Believe it or not Manon is about to be invoked again. If you know what I’m talking about then clearly you’re a fan of the 1996 supernatural teen flick The Craft starring Neve Campbell and Fairuza Balk. If you’re a musical nut as well, then this bit of news is going to BLOW YOUR MIND. Hell, if Legally Blonde can do it, why can’t the witchy foursome aka the corners?

With Mean Girls, Magic Mike and Ever After potentially heading to Broadway, it only makes sense another Hollywood film gets the musical adaptation treatment. Out of the ones mentioned, The Craft musical seems to be the furthest along.

The show began development in 2012.  A demo was recorded and released in May of that year.  A partial reading is currently planned to take place in Illinois in May with a more substantial workshop/reading lined up in NYC later this year. Videos of the cast performing during a workshop have been uploaded to YouTube. Watch the cast sing three numbers- “A Perfect Circle“, “Manon” and “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board“- from the production below.

watch the cast perform after the jump

The Brokeback Mountain and Star Trek Into Darkness actors aren’t the first two actors to come to mind when one mentions musicals, but that could all very well change soon. The Hollywood Reporter reports that both Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Pine are in negotiations with Walt Disney to star in an upcoming big screen musical. If both jump on board, it will mark the first time both will appear on-screen in singing roles.

Reportedly, they’ve already presented their vocal talents to Rob Marshall. The Chicago director is taking another Broadway musical and adapting it for the big screen. Find out which one below, along with what two huge stars are already attached to the project.

find out the project after the jump

Viva Forever! More like Viva til June 29. That’s when the Spice Girls musical will end its run at London’s Piccadilly Theater after a disappointing six-month run. Clearly, the group’s brand of girl power couldn’t translate to the West End production. Aside from a few hits, many felt the girls’ song catalog wasn’t strong enough to sustain a two hour plus show about five girls making the finals of a reality competition show resembling The X Factor. Reportedly, the musical will have a net loss of $7.8 million. Ouch.

It’s a shame Judy Craymer, the woman behind the awesome Mamma Mia!, couldn’t do the same with the Spice Girls what she did for ABBA. That musical has earned nearly $2 billion worldwide. Here’s what Cramer said about the closing.

“With a heavy heart that we’ve had to make this very difficult decision to post closing notices for this original show.” She adds “The show has evolved since we first opened and is now brighter, lighter and funnier, but despite the wonderful audiences and extremely positive feedback we just can’t make it work” – Judy Cramer

I have to admit, I’m a little bummed I didn’t make the trek to London to catch the musical before its closing. How bad could it really be? Along with the weakness of the Spice Girls catalog, the less-than-flattering reviews cited the poor script written by AB FAB’s Jennifer Saunders, gloomy set and poor performances as problems. A far cry from the energy and va va voom the Fab Five consistently delivered.

Collectively the girls thanked their fans in a statement, “Although ‘Viva Forever’ won’t continue in the West End we are thrilled that the thousands of people who came to the show had as much fun as we did.” Baby Spice aka Emma Button tweeted, she was “totally gutted” about the show’s closing.

In honor of the short-lived musical, I thought I’d share my favorite Spice Girls song and video. Check it out below.

find out my favorite Spice Girls track after the jump

Boeing Boeing is a situational comedy about things that just wouldn’t happen now. Thanks to the internet, social media, and cell phones, the play, which originally debuted in 1960, is a look back on a time when one could lie a hell of a lot easier than one could now.

And that’s pretty much the basis. An immoral main character takes his innocent dippy sidekick on a journey into his life as a womanizer. Bernard (Jonathon Young), lives in Paris, and thanks to an insider, gets his picking of lonely stewardesses. Balancing three fiancees though (yes, they’re all engaged to him), is no small feat, and after an old friend Robert (Andrew McNee) comes to visit, he finds himself, with a little help from Berthe (Nicola Lipman) his French housekeeper, in close calls keeping the American, the Italian, and the German away from each other.

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Nine years after its release, Mean Girls is as popular as ever. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj were even bonding and trying to quiz each other on the popular teen comedy during the American Idol auditions. It’s probably the one thing the two divas have and will ever agree on. How I missed this awesome bit of news during the Screen Actors Guild Awards is appalling? Shame on me. Thankfully, I stumbled on it and can share it with you now.

With 30 Rock signing off the air this Thursday, Tina Fey needs a new project to keep her occupied. The SNL vet told E! News that a musical version of Mean Girls could “maybe” be on the way. She revealed, “I’m trying to develop it actually with my husband, who does all the music for 30 Rock. And I think Paramount’s on board, yeah.” Cue slow clap.

