January 4 is going to be a busy day for Broadway closings. In addition to the already announced Hairspray and Young Frankenstein, Grease will no longer be the word on the Great White Way after that date.The Tony Award nominated revival was the first Broadway show to cast its leads by way of a TV reality show. The winners of Grease: You're the One That I Want, Max Crumm and Laura Osnes, played Danny and Sandy for the show's first year; two other G:YTOTIW alums, Derek Keeling and Ashley Spencer, are now playing the lovebirds.Additionally, Grease has ...

Event planner Marcy Hoen felt Nov. 13 was the ideal date for an augmented Austin State Hospital benefit. The Thursday night fit neatly between the opening bashes of the traditional fall social season and the full holiday swing of late November through Jan. 1. The hospital’s Volunteers Services Council had hired Hoen to assemble its annual patient and professional art show, “BASH,” to raise awareness of the institution, which has served as a psychiatric facility bordering the Hyde Park neighborhood since 1861. “We postponed it because of the economic crash,” Hoen says of the pre-holiday affair, which was meant to ...

Stale Popcorn a must read: spot-on reenactment of manic fanboyismModFab is apparently on a one man mission to review every single Oscar movie in two weeks time. Where do people find the time?Acidemic yes, what is that buzzing in Belle Du Jour ?My New Plaid Pants 'Do Dump or Marry: Baz's men'In Contention on the Sundance lineupCinema Styles on the difficulties of happy endingsKenneth in the (212) remembers the golden god days of Ryan O'NealPajiba "five guys it main pain you to realize ...

New Yorker music critic Alex Ross won this year's Guardian first book award for his history of 20th century music The Rest is Noise: "The chair of the judging panel, Guardian literary editor Claire Armitstead, said: 'In some quarters this book has been seen as not having a popular appeal. Our prize – which, uniquely, relies on readers' groups in the early stages of judging – proves that, on the contrary, there is a huge appetite among readers for clear, serious but accessible books.' According to one judge: 'Where Ross lifts his book above the 'expert' and impressive to ...

oh my gosh - i just came across the brand new lily allen video for her new single the fear (aka 'i don't know) off her upcoming sophomore album it's not me, it's you (out on february 10th) ms. allen looks awesome and i love the video - it's really well done! popbytes over & out for now...xoxo ...

In some great news for progressives and the GLBT community, a new Harris Interactive poll commissioned by GLAAD finds that Coloradans overwhelmingly approve legal recognition of same-sex partnerships . About eight out of 10 Colorado adults (83%) say that gay and lesbian couples should either be able to marry, have all of the same rights as marriage, or be able to form domestic partnerships. Only 15% say there should be no legal recognition. A slight majority of CO adults (51%) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry. This represents greater support than among U.S. adults, where, according ...

According to a new poll commissioned by GLAAD, America loves gays! Three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Only about two in 10 (22%) say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. About six in 10 (63%) U.S. adults favor expanding hate crime laws to cover gay and transgender people. Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. adults (69%) oppose laws that would ban qualified gay and lesbian couples ...

Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen's side project Thunderant is back with a second hilarious episode of Feminist Bookstore. (If you haven't yet seen the first episode, check it out here.) When is a major TELEVISION NETWORK going to realize what a mammoth hit this slow-paced, more-droll-than-lol satire of a very teensy subculture could be as a PRIMETIME SERIES?Seriously, though, I would watch the shit out of that series. Here's my favorite exchange from the first episode, in which Candace and Toni discuss their mutual acquaintance Ginger.Toni: Oh look, it's Ginger Cloud. I love Ginger.Candace: I like Ginger. ...

A couple of things to keep you occupied while you’re on pins and needles about the auto industry bailout: Prop 8 - The Musical See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die And, if musicals don’t tickle your fancy, how about ten websites which are a colossal waste of work time?  While you’re waiting for people to join the conference call, of course.  ...

Britney Spears and I go way back. First she made me gay, then I wanted to fuck her for the longest. Everyone made fun of me and Julia actually sat me down and gave me a stern talking to about the impropriety of my lust but my devotion never wavered. Even when Britney was brought low and I didn't so much want to fuck her anymore (Federline really killed that buzz), I was *there* for her. I started a collection of sad songs that apologized to and pitied her. I dragged Jen to the Onyx Hotel tour. And now, like ...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Anne Shelley and Dr. Robin Ross are unwinding after a jampacked day of ferrying 4-year-old daughter Eva Mae from preschool to ice-skating lessons to speech therapy. "It's pretty much your mundane American family," said Shelley, 46, over a dinner of barbecue at their home near the Ozarks But not everyone sees their domestic situation as a hefty slice of apple pie. Arkansas residents recently voted to ban people who are "cohabitating outside of a valid marriage," as Shelley and Ross do, from being foster parents or adopting children as these women did. The measure was written ...

While some people think it's a "problem" that non-Christians, atheists, and agnostics are allowed to vote in our nation, I think that such a belief is indicative of extreme intolerance. After all, the very reason we have elections is because people hold different beliefs. If everyone held the same beliefs, there wouldn't really be a point to voting, would there? I don't throw around the "fascism" very much on my blog. In my opinion, the word is overused and therefore, like the good old argumentum ad nazium, virtually meaningless. However, if we do have fascists in our society, ...

The Times hops on the Helvetica subway car with this shorter, simpler version of the Paul Shaw's history of subway typography. [I am totally waiting for the Helvetica backlash to kick in any day now.] ...

Via WWD: "When Marc Jacobs found himself in a meeting on a recent Monday morning to brainstorm about Louis Vuitton’s next fashion advertising campaign, inspiration struck. 'I just blurted out, ‘I think we should do Madonna,’' said the designer, Vuitton’s creative director, mentioning he’d attended a concert by the pop icon the night before in Paris. 'I was totally just blown away by it, and moved by her performance, by what she had to say, and her energy.' As the meeting went on, Jacobs tapped out a message to Madonna on his BlackBerry, and within about five minutes came ...

Vital news from a charity auction at Penn State: "After enduring chants of 'take it off!' for several minutes, the five swim team members removed their shirts one by one. The prize, eventually selling for $235, was a special pizza delivery from the men — wearing nothing but Speedos." Sounds like a deal to me. ...

Actually, I'm surprised I don't get sick more often...In the last couple of weeks, I've been sneezed upon in the face by adorable 3 year olds, clawed by a darling 5 year old, fell backwards off a chair trying to get away from the coughed up bodily fluids of another young charge, four of 'em had 'pink eye', several with 'ring worm'... And don't even get me started on all the coughing and  hacking I've been subjected to... (Oh and also the projectile vomiting by a favorite 10 year old!)So, no surprise, really, that on Sunday night I started ...

good morning! i'm seriously loving the latest mashup selection from my pal DJ paul v. - he's featuring a brand new mashup from party ben that takes beyonce's 'single ladies' and mashes it together with the theme from the andy griffith show - yes, that might sound a little bizarre but it totally works - have a listen for yourself below - i'm going to be whistling this tune all day long! popbytes over & out for now...xoxo † FROM DJ PAUL V.I was just about to make this be the first week to ...

"Teela and my husband Jeff – beat that," says Justin Friedman-Hurvitz, adding more drama to this PDA* thread. *Puppy Displays of Affection. (See also and also) ...

"Teela and my husband Jeff – beat that," says Justin Friedman-Hurvitz, adding more drama to this PDA* thread. *Puppy Displays of Affection. (See also and also) ...