio City Rockettes® will join the presentation to help kick-off the holidays.

Since bursting onto the New York musical theater scene in 1995 with his short-lived, but highly-praised Off-Broadway revue Songs For a New World, and then winning a 1999 Tony Award for Best Score for another short-lived show, Parade, pundits have been consistently predicting Jason Robert Brown's membership into the musical theater composer pantheon. While he has quite made it there yet, this week at his concerts at 54 Below (September 11-15), Brown offered a preview of songs from upcoming musicals that could finally allow him entree among the gods of Broadway musical composing.

70s pop icon Helen Reddy made a much anticipated return to singing with two concerts, one at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano Friday August 10 and then Saturday August 11 at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills. I covered the event on Saturday at the Canyon Club, and depsite hours of traffic congestion on the 101, the house was packed with overly enthusiastic fans and friends.

So many cabaret shows, so little time . . . to write reviews that is. During his almost two years as a cabaret reviewer, BroadwayWorld.com critic Stephen Hanks managed to do a pretty good job of writing critiques during a show's run or soon after the run ended. But this summer he just couldn't keep up. Finally, here are observations on 10 performances over the past two months.