If it does come to fruition, I know one actress who might want to reprise her role. Amanda Seyfried has already appeared in two big budget musicals- Mamma Mia and Les Miserables. Plus, the 27-year-old actress recently described the movie as her “best work” in an interview with IndieWire. Perhaps Karen and her ESPN knew all along that a musical was in the works ;)

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Personally, I think a musical adaption is a great idea. Let’s face it, Tina Fey isn’t going to get involved with a project unless she thinks it’s hilarious. Check out a few of my favorite clips from the classic teen flick below.

check out some of my favorite clips after the jump

If you’re a fan of the Spice Girls (and who isn’t), you need to check out ITV’s documentary about Mel B, Mel C, Geri, Emma and Victoria. The entire episode is currently on YouTube, but it’s been uploaded by a user so I’m sure it’s not going to be there forever. Definitely include it as part of your post-Christmas hangover regime.

The documentary covers the groups meteoric rise over 15 years ago up to the premiere of their brand new West End musical, Viva Forever!. The stage production was co-created by Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) and Judy Craymer (Mamma Mia) and incorporates the Spice Girls’ entire music catalogue.

Not surprisingly, the show has been panned by critics despite a deafening applause by the audience on opening night. The Spice Girls were never fully embraced by critics but were shown an overwhelming amount of love from fans throughout their career and reunion tour. Despite the less-than-stellar reviews, audiences leaving the show since it debuted have been seen singing “Stop” on the streets of London. Keep in mind, Les Miserables was first panned back in 1985 but went on to become one of the longest-running Broadway musicals of all-time. Plus, it has a movie adaptation currently out in theaters vying for this year’s Oscars. Guess those fools were wrong.

Even if Viva Forever! sucked balls big time, I’d still check it out the next time I’m in London (hopefully it’s still around). Check out the clip below which shows the girls reminiscing about the good old days. It’s interesting how each of them views their time on top. Like I said, it probably won’t be online forever, so watch it as soon as you can.

watch the entire episode after the jump

When NBC announced it was planning on remaking the seminal musical for the small screen, I nearly had a heart attack. One on hand, I was excited to see what the Smash producers would have in store for us. On the other hand, The Sound of Music is truly one of my favorite things and tinkering around with a classic is difficult endeavor. I have faith though that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron won’t let me down. After all, they did work on the film versions of Hairspray and Chicago.

“It isn’t our intention to produce a remake of the movie version of ‘The Sound of Music’ – that would be artistic blasphemy,” Craig Zadan says in a statement. “What we want to do, instead, is to give audiences a completely fresh experience of this great Tony Award-winning stage musical in the form of a classic television event, combined with the spontaneity of a live performance. And all of the actors will be singing live; there will be no lip-synching to pre-recordings.”

As with any great musical, casting is key. If you don’t have the right person playing the lead parts, you’re up sh*t creek without a paddle. Maria Von Trapp is definitely one of the most iconic roles in musical history. Trying to follow in the footsteps of Julie Andrews is a tall order. Let’s face it. Anyone who’s cast in NBC’s remake is going to have a few naysayers. Personally, I love their choice. Find out who it is below.

find out who after the jump

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” especially on the film’s 25th anniversary. This week, Dirty Dancing, arguably one of the most beloved movies from the 80s, celebrated this momentous milestone. In the Summer of 1987, this low-budget film took the nation and world by storm with its tale of romance and visuals of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey bumping and grinding in the Catskills. The film propelled its stars to super stardom, giving them “the time of their lives.”

Speaking of having the time of your life, the movie spawned a multi-platinum album. The soundtrack went to sell 42 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling LPs of all-time and second only to The Bodyguard as best-selling soundtrack. Over the years, a prequel (Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights), musical stage productions, and a failed television version back in 1988 all tried to recapture the magic of the original movie, but to no avail. There are now talks that a remake is in the works. In August 2011, Lionsgate announced it had hired Kenny Ortega to direct. If you recall, Ortega was the choreographer who created all those iconic moves in the 1987 original.

Before the planned remake inevitably bombs at theaters, I thought I would share some of my favorite scenes from the movie. Even if Lionsgate does an identical copy of the film, it’ll be practically impossible to recreate the chemistry Grey and Swayze shared. That said, I’ll still probably watch it. The Footloose remake wasn’t half bad, so you never know. Check out a few memorable scenes and music videos from Dirty Dancing below and be sure to share your favorite memory from the film in the comments section.

watch some vintage Dirty Dancing clips after the jump