Copious Notes

BlondeTV: That's TRIPLE threat

Vocal coach Seth Rudetsky breaks down this week's episode.

Last week on Leagally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods, we saw Emma, the competitor who came to the competition with Reese Witherspoon looks and Broadway in her veins, finally rally and live up to her promise.

This week, we saw her go home.

It was a somewhat stunning turn of fortune because, despite battling bronchitis, she seemed to turn in a good dance audition with the lightning fast "shake your junk" sequence from Positive.

But three other competitors turned in great auditions, and this week really emphasized the point that all three elements of the triple threat are essential to make it on Broadway. That's why we had two of the most talented actors and singers, Emma and Autumn, standing in the casting office: They were not that great on their toes -- or in four-inch stiletto heels, as the case was.

Natalie, Bailey and Lauren were the standouts with Rhiannon doing just well enough to avoid a private audience with the judges.

In the course of the show, Emma allowed that she had not taken a dance class in five years, and that is probably the key to why she didn't make the final five. For all her self-awareness, for her maturity and for her savvy, it's kind of strange that she did not prepare better prior to the competition for the dance auditions that were sure to come.

So yes, in her bitter closing comments, Emma is right: Bailey, 20; Lauren, 19; and Rhiannon, 19, are "children," under-aged for the role. But they and 24-year-old Natalie kicked her butt on the dance floor. And yes, she was sick. But we're at a juncture in this competition where one bad day alone will not kill you if the judges think you have a shot. So sending home Emma, who looked like a front runner out of the gate, was a statement that she was not working for them. And while it is understandable that she's frustrated, she bears a great deal of responsibility for her early departure because she neglected one of the three pillars of the triple threat.

Program notes: That "vote for the worst" challenge was a provocative little device that went nowhere. If you didn't see it, the competitors were told late night, in the midst of prepping for their demanding audition, to pick the worst actor, singer, dancer, etc. Autumn took charge, turning it into a best list, but we never heard about it again. Reality TV.

A fun note of Broadway reality was that the Legally Blonde set is full of stairs and tracks for set pieces that, "eat stiletto heels," according associate choreographer Denis Jones. We also learned that Laura Bell Bundy dances in higher heels than the four-inch "Pepto-Bismol" numbers the competitors wore last night.

BlondeTV 4: Serious

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Emma's rendition of Serious with Richard Blake, who plays Warner in Legally Blonde -- The Musical.

When Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods (aka, the most insanely long reality show title ever) began, Emma and Cassie S. were the two competitors that seemed to have the deepest convictions that they belonged in the race to succeed Laura Bell Bundy.

Emma claimed a Broadway bloodline of parents who met in the original Grease and went on to Broadway careers. Cassie's sense of entitlement came from . . . um . . .

Well, tonight, we found out why one was right and one was, well, delusional.

Emma was not having a good week. An advancing case of bronchitis gave her a horrid cough and was draining her energy. By the time she got to the vocal rehearsal, she couldn't get through a song without hacking. But, when Seth Rudestsky advised her to see a doctor, she'd already made the appointment. She got seen -- presumably got a prescription of some sorts, and was able to have the comeback audition of the week. Rhiannon was the judges' darling, but Emma, whose campaign had been foundering, was on with her timing and even her singing, all of which impressed the judges, who were aware of her condition.

Cassie S., on the other hand, had another clunky audition, but when she was put in the bottom three, again, she told the confessional camera, "This is ridiculous. I busted my ass the entire night. Come on, give me credit. I've never even seen the material before. Doesn't that say something for me."

Cassie, no one had seen the material, and at least four of your competitors gave auditions the judges loved. Frankly, I think they dragged Autumn into the casting office to scare her, sort of like they did with Emma last week. Maybe Autumn will respond similarly.

Anyway, in the casting office, when the judges suggested Cassie could be a swing or understudy, she protested she wanted to be the star. Well, she's not going to be on Legally Blonde, because the judges sent Cassie and her little 19-going-on-12 attitude packing.

Tonight actually had a twin killing -- the math of a July 21 finale told you this had to happen, sometime -- with Celina also being eliminated.

"Maybe Elle Woods isn't my part," she said, before entering the casting office.

Ah, self awareness. How refreshing.

BlondeTV 3: Time to grow up (Cassie S.)

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Cassie S.'s Omigod You Guys audition. Was she she good? Did her fellow contestants bail on her?

I hope, hope, hope that if Cassie S. looks at herself on Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods in five to seven years, she will be mortified by how she acted on the show. In three episodes, she has emerged as a classic reality show villain -- narcissistic without reason and ready to throw her weight around without inhibition.

Already, the judges have opened themselves up to the question: Did they keep her around, just for the drama? (To be fair, on his wrap-up video, Seth Rudetsky pointed out on his video blog that in the scene where Cassie S. seems to be messing up, she is actually singing the harmony and nailing it.)

But the 18-year-old from L.A. is far from the only contestant to succeed Lexington's Laura Bell Bundy, who is soon leaving her Tony-nominated performance as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde -- The Musical, who has some growing up to do. Even 28-year-year old Selina seems to have come to this competition with a very candy-coated expectation of what Broadway would be like.

She expressed amazement that the contestants would be given something new to learn at the last minute, scoffed at being asked to be in the ensemble (did you miss that cliche about no small parts, just small actors?) and cried about being talked to like a child.

Lauren was "shocked," they would be singing while working out as was Rhiannon, who employed the trademark phrase, "Oh my God," over auditioning while riding stationary bikes.

