Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

Monday, February 14, 2011

Wonderland Close to Opening on Broadway

Filed under: Performing Arts — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 02:46

wonderlandcover The musical Wonderland: A New Alice. A New Musical which got its start under a slightly different subtitle (The New Adventures of Alice) at the Tampa Bay Center for the Performing Arts, is close to opening on the Great White Way. The show begins previews March 21st at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre. The show opened in Tampa at the end of 2009 and was the first ever workshop produced by TBPAC specifically as a Broadway-bound musical. According to Playbill:

Wonderland is a new pop musical about a modern mom who goes down Alice’s rabbit hole, has a book by Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy, lyrics by Jack Murphy, music by Frank Wildhorn, choreography by Marguerite Derricks and direction by Gregory Boyd. It will open April 17. The company features Janet Dacal (In the Heights) as Alice, Darren Ritchie (Little Shop of Horrors, Thoroughly Modern Millie) as White Knight, E. Clayton Cornelious (The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line) as Caterpillar, Jose Llana (Spelling Bee, Flower Drum Song) as El Gato, Karen Mason (Hairspray, Mamma Mia!) as Queen of Hearts, Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde, Cabaret, Jekyll and Hyde) as Mad Hatter, Carly Rose Sonenclar (Les Miserables, Little House on the Prairie) as Chloe, Edward Staudenmayer (Spamalot, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) as White Rabbit and Danny Stiles (regional productions of Guys and Dolls and Sister Act: The Musical) as Morris.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

As Planned, a New Love Never Dies is Opening in Australia

Filed under: Performing Arts — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 23:46

 

According to Playbill, the Australian production of Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to his international hit The Phantom of the Opera, will begin performances May 29 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, according to the production’s official website. The musical, which received mixed reviews when it opened at London’s Adelphi Theater (where it continues to run) in the Fall of 2010, has had a tumultuous production history. The show’s original director (Jack O’Brien) was replaced by Webber for the Australian mounting of the show, with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert director Simon Phillips stepping in to helm the run.Webber also brought in many of the creative team members from the original Phantom of the Opera, including lyricist Charles Hart and Musical Supervisor Guy Simpson.

Love Never Dies picks-up 10 years after The Phantom of the Opera left off. Opera star Christine Daea, married to the now destitute Raoul, has relocated to the United States to perform in America’s new playgroud, Coney Island. After taking over as the leading Soprano for Coney Island’s opera performers, a mysterious force resurfaces to profess his love for his protege. Love Never Dies was originally slated to open on Broadway in November of 2010. But due to issues with the original London production and Webber’s battle with prostate cancer, the move was postponed until competing Australian and Toronto productions worked out the issues with the book. The production should open sometime on Broadway in 2011. For more information on the Austrailian production of Love Never Dies, visit the official Web Site for the show (http://www.loveneverdies.com.au/). Below, watch a preview trailer for the Austailian production:

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Take a Listen to Roxette’s New Single

Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:31

Shes Got Nothing on After going over a decade without any new material, Sweden’s rock-pop duo Roxette are back! This week, the first single “She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)” from their upcoming album Charm School was released internationally. Take a listen to the track below. Charm School releases internationally from EMI Records on February 11th. No US release date has been announced. “She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)” will be available as an import single on Amazon.com on February 15th.

Monday, January 3, 2011

#25 UCF Knights Defeat UGA, Crowned Liberty Bowl Champs

Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:30

UCF defensive end Bruce Miller screams in celebration as he carries the Liberty Bowl trophy after UCF won the Liberty Bowl game of UCF versus Georgia at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, December 31, 2010. UCF won the game 10-6.

The #25 UCF Knights (11-3; 8-1 C-USA) defeated the UGA Bulldogs (6-7; 3-5 SEC) 10-6 in the 2010 Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, bringing the University home its first ever bowl victory. The Knights and Bulldogs relied largely on strong defensive efforts to stifle one another in a slugfest that put few points on the board. The UCF Knights defense held UGA to only 6 points, both coming from field goal scores. UCF was held to 10 points; but their sole touchdown of the game catapulted them above the ‘Dawgs in the final 6 minutes of play. UCF fate laid in the hands of its strong defense for two more UGA possessions. And they succeeded! The Orlando Sentinel summed-up the crazy ending of the game: “It appeared play expired when Georgia redshirt freshman QB Aaron Murray tossed an incomplete pass to Marlon Brown, but the officials put two more seconds on the clock. Murray and the Bulldogs had one more chance to spoil UCF’s magical season. A crowd of UCF defensive backs and linebackers clogged the end zone, while the defensive line charged toward Murray. The Knights all shouted at each other, “Knock it down. Knock it down.” Ultimately, sophomore S Kemal Ishmael batted down Murray’s pass intended for Kris Durham, sealing the UCF win.” Besides their first bowl win, other notables of the 2010 season include: 1) Ending the season ranked for the first-time ever. UCF ranks #25 in the final BCS standings and #24 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and should finish close to #19-#20 by the time final rankings are released after the bowl season. 2) Securing more IA victories than any other program in Florida. 3) Winning the C-USA East Division Championship for the third time in the last five years and winning C-USA for the second time in the last five years. This was a season to remember and we all should be VERY PROUD of our Knights! GO KNIGHTS! Here’s to even more success in 2011!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

