'Cathouse' Rings in 2008 with Brothel Musical on HBO

This New Year's Eve, HBO rings in 2008 with a special singing-and-dancing edition of "Cathouse," as the working girls from the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, Nevada's famed legal brothel, display previously unseen talents on Cathouse: The Musical.  The all-new, adults-only special debuts Monday, December 31 (12:05-1:00 a.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Jan. 3 (11:00 p.m.), 9 (11:00 p.m.), 14 (2:00 a.m.), 19 (12:20 a.m.), 23 (1:00 a.m.) and 25 (12:30 a.m.). HBO2 playdates:  Jan. 1 (1:15 a.m.), 21 (1:35 a.m.) and 31 (midnight)

"Premiering five minutes after the ball drops on 2008, Cathouse: The Musical will feature star turns from 'Cathouse' favorites Air Force Amy and Brooke Taylor, as well as new girls Lexi Lovelace, Gretchen Wilde and Eden 38DD.  Owner Dennis Hof even gets in on the act, gamely donning a tux and top hat for selections with current girlfriend Brooke Taylor, as well as a chorus line of Bunny Ranch hoofers," explain press notes…

"Cathouse: The Musical joins the girls, clad in an assortment of slinky siren gowns, as they practice and perform 11 classic numbers onstage.  Singing solo and in groups, the working girls put their own sexy spin on popular standards from such composers as Cole Porter, Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, Charles Strouse, Al Dubin and Harry Warren."

Highlights include "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," "I Wanna Be Loved By You," "Let's Do It" and the more contemporary "I Know What Boys Like."

Overseeing the show's musical numbers are accomplished Broadway talents Fred Barton, co-creator, arranger, performer and pianist of the internationally acclaimed revue "Forbidden Broadway," and Scott Thompson, an award-winning choreographer-director who boasts an extensive list of New York and regional theatre credits.

Cathouse: The Musical alsofeaturesscenes shot inside the familiar environs of the Bunny Ranch, including footage of trysts taken by hidden cameras located in party bedrooms.  (As always, before sex takes place, customers are informed they are being taped, and their appearance in the program is subject to signing a consent agreement.)

Cathouse: The Musical is the latest chapter in a TV phenomenon.  In 2002, HBO's cameras went inside the Moonlite Bunny Ranch for the first time in the original "Cathouse" special, followed a year later by "Cathouse 2:  Back in the Saddle."  The 11-episode "Cathouse:  The Series" debuted in 2005, while the six-episode "Cathouse Season Two" was seen earlier this year.

Cathouse: The Musical was directed & produced by Patti Kaplan; executive producer, Sheila Nevins; editor & creative consultant, Phillip Schopper; director of photography, Tom Hurwitz; co-producer, Larissa Bills, supervising producer, Sara Bernstein; music supervision and arrangements, Fred Barton; musical numbers staged by Scott Thompson.