Jason Mraz News

Moving Up Living Down, the new album from Warner Bros. Records artist Eric Hutchinson, will be released on April 17th.

The ultra-starry cast for the upcoming feature film version of the international smash musical sensation LES MISERABLES finally got one step closer to finding its Eponine and Cossette this week, as offers have gone out to pop music superstar Taylor Swift and breakout screen starlet Amanda Seyfried for the hotly anticipated Tom Hooper adaptation of the tuner which will also star Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe as Jean Valjean and Javert, respectively, Anne Hathaway as Fantine and Tony-winner Eddie Redmayne as Marius. While Seyfried is perhaps best known to Broadway babies for her lovable and memorable turn in the role of Meryl Streep's daughter in the ABBA jukebox movie musical MAMMA MIA!, Swift has displayed her ample affection for all things theatrical with her recent Broadway-themed SPEAK NOW tour as well as her memorable appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and on concert stages around the world. Both ladies certainly have the musical chops to take on these much-beloved Broadway roles - even if the soundtrack is to actually be recorded live on set, as the director himself has confirmed he intends to do - and, while neither Swift nor Seyfried has been officially confirmed by the producers as of this writing, both appear to more than merely satisfy the complex casting necessities for the standout roles and the overall younger-sided casting of the feature film adaptation so far. Yet, no matter how fantastic they may turn out to be in the finished final film, it sure will be difficult to manage to make much of an impression with a cast as impossibly accomplished as the one assembled for this film up until now - Jackman, Crowe, Hathaway, Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen included! Plus, who knows what new musical numbers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Shonberg are cooking up - and what characters shall sing them?! Whatever comes to pass, Christmas 2012 will be all about LES MISERABLES: THE MOVIE MUSICAL for Broadway babies everywhere - many of whom who have been waiting for this moment (and this movie) to arrive for over 20 years! Let's hope it was worth the wait! Until then, we have this look and listen to what made these ladies oh-so right for the roles. After all, less than 360 days remain until the big 24601!

After a show last year, songwriter Drew Gasparini will ring in 2012 with a return engagement at Joe's Pub in NYC on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 9:30pm.

CHRIS ISAACSON has announced the performers for UPRIGHT CABARET's AMERICAN ICON SERIES' second show of their 3rd Season, THE TROUBADOURS, starring American Idol's JACKIE TOHN, MATT WOLPE (The Buddy Holly Story) YVETTE CASON (Dreamgirls, Play On!, Stormy Weather) and JAKE SIMPSON (Star Search Grand Champion, Arena: Born to Rock, Oprah favorite) celebrating the music of Bob Dylan, Carole King and James Taylor!

Multi-Grammy winner and Mechanicsville native Jason Mraz will perform a benefit concert for SPARC, the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community. The intimate acoustic concert will be held Monday night, December 19, at 8:00 p.m. in the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage.

On Saturday, December 10, 2011, David Ippolito took to the stage at Merkin Hall in his annual 'That Guitar Man from Central Park,' an evening of music and stories.

The long-awaited return of Trouty Mouth himself - Chord Overstreet; singing Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup", no less - was only the beginning of the big moves and even bigger events of last night's epic GLEE "Sectionals" episode. Yes, this year's sectionals competition certainly spelled a vast departure from less successful years' past and seeing and hearing New Directions taking on the vaunted catalog of Michael Jackson was the convergence of two true blue pop culture institutions coming together and making musical magic at long, long last - from "ABC" to "Man In The Mirror". Michael's sister Janet got her hotly anticipated GLEE treatment, as well, in the form of a syncopated and spirited "Control", during the stylishly executed Jackson tribute sequence. For the Broadway babies amongst the gleeks, we also were treated to an EVITA homage from Ohio's rival glee group, the Unitards, led by GLEE PROJECT's Lindsay Pearce. In addition to Finn and Rachel's discovery of White Chocolate (aka Sam) making ends meet as a stripper - as well as their subsequent reclaiming of him back to McKinley High and to the ranks of New Directions - "Sectionals" proved to be a strong and satisfying end to the journey of Season Three: Part 1 and next week's Christmas episode seems poised to provide ample entertainment value over the rushed tying up of loose dramatic ends as the series prepares to go on a brief hiatus until February. "Sectionals" displayed the continued rise to prominence - musical, dramatic and otherwise - of some featured players to the top of the star ranks and afforded Chord Overstreet and Darren Criss in particular with some delectable dramatic and musical moments - providing a distinct parallel to off-stage/off-show realities; Criss having become the biggest GLEE breakout star of all in a very short span of time - with Harry Shum, Jr. and Jenna Ushkowitz given solo moments to shine, as well. So, too, did Dianna Agron get her dramatic due at long last and her bumpy and grumpy story arc for Season 3 seems to be finding its footing and justification in the overall themes of the consistently strong season - her particularly well-delivered and delicately measured scene with Idina Menzel's Shelby (the adoptive mother to Quinn and Puck's baby, Beth) being a dramatic highlight of the season so far. So, too, was Finn and Blaine's scene in the gym an understated and sensitive reading of this episode's particularly smart and sharp script. Lea Michele continues to get short shrift in the musical department, but her leading of Fun.'s "We Are Young" was a welcome reminder of her golden instrument. So, while there were definitely many dramatic moments to remember in "Sectionals", the music - as always and forever - was the central delight and the payoff of the pairing of GLEE and the music of Michael Jackson (and Janet) was generally well worth the wait.

The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors in 1988. Since that time, it has had a profound impact on the cultural and artistic landscape of Brevard County and Central Florida.

The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon's popular preschool music group and stars of the hit TV series of the same name, will hit the road in February 2012 for the first time ever on a 15-week, 50-city nationwide concert tour.

The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon's popular preschool music group and stars of the hit TV series of the same name, will hit the road in February 2012 for the first time ever on a 15-week, 50-city nationwide concert tour with a stopover in Columbus on March 8. Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer), Shout (Thomas Hobson), Marina (Tara Perry), and Twist (Jon Beavers) will perform The Fresh Beat Band hits from seasons one, two, and three of the live-action music series that teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings through movement, song, and instrumental music.

Multi-Grammy winner and Mechanicsville native Jason Mraz will perform a benefit concert for SPARC, the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community. The intimate acoustic concert will be held Monday night, December 19, at 8:00 p.m. in the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage.

Three time Emmy Award nominee Colleen Zenk who played Barbara Ryan on As The World Turns for 32 years will make the New York City debut of her new one-woman cabaret show aptly titled COLLEEN ZENK: Still Sassy!

Three time Emmy Award nominee Colleen Zenk who played Barbara Ryan on As The World Turns for 32 years will make the New York City debut of her new one-woman cabaret show aptly titled COLLEEN ZENK: Still Sassy! The show will premiere at Feinstein's on October 30th and November 6th at 8:30PM.

Three time Emmy Award nominee Colleen Zenk who played Barbara Ryan on As The World Turns for 32 years will make the New York City debut of her new one-woman cabaret show aptly titled COLLEEN ZENK: Still Sassy! The show will premiere at Feinstein's on October 30th and November 6th at 8:30PM.

Michael Feinstein releases his new CD through Concord Records on October 25, 2011.

Chop Shop/Atlantic recording artist Anya Marina has announced the release of her new album 'FELONY FLATS' on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2012.

Singer-songwriter, Rachael Yamagata, will release Chesapeake, her first studio album in three years on October 11, 2011.