Barack Obama News

With President George W. Bush set to leave office on January 20, 2009, the creators and producers of the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q have announced four possible winners of their 'Only for Now' contest to replace the lyric in the show's final number, 'For Now,' which astutely observes that everything in life -- including 'George Bush!' -- is only for now. They picked four new potential lyrics, each will be given a test drive, they are; 'Recession' 'Prop 8' 'This Show' 'Your Mother-in-Law' The 'Only for Now' contest invited participants to enter their suggestion for a new person (not necessarily a political figure), place, thing, event, fad, etc. to be considered as a substitute for the soon-to-be-outdated reference to 'George Bush' in the musical's finale. The winning entry will be performed in AVENUE Q on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

USA Today has revealed that Beyonce will sing for Barack and Michelle Obama's first dance on inauguration night. The song however is being kept a secret. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is keeping mum on the title of the song. 'It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment,' said spokeswoman Linda Douglass to the paper. The inaugural team for Barack Obama has announced a huge and starry lineup of talent that will perform at an opening celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, in a kickoff heavy in its mix of history and leading performance artists.

The Washington Post reports that music impresario Quincy Jones' passionate call for President-elect Barack Obama to give the arts and humanities a Cabinet-level post is gaining momentum online. By yesterday reports The Post, over 76,000 people had signed the online petition, started by two New York musicians who were inspired by producer Quincy Jones. In a radio interview in November of last year, Jones described the country needing a minister of culture, like France, Germany or Finland has. And he said he would 'beg' Obama to establish the post.

NPR will be the only radio broadcaster of the concert 'We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration,' the star-studded kickoff of official inaugural festivities, starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18. The event, which is free and open to the public at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be broadcast by NPR to public radio stations nationwide, and will be available as a simultaneous stream at the Web sites of many stations. Find your local station for more information: visit npr.org/stations. The lineup of performers mixes some of today's biggest pop stars with iconic musical luminaries. Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Herbie Hancock, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and many more artists are all scheduled to appear on stage (a full list appears to the left). In addition, an assembly of leading actors will read historical passages throughout the special.

Emmy Award winner Glynn Turman (The Wire), Tony nominee Rocky Carroll (Navy NCIS) and John Cothran, Jr. (Black Snake Moan) are set to head the cast when L.A. Theatre Works presents Ceremonies in Dark Old Men by Academy Award nominee Lonne Elder, III. Five performances take place January 14-18 at the Skirball Cultural Center, where they will be recorded to air on LATW's nationally syndicated, weekly radio theater series, The Play's The Thing.

As part of World News America's 'Notes to Obama' series, filmmaker John Waters offers his advice to the president-elect.

On January 18, the California State Society will hold the Presidential Inaugural Luncheon & Fashion Show at The Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C. Larry Wayne Morbitt, who plays the principle role of Ubaldo Piangi in Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, will have the honor of singing the national anthem.

Acclaimed theater auteur David Levine premieres his latest reality-bending project, VENICE SAVED: A SEMINAR, beginning previews March 19th at P.S. 122. For this inquiry into the nature of democracy and the value of 'political theater,' Levine has eliminated the 'audience' and gathered everyone around a seminar table peppered with cast members who may, or may not, be acting. The topic of this seminar is Simone Weil's unfinished 1943 play Venise Sauv?e, an allegory of democracy and its overthrow, presented on the 100th anniversary of Weil's birth.

Broadway In Chicago is celebrating the inauguration of the 44th U.S. President, Chicagoan Barack Obama, by offering theatre patrons an opportunity to purchase $44 tickets all day on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, to select performances of productions including Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, Xanadu, Monty Python's Spamalot, Chicago: The Musical, Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, A Bronx Tale, and Rent.

In honor of the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center is opening its doors for a big-screen projection telecast of inaugural activities in Prudential Hall on Tuesday, January 20th at 10:30am. This special event is being presented in association with the City of Newark, Mayor Cory A. Booker and The Newark Municipal Council.

Variety is reporting that the inaugural team for Barack Obama has announced a huge and starry lineup of talent that will perform at an opening celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, in a kickoff heavy in its mix of history and leading performance artists.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) opens the historic Paramount Theatre on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 7:00am to the public for a free event celebrating the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

Imagine - a concert for a new America! Nine of Chicago's top entertainers unite to present Imagine, a concert that is diverse as America itself, featuring music by Stevie Wonder, Irving Berlin, Pete Seeger, Madonna, Marvin Gaye, Lennon and McCartney, and many more.

New details have been announced for the New York City celebration of the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. The inaugural cocktail gala will now take place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at BBRAXTON in Harlem (1400 Fifth Avenue at West 116th Street).

Dame Edna - Live and Intimate in Her First Last Tour will present a sign language interpreted performance on Saturday, January 3 at 3 p.m. at San Francisco's Post Street Theatre (450 Post Street).

Imagine - a concert for a new America! Nine of Chicago's top entertainers unite to present Imagine, a concert that is diverse as America itself, featuring music by Stevie Wonder, Irving Berlin, Pete Seeger, Madonna, Marvin Gaye, Lennon and McCartney, and many more.

Dame Edna - Live and Intimate in Her First Last Tour will present a sign language interpreted performance on Saturday, January 3 at 3 p.m. at San Francisco's Post Street Theatre (450 Post Street).

'Avenue Q' is looking for some inspired help regarding President George W. Bush leaving the White House. You see he is not only leaving office, he's also exiting Broadway. 'For Now,' the closing number in the Tony Award-winning musical 'Avenue Q,' sings out that everything in life is temporary - even George W. Bush is 'only for now.' But change is coming to those lyrics. A contest that starts today Monday, December 22nd at noon will allow participants to submit suggestions for a new person, place, fad or anything else to substitute for the soon-to-be-outdated reference.

I somehow doubt that, despite Broadway's struggles in the current economy, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez would be so cynical as to use the title of this entry as their new 'For Now' lyric in Avenue Q, but since it's only a matter of weeks before the sharply satirical children's educational musical for adults they penned with Jeff Whitty outlasts the current presidential administration, that infamous lyric, 'George Bush is only for now,' is about to be impeached.

It's not the 1st time she's stolen the show...She made her West End debut as Maybelline in 125th Street at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2002, following it up with Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2003 and in 2005 made her debut at The Royal Opera House in Lorin Maazel's world premiere of 1984.