Kenny Loggins News

The award-winning North Shore Music Theatre continues its 2011 season with the high-energy dance musical, FOOTLOOSE, opening Tuesday, August 12 -and playing through Sunday, August 28.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is thrilled to announce the second year of its wildly successful series, TRIBUTE FRIDAYS, featuring the most authentic tribute bands around paying homage this season to Journey, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Queen, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones! Concert dates are Friday, August 26, 2011 at 8pm and Friday, September 9, 2011 at 8pm and Friday, September 16 at 8pm. The lobby bar will open for Happy Hour at 6:30pm.

New York's 2009 Drama Desk Award winner CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY is coming to Minneapolis when The Loring Theater presents the hit show on Friday, July 15 at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

Filled with electrifying dancing, memorable music and timeless spirit, the contagious celebration of youth FOOTLOOSEarrives on Blu-ray for the first time ever and in a new Deluxe Edition DVD, both featuring more than 30 minutes of all-new special features, on September 27, 2011 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

New York's 2009 Drama Desk Award winner CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY is coming to Minneapolis when The Loring Theater presents the hit show on Friday, July 15 at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

Just moments ago the trailer for the 2011 re-imagining of the 1984 Herbert Ross musical film FOOTLOOSE hit the internet, and while the emphasis was on the attractive, largely up-and-coming cast and the gritty, earthy take on the revamped and modernized material, there were enough glimpses of boot-kickin', booty shakin' and barn-stormin' to please the gleeks, DWTS addicts and Broadway musical fans out there in the dark, as well. After all, it isn't very often at all anymore that a film boasting a musical element as prevalent as that in the new 2011 FOOTLOOSE comes along, so - if only for that - it's a cause for anticipatory excitement. Directed by HUSTLE & FLOW helmer Craig Brewer, the new Craig Zadan/Neil Meron-produced big screen version of the classic story of a town that banishes dancing and the scrappy new kid on the bleak block who puts the spark back in their step clearly appears to be a fully-functioning new twist on the tale all its own, ready to reintroduce the story to a whole new generation hungry for a dance-heavy hit. After all, it's been quite awhile since there was a decent movie-musical or music/dance-centric film - HAIRSPRAY, actually (also a Zadan/Meron production), and CHICAGO before that. While this new FOOTLOOSE does not have any traditional burst-into-song moments - as the late-90s Broadway stage version did (though the original film did not) - the dance element is at the forefront of the proceedings, front and center. Yet, what music can we expect?

Kenny Loggins will be performing live at the historic Indian Ranch as part of their 65th annual summer concert season. Formerly of the duo Loggins and Messina, Kenny is known as the "King of the Movie Soundtrack" for his work on the films Footloose, Top Gun, Caddyshack and One Fine Day.

The 2009 Drama Desk Award winner Celebrity Autobiography performed a special one-night-only Broadway themed edition-Celebrity Autobiography Salutes the Tony Awards-on Monday, June 6 at New York's Triad Theater with a cast including Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Tovah Feldshuh, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Julian Sands, Sherri Shepherd, Carol Kane and Alan Zweibel.

The 2009 Drama Desk Award winner Celebrity Autobiography performs a special one-night-only Broadway themed edition-Celebrity Autobiography Salutes the Tony Awards-tonight at New York's Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street. Carol Kane and Sherri Shepherd join a cast that is scheduled to include Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Tovah Feldshuh, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Julian Sands, and Alan Zweibel.

The 2009 Drama Desk Award winner Celebrity Autobiography performs a special one-night-only Broadway themed edition-Celebrity Autobiography Salutes the Tony Awards-on Monday, June 6 at 7:00pm at New York's Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, with a cast that is scheduled to include Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Tovah Feldshuh, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Julian Sands, and Alan Zweibel (as well as more to be announced).

Indian Ranch has added the Grammy-nominated Barenaked Ladies to its 65th summer concert series line up. With mega-hits hits such 'One Week', 'Brian Wilson', 'The Old Apartment', 'If I had $1,000,000', 'It's All Been Done' and more, the multi-platinum rockers Barenaked Ladies will take to the Indian Ranch stage on Saturday, August 20 at 2 pm

The 2009 Drama Desk Award winner Celebrity Autobiography performs a special one-night-only Broadway themed edition-Celebrity Autobiography Salutes the Tony Awards-on Monday, June 6 at 7:00pm at New York's Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, with a cast that is scheduled to include Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Tovah Feldshuh, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Julian Sands, and Alan Zweibel (as well as more to be announced).

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater debuted in October 1998 and has quickly became one of New York City's most celebrated and in-demand showcase venues for live music and performance. With its genre-blind booking and vast diversity of interests, the stage at Joe's Pub gives voice to a world of varied and stellar artists.

