No happy
ending to Niagara University’s theater season
Review by
Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, April 24, 2008
(Left to right) Kit Kat Club Girl
Helga (JennaBeth Stockman) poses with
the
“Cabaret” Emcee
(Jonathan E. Klatt) and their roommate, a Kit Kat
wannabe
(Jimmy Moses). (photo
by John Stuart)
Niagara University’s presentation of “Cabaret” is
shocking and disturbing … and you’ll probably want to see it twice,
which in itself is somewhat shocking and disturbing. But, it’s
just that good.
“Cabaret,” based on the words of author Joe Masteroff
and the music of Kander and Ebb, offers scantily clad characters
prowling around the German Kit Kat Club portraying taboo signs
of affection. All the while, underlying stories of love are juxtaposed
with the rise of the Nazi party and its effects.
Our tour guide through this is a flamboyant, bisexual
emcee; a stylized floating head portrayed with panache by Jonathan
E. Klatt. The main characters include an American writer who may
or may not be homosexual (he can’t decide) and his female roommate
and potential new love, an English cabaret singer who has a history
of sleeping with and quickly discarding men.
In every sense of the word, “Cabaret” is a very mature
musical and a drastic departure from season finales of the recent
past (including “Chicago” and “Fiddler on the Roof”). It’s a wonderfully
cast production that bluntly deals with racial hatred in the form
of a shiny, seedy world. In the face of prejudice, characters escape
to a dreamlike place; a club where “In here, life is beautiful.”
read more
 Top television
dramas return
by Joshua
Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, April 17, 2008
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz
from “Bones.”
(photo ©2007 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kwaku Alston/FOX)
“Lost” and “Bones,” two of television’s best dramas,
have returned with new episodes. “Lost” co-creator/executive producer
Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and “Bones”
star and former Buffalo resident David Boreanaz spoke to the Sentinel
about what fans can expect as each show heads into the season’s
final stretch.
‘Lost’
Last season, “Lost” presented one of the most critically
acclaimed season finales in television history. After two years
of flashbacks, designed to give viewers a back-story on the stranded
survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, “Lost” flashed forward at the
end of season three, revealing two main characters had escaped
their island confinement.
Now in season four, the show has continued to flash
forward, revealing a total of six characters make it off the island.
How they accomplish that feat (or accomplished, depending on the
timeline) remains unclear, as does the fate of the remaining island
dwellers.
Lindelof said his team of writers is conscious of
fans’ expectations that this season’s final episode will continue
to take the series down creative (and unexpected) pathways. He’s
confident this year’s two-hour conclusion (Thursday, May 29, 9
to 11 p.m. on ABC/Ch. 7) will satisfy “Lost” viewers.
read
more
Shea’s unveils
21st season lineup
Niagara
Frontier Publications, April 17, 2008
Late last week, Shea’s Performing Arts Center and
its Broadway partner and producer, Albert Nocciolino, announced
the 2008-09 season. The M&T Bank Broadway Series features “Legally
Blonde The Musical,” “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” “Mama
Mia!,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Chorus Line” and “The Color Purple.”
Special engagements include “Girls Night: The Musical,” “Annie”
and “Rent.”
“In the ’08-’09 season, we continue to bring our
audiences the hottest musicals on Broadway including their most
frequently requested shows,” Shea’s President Anthony Conte said.
“Our patrons have been anxiously awaiting the return of the ‘Radio
City Christmas Spectacular’ and we’re very excited to bring it
back.”
“Legally Blonde The Musical” kicks things off Oct.
14-19. Based on the hit film, “Legally Blonde” brings its first
national tour to Buffalo. “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular”
returns Nov. 13-30 for 36 performances with the world-famous Radio
City Rockettes.
“Mama Mia,” which will hit theaters this summer,
is the first Shea’s performance of 2009. The music of ABBA will
be heard Feb. 10-15. Perhaps the most famous motion picture of
all time, the Broadway version of “The Wizard of Oz” will grace
the Buffalo stage March 17-22. It’s followed by “A Chorus Line”
on May 5-10.
read
more
Island native
Clark’s song featured on ‘The Hills’
Niagara
Frontier Publications, April 17, 2008
“Say What You Want,” a song by Grand Island High
School alumna Stacy Clark, was featured recently on the MTV semi-reality
series “The Hills.” The song, off of Clark’s 2007 album “Apples
and Oranges,” can be heard during the final 1:15 of episode 320
(“Back to LA”). In the scene, Whitney is leaving “Team Vogue,”
her internship at Teen Vogue magazine, and has an emotional embrace
with series star Lauren Conrad.