#25 UCF Knights Prepare for Bulldogs

Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 02:39

Liberty Bowl

Today, the UCF Marching Knights departed Orlando bound for Memphis, Tennessee to support their football program in the 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The Knights (10-3; 8-1 C-USA) finished the season ranked #25 in the final BCS standings and were crowned Champions of Conference USA for the second time in the last five years. Their opponent, the University of Georgia Bulldogs  (6-6; 3-5 SEC) just completed a relatively poor season ranking 9th place in the SEC. Although the Dawgs have won the last 5 of their 7 games, they will end the season with a losing record should they fall to UCF at the Liberty Bowl. The Knights arrived in Memphis on Monday and set-up practice camp at the University of Memphis. The Knights and Dawgs have met once before.

In 1999, the Knights lost to UGA in Athens by just one point (24-23) which resulted from a questionable pass interference call from an SEC referree. That left many Knights fans with a sour taste in their mouths. On top of that loss, UCF has yet to win a bowl game. They lost last year to Rutgers in the St. Pete Bowl and have prior losses to Mississippi State (2007 Liberty Bowl) and Nevada (2005 Hawaii Bowl). Consequently, the Knights are ferociously hungry for their first post-season win. The match up between the two teams is close. UGA and UCF both have starting quarterbacks who are freshman. And while UGA’s AJ Green is a receiver to be reckoned with, the UCF defense has played tough against teams with much stronger offenses this season. Kickoff for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is 3:30pm on Friday (New Year’s Eve). The game is nationally-broadcasted on ESPN. 

Pre-game festivities for the Liberty Bowl include the Liberty Bowl Parade (12/30: 3:00pm: Beale Street); Bash on Beale Pep Rally (12/30: 5:00pm: Beale Street); and the Battle of the Bands Pregame-Buffet (12/31: 11:00am: Arena Building).  

Below, watch Georgia’s QB Aaron Murray (of Plant City, Florida High School) discuss taking-on the Knights and the Knights’ Tuesday in Memphis:

 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Research Study Shows High Level of Ignorance among Fox News Viewers

Filed under: American Life and Society,National and International News — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:10

  While there have been plenty of research studies assessing the bias of Fox (Faux) News Channel, a new study indicates that those who view Fox News are significantly more likely to be misinformed of factual truths in current events. The study, conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, found not only were Faux News viewers more likely to believe falsities about current events, but that the more exposure to the channel viewers had, the more likely they were to be ignorant of factual information. The study compared several national news companies including CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS. Faux News viewers had statistically significant higher levels of ignorance and believed the following items to be actual truths, despite the fact they are all incorrect. The data speak for themselves:

  • Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
  • Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
  • The economy is getting worse (26 points)
  • Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
  • The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
  • Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
  • The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
  • When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
  • And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

    • Democrats (and very few Republicans) Overturn DADT

    Filed under: GLBT Social Issues and Civil Rights,Politics — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:52

    A disgraceful and discriminatory chapter in American history came to a close Saturday afternoon as civil rights took a major step forward. The United States Senate voted to repeal the Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” Policy, which prohibited gay men and women in uniform from serving openly. The vote was largely among party lines as all but one Democrat and only 8 Republicans voted in favor of repeal. Florida’s Senators Nelson (D) voted yay while Republican LaMieux voted nay. President Obama pledged to end the ban on the campaign trail and sided with top military officials who overwhelmingly took the position that the ban was damaging military readiness. Republicans used fear-mongering to stall the repeal, spewing data that were not based in fact but instead based in bias. Nonetheless, their efforts, spear-headed by John McCain (R-Arizona) failed.
    Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a policy passed by President Bill Clinton during his first term. Prior to the policy, gay men and lesbians who acknowledged their sexuality were deemed ineligible to serve. Clinton fought hard against Republican-lead opposition and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was made policy out of compromise. Gays and lesbians could serve, but only if their sexual orientation remained hidden. Tens of thousands of well-qualified personnel were discharged under the policy, which came under increasing scrutiny between 2004-2005, when a group of gay Arabic linguists were discharged under the policy. A subsequent report indicated a critical shortage of Arabic linguists needed to interpret intelligence and suggested the discharges posed a major threat to national security. After taking Office, President Obama charged Congress with repealing the ban. A comprehensive study conducted this Summer by the Pentagon found the vast majority of America’s troops didn’t think repealing the ban would cause a major disruption. They also indicated most knew of gay soldiers within their unit and that sexuality had no impact on how they interacted with comrades.