Award winning tenor Dennis McNeil was the 1993 National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. As a leading tenor at the New York City Opera he was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Award for his portrayal as ‘Mark' in their New York Stage Premiere of Michael Tippet's A Midsummer Marriage. He also holds first place awards from the Southern California Opera Guild and the Victor Fuchs Memorial Competition and was a recipient of the Emily Baratelli Memorial Award from the New York Opera Index. He is a Sullivan Grant Recipient as well as a recipient of a Rex Foundation Grant from the Grateful Dead. On Sunday May 22 he will completely switch gears and perform a cabaret act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's.

The Boston Pops really know how to open a new season at Symphony Hall! There's a wonderful cocktail party before the concert with delicious hors d'oeuvre and drinks. Then the actual concert hall is awash with attractive pastel lighting and projections of butterflies all about the auditorium. It's definitely springtime in Boston and once Maestro Keith Lockhart steps up to the podium, the music begins as America's most beloved orchestra plays and delights the sell-out crowd. Starting with Boyer's delightful "Silver Fanfare" and continuing with works by Herold, Rimsky-Korsakov and Gershwin, the audience relished every moment of the concert and joined in during the SOUND OF MUSIC sing-along that closed the first part of the program. The second half was devoted mostly to Broadway's Linda Eder, who wowed the crowd with her Judy Garland tribute and impressed everyone with her powerful and supple vocalizing. It was a remarkable evening. In a phone conversation two days prior to the event, Lockhart sounded slightly fatigued. He'd just returned to Boston from Abu Dhabi from where he conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra, for which he's been appointed Chief Conductor. It was a concert that featured Broadway's Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley who performed songs from KISS ME KATE, FOLLIES, SOUTH PACIFIC and other Broadway classics, while the orchestra excited the place with what is frequently referred to as "The Symphonic Dances" from WEST SIDE STORY. It was a well-received performance but such travels keep Lockhart on-the-go. "It's hard to hit a moving target," he quipped. Looking ahead to the 2011 Pops season, Lockhart becomes extremely excited despite his jet lag: "I think it's a very strong season this year. It's a lot of the things that we normally do but there's a wonderful, wide variety of genres and they cross every American musical boundary that you can think of. We go from bluegrass to R&B to Broadway to Gospel. Everything seems to fall in there and we'll have many great artists performing with us. We'll also have a lot of the Boston Pops Orchestra featured in the concerts this year to show them off a bit." Speaking of Linda Eder, the maestro's admiration for her becomes very evident. "She's been with us a good deal over the years. She'll be doing a tribute to Judy Garland, who was one of the great voices of our time and age. Quite frankly, she was one of the great voices of all time." Eder is also an audience favorite because the Opening Night crowd cheered her first appearance on the stage and was enthusiastic in their applause after every one of her numbers. One person in the crowd was heard to say,"This woman must have six foot lungs!" Allowing for hyperbole, that was an apt description of Eder's vocal skills. "We're also emphasizing the fact that the Pops is and always has been an interactive experience where everybody gets to make music," continued the conductor. "We'll be having sing-alongs in many of our concerts throughout the season. We're kind of getting everyone actively involved in performing with the Pops." It seems to be effective because at the SOUND OF MUSIC segment on Opening Night, several people showed up dressed as their favorite characters. There were girls in dirndl skirts, boys in lederhosen, several nuns (of varying religious orders), a Captain Von Trapp in a smoking jacket, and a would-be Maria--who toted a guitar case with her. The sing-along prompted a great response from the crowd, many of whom were still singing snippets from the Rodgers and Hammerstein score during intermission. One of the most novel segments of the May 11th concert was the video montage of "Over The Rainbow" that was shown above the orchestra as Lockhart led a sweeping rendition of the Harold Arlen tune. Months prior to the event, a message went out over Facebook and other social networking sites for people of various talents--and equally varying musical skills-- to submit videos of themselves singing this beloved tune. "There are certain songs that have crossed all boundaries and everyone knows. We asked Pops fans to give us their best few bars of 'Over the Rainbow' and the video is a pastiche of these different renditions and takes on a classic tune." As edited by Supan Deb, the end result was remarkable; featuring people from various places across the nation singing their own versions of the song-there was even a girl dressed as Dorothy sitting in what appeared to be a wheat field warbling to good advantage. Broadway favorite Michael Feinstein will be performing with the Boston Pops this season. "The interesting thing about Michael is that I just saw him last month. We did a concert in London together. He and I are spending a lot of time together this year" chuckles Lockhart. "He's doing a Sinatra Tribute with us and as you know, Frank Sinatra is the master of the American Songbook." Michael Feinstein performs with the Pops on May 31st and June 1st. The Boston Pops will be welcoming the New York Pops' Steven Reineke as guest conductor. "Steve has been here before," Lockhart remarks. "It's no more crossing the line with the New York Pops than when Erich Kunzel from the Cincinnati Pops would join us. Each guest conductor brings his own repertoire and an interesting take on things." Reineke's concerts with the Boston Pops will take place on June 16th and 17th and will feature guest soloist Julia Murney who will sing "Back to Before" from RAGTIME, "Don't Rain on My Parade" from FUNNY GIRL and "Defying Gravity" from WICKED among other selections. This season also features what is billed as a "Family Concert" "It's a shorter, more compact sort of concert. We're trying to plan it as a concert that will appeal to adults but will also be an interesting first-experience to bring the kids to We'll be joined by the jazz trumpet player Brian Stripling who is, in himself, a walking educational concert because he has spent much of his career performing and talking about the music of some really big pioneering Black jazz musicians including Louie Armstrong , who he does an amazing tribute to," explains the conductor. "I think that's something great to expose the kids coming in to. We're also joined by the Varsity Girls who have a large fan base on Nickelodeon. Additionally, we're featuring a young artist who won the Boston Symphony's Concerto Competitions and it's always great for youngsters to see kids accomplishing a high level of artistry themselves. It'll be a very special sort of event." This Family Concert was scheduled for Saturday, May 14th. The month of August will be taken up on the Pops schedule with their first-ever Minor League Baseball Tour. The famed orchestra will visit ten Minor League Ballparks, a tour stretching from Birmingham, Alabama, to Buffalo, New York, August 16-30. Iconic singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins will join Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for a program that features music inspired by three of this country's favorite pastimes--baseball, movies, and rock 'n' roll. "I think it's a great way to get families interested in the Boston Pops," said the maestro. "Hopefully we'll be getting whole families who wouldn't normally be coming to see us if we performed at their local concert hall. However, the combination of baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and the Boston Pops might appeal to them." The program will be a tribute to America's Favorite Past Times and includes music from Hollywood, the music of the Boston Pops, rock and roll and the music of baseball. Sounds like a winning combination regardless of the box scores. Of course, the Pops will be playing their famous Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Boston's Esplanade on July 3rd and 4th, portions of which will be telecast on the CBS Television Network. There will also be Boston Pops appearances at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, MA this summer. This outdoor venue will host "America's Favorite Orchestra" in their incredibly popular Movie Night, where John Williams is on the podium. Lockhart will lead the orchestra there when Broadway's Jason Danieley and Kelli O'Hara are in the spotlight singing some memorable music written by Cole Porter on July 17th. Whether the Boston Pops is enjoyed at a ball park, an outdoor venue like Tanglewood or in the elegance of Boston's Symphony Hall, audiences are guaranteed a memorable time. Under the skilled and sensitive baton of Keith Lockhart, the orchestra is in prime form. However, it seems that musicians aren't the only ones who respond so favorably to Maestro Lockhart. The Opening Night crowd at Symphony Hall was just as enthusiastic about the conductor as they were about the music he was so admirably conducting. Nothing could be more felicitous. To purchase tickets to Boston Pops concerts or to get further information about the orchestra, go to www.bso.org To visit Keith Lockhart's website, go to www.keithlockhart.com