To watch the episode and hear Clark’s song, visit
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1584224. The episode has already
been viewed online more than 1 million times.
Songs from “Apples and Oranges,” produced by Loren
Israel and Ian Kirkpatrick, have been spun on radio stations in
California, and featured in clothing outlets in Europe and in select
Sephora stores. Three of the 11 songs on “Apples and Oranges” feature
notable guest vocalists. Plain White T’s singer Tom Higgenson joins
Clark on “Recluse,” while Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult lends his voice
to “Closer” and Aaron Marsh of Copeland contributes the bridge
to “Empty Bottles.”
No stranger to television, Clark’s songs “You Make
It Worse” and “Unusual” were featured on MTV’s hit show “Engaged
and Underage” and the CW series “Girlfriends.” Last summer, she
served as a co-host on “The Big Ten,” a popular MTV video program.
read more
‘Prime Time’
comes to primetime
Preview
by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, April 12, 2008
“Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love.”
Pictured
are
Pilar and Deion Sanders. (Oxygen Photo)
He is a former All-Pro NFL cornerback and Major League
Baseball outfielder. She is a former model and television star.
Together, Deion and Pilar Sanders are a happily married couple
raising five children in a plush mansion in the quiet town of Prosper,
Texas.
Never one to shy away from the camera, and eager
to show the world how a positive, Christian black family lives,
Deion pitched a reality series to the Oxygen Network. Convinced
this program would be affirming, while offering an entertaining,
behind-the-scenes look into a well known (and often misunderstood)
celebrity, executives green lit the show. “Deion & Pilar: Prime
Time Love” premieres on Oxygen on Tuesday, April 15, at 10:30 p.m.
Earlier this week, Deion and Pilar shared their goals
for the show with the Sentinel.
Joshua Maloni:
Hey Prime Time and Mrs. Prime Time.
Deion Sanders:
How are you doing, sir?
Pilar Sanders:
Hi.
JM: How did the idea of the show
come about? Was it something that they pitched to you or that you
pitched to them?
Deion: No, it’s something I pitched
to them. I mean, we were just sitting up at home watching – you
know, we’re really reality fans and we watch a lot of television,
having five kids.
Therefore, just seeing nothing of the sort and thinking
back to some of the shows that we love…
read more
April comes
in like a lion
by Joshua
Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, April 5, 2008
From “Battlestar Galactica”: Katee Sackhoff as Kara “Starbuck”
Thrace (Sci Fi Channel Photo: Justin Stephens)
TV lovers take note: April is showering in significant
events. Though we’ve long seen this month as the waiting room to
May’s season finales, this year is different thanks to these shows.
“Idol Gives Back”
“American Idol,” television’s No. 1 program for four
seasons and counting, will once again use its star power to raise
funds for a half-dozen charities. “Idol Gives Back,” the show’s
second annual fundraiser, will be filmed Sunday and Wednesday in
Hollywood.
In addition to performances by the remaining eight
contestants, “Idol Gives Back” will feature appearances by Bono,
Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Eli Manning, Robin Williams,
Celine Dion, Billy Crystal, Kiefer Sutherland, Fergie, Chris Daughtry,
Carrie Underwood, Snoop Dogg, Heart, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia and
Amy Adams – to name a few.
read more
Former Lewiston
restaurateur visits ‘Hell’
Niagara
Frontier Publications, April 5, 2008
Filippo Inglima, former co-owner of Lewiston’s Villa
Fortunata’s, got a taste of “Hell” Tuesday. His current establishment,
Filippo’s Restaurant on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, served as a screening
location for the fourth season premiere of “Hell’s Kitchen.” The
Italian eatery’s manager, Shayna Raichilson-Zadok, is one of two
Western New York chefs competing on the FOX reality competition.
Since he first hired Raichilson-Zadok, Inglima said
he’s known she is “dedicated and has skills.”
Filippo’s will once again participate in the “Taste
of Buffalo” and Italian Festival. Inglima said he’s excited to
also return to Lewiston as a participant in its summer festival
season.
“I can’t wait to go back to see all my good friends
in beautiful Lewiston,” he said.
read
more
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