    This historic victory was a LONG-WAY coming! God knows this vote could NEVER have happened with the slew of incoming Republican Congressmen and Senators. 
    So, THANK-YOU to the Democrats (and the 8 Republicans) who voted to repeal DADT! No serviceman or woman willing to sacrifice his or her life for our country should ever have to fear losing his or her military career due to sexual orientation. It is time to put inequality and discrimination in our Armed Forces behind us. God bless our troops.

    Thursday, December 16, 2010

    Republican Scott Gets Celebratory Party Thanks to Special Interests

    Filed under: Politics — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 02:08

    Incoming Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott is getting a huge bash thrown in his honor! And, despite Florida’s struggling economy, under-funded educational system, and record-high rate of unemployment, special interests are ponying-up $2 million for his inaugural celebration. The US Sugar Industry, CEO Group (who controls Florida’s prison system), Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Holland & Knight are just some of the groups who cut Scott a check for $25,000 to fund his party. Interesting to note, all of these companies have been entrenched in Florida’s political scene for years. Take it as a lesson learned for those who voted for Scott because he wasn’t your “typical Republican.” On the contrary, Scott is just what the Republicans have always been–crooked, incompetent, and criminal. Floridians made the bed with Scott. Unfortunately, we all have to now lie in that bed with them.

     For more coverage of Scott’s $2 Million Bash, check-out this article in the Miami Herald:

    Scott’s Inauguration Kitty: $2M and Counting!

    Monday, December 6, 2010

    #24 UCF Knights Win C-USA Championship, Face UGA in Liberty Bowl

    Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:37

    UCF players celebrate with trophies at the end of the Conference USA Championship game of SMU at UCF at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, December 4, 2010. UCF won the game 17-7 to claim the conference championship. 

    The UCF Knights athletics department had an amazing week last week. First, the UCF (7-0; 0-0 C-USA) basketball program secured their greatest victory ever over the #16 UF Gators (5-2; 0-0 SEC). Then, on Saturday the Knights (10-3; 7-1 C-USA) earned the Conference USA Championship Crown after their victory over the SMU Mustangs (7-6; 6-3 C-USA). UCF scored on the opening possession of the game, with freshman quarterback Jeff Godfrey hitting Latavius for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Knights steadily marched up the field on the 13-play, 73-yard drive. The points wouldn’t come quite as easily the rest of the game, forcing UCF’s defense to make a big stand against SMU’s vaunted high-scoring offense. The Knights led SMU 17-7 in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs got the ball back with 6:44 left in the game, plenty of time for the quick-strike SMU offense to mount a rally. Instead, the defense sacked SMU sophomore quarterback Kyle Padron three times on the final drive and shut down the Mustangs.

    After the game, the Knights were awarded with the C-USA Championship trophy (pictured, above) and were offered a bid to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN on 12/31. UCF’s head coach George O’Leary gratefully accepted the bid on behalf of the University and on Sunday, the University of Georgia Bulldogs accepted their bid to represent the SEC in the Bowl. Also on Sunday, as the final season polls were released, the UCF Knights were ranked #24 in the Coaches Poll and settled at #25 in the BCS standings. Both were a first in the program’s 15-year history in IA. The Liberty Bowl pits Conference-USA’s #1 team against an SEC foe. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm on 12/31 and the game will be nationally-televised on ESPN. Below, watch the UCF Knights celebrate their C-USA Championship win with the UCF students: 

    After 10 Years, Roxette has a New Album!

    Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:06

     

    10 years ago, Roxette, the Swedish pop-rock sensation released Room Service, what many thought would be their last album ever. After launching a worldwide tour to promote the album and selling-out stadiums and arenas across the globe, leading lady Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with a near-lethal brain tumor. She underwent months of chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and finally had to undergo open-cranial surgery to have the tumor excised. Roxette’s other member Per Gessle toured Europe for the next decade while Marie stayed largely out of the limelight.

    Then, in 2007, Roxette released The Collection of Roxette Hits and recorded two new songs for the album. They also quietly began making plans to record a new album and made a few public appearances performing in such Swedish events as Night at the Proms. Well, after 10 years, Roxette has recorded a new album! Titled Charm School, the album will release on February 11th (US date yet to be announced) and consists of twelve songs in a style that’s best described as “updated classic Roxette”, from the initial power pop fireworks of “Way Out” to the bittersweet closer “Sitting On Top Of The World”. “Sitting On Top Of The World” is the first single and will release on January 10th.

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