Award winning tenor Dennis McNeil was the 1993 National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. As a leading tenor at the New York City Opera he was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Award for his portrayal as ‘Mark' in their New York Stage Premiere of Michael Tippet's A Midsummer Marriage. He also holds first place awards from the Southern California Opera Guild and the Victor Fuchs Memorial Competition and was a recipient of the Emily Baratelli Memorial Award from the New York Opera Index. He is a Sullivan Grant Recipient as well as a recipient of a Rex Foundation Grant from the Grateful Dead. On Sunday May 22 he will completely switch gears and perform a cabaret act @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's.

Award-winning cabaret performer Jamie deRoy, best known for her Jamie deRoy & friends cabaret series, offers a musical compendium of songs she has performed in her award-winning cabaret show-- with "Wish on the Moon," a spirited collection of Ms. deRoy's personal favorite songs.

The 2009 Drama Desk Award winner and 2010 Bistro Award winner Celebrity Autobiography performs Monday, May 16 at 7:30pm at New York's Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, with a cast that is scheduled to include Roger Bart, Mario Cantone, Illeana Douglas, Rachel Dratch, Laraine Newman, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, and Alan Zweibel.

Award-winning cabaret performer Jamie deRoy, best known for her Jamie deRoy & friends cabaret series, offers a musical compendium of songs she has performed in her award-winning cabaret show-- with "Wish on the Moon," a spirited collection of Ms. deRoy's personal favorite songs.

The Boston Pops is inviting singers and music fans from around the country to submit video renditions of "Over the Rainbow" for possible inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops performances throughout the 2011 Boston Pops season, May 11-June 26.