Once again, this show is giving viewers a good look at what it takes to make it on Broadway and play a role as demanding as Elle Woods. They blanch at riding a stationary bike and singing, but as Elle, they will be executing demanding choreography while being expected to simultaneously belt out a showstopper.

Lauren won the prize of some spa treatment and took along Cassie S. to be nice. All of them could have used the chat with Orfeh, who told them:

~ The need to be ready to, "be rejected 10,000 times."

~ "Grow a thick skin."

~ "Be in great shape."

Interestingly, Lauren ended up in the bottom four and a breath away from elimination, along with Emma (who must check the know-it-all, above-it-all attitude) and Selina (who must check her mocker, rocker vibe). But it was Lindsey, who just didn't seem to be putting forth much effort, who got booted. She actually seemed to have one of the more mature attitudes, admitting in her departure comments she sort of phoned it in, and that wasn't good enough.

Maybe she can rub off on the others from a distance.

Natalie and Autumn are not getting much screen time, but they do seem to be moving through the competition well.

The real Elle, Laura Bell, was on the red carpet at the Tony Awards Sunday night, wearing black. It seemed like a bit of a statement she's moving on from Blonde's hot pink world as she told the Associated Press she wanted to wear, "anything other than pink. ... I was like, `Give me something black!'"

Pretty much immediately after she departs Blonde, Bundy will be back in Lexington with fellow actor and Search for Elle judge Paul Canaan for her Take it from the Top Broadway workshop.

Bundy also talked to the New York Post's Cindy Adams about the end of Blonde and her desire to come home: ""I'm finally done in Legally Blonde -- The Musical in five weeks. With pre-opening rehearsals, I've played Elle Woods in this show eight times a week since 2006. I'm done in. It's hard to keep your energy up. Sometimes I don't utter one word all day until I go onstage. My home's in Kentucky. I haven't seen my family in months. They've been here, but I can't spend meaningful time with them. All I want now is to go home. Go to the beach. Sleep. Let my mother feed me.

"I've lost so much weight my costumes are falling off, but nobody's fixing them because they're making new ones for my replacement next month. One bunny costume is so loose, the butt moves after I do."

Blonde TV: Cassies battle for the bottom

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Cassie O. from Toledo singing So Much Better. The judges liked her voice, but her acting . . . not so much.

"Mean what you say," actor Paul Canaan told Cassie O., who replied with a clueless, "OK."

"I don't feel the intensity of what this needs," writer Heather Hach added.

That the Cassie from Toledo seemed oblivious to a craft called acting during and following her wooden audition  made her the obvious first victim in Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods, the MTV reality show searching for the actor to replace Laura Bell Bundy in the leading role in the Broadway hit.

Last week, we said that none of these 10 girls appeared to be anywhere close to being ready to star on Broadway, and nothing that happened tonight changed that. 

Tonight was acting night -- which alone says this show has gone farther than Grease: You're the One that I Want, which spent next-to-no time looking at acting, in testing at the whole performer.

Legally Blonde -- The Musical associate director Paul Bruni showed up to conduct an acting workshop in which Bailey from South Carolina excelled at, among other things, losing her Southern accent. It probably caused some snickers on the coasts, but checking a strong accent is a real issue for actors from regions such as the Southeast.

Bailey and current BFF Lindsay won quality time with LB actress Nikki Snelson, who plays aerobics instructor Brooke Wyndham. They got to rehearse a scene with Nikki, where Elle and Brooke bond over their Delta Nu-ness, which turned out to be everyone's audition scene with Snelson.

The judges decided to throw the hopefuls a curve, having Snelson drop a line to see how they reacted. Most actors  that we were shown at least paused.  Some struggled with it. Some struggled with other things. Rhiannon -- parents big Fleetwood Mac fans? -- was shown flubbing a few lines, but she had the right spirit. Autumn had the best save of the ladies we were shown, turning the initial flustered moment into part of the scene.

But Cassie O. had to be saved by Snelson, just part of the affirmation that in a group of actors who don't belong there, she really wasn't ready for Broadway. 

Exaggeration watch: This show is already showing a knack for gross exaggerations, such as repeatedly calling Blonde director Jerry Mitchell, "legendary director," several times last week. We love Jerry. But Blonde is his first show directing, and no one becomes a legend on one show.

This week, host Haylie Duff informed us that these would be rigorous auditions like  "no one on Broadway has experienced." Maybe not on TV. But having interviewed numerous Broadway actors over the years, I've heard plenty of horror stories about extrapolated, grueling, soul-destroying auditions, and as Canaan pointed out, if you don't make the cut, you usually aren't told why. 

Box Office: Variety reports Blonde saw an increase in ticket sales after the reality show debuted.

BlondeTV: So much better than expected

Haylie Duff, far right, and assistant choreographer Dennis Jones, to the left of Duff, brief the contestants in Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods. Copyrighted photo courtesy of MTV.

We will confess our misgivings up front: It is reality TV, which we have no faith in for substance, and MTV, which completely ceased being relevant to me after the third season of The Real World. Add to that, we saw this before in NBC's dreadful Grease: You're the One That I Want, which tapped the stars of the Grease revival currently running on Broadway.

So, I was not expecting much from Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods, which debuted on Monday night on MTV and will run for seven more weeks.

But if the show can stay on the level of its premier, you can shut me up like Professor Callahan.

The object here is to find a successor to Lexington native Laura Bell Bundy as Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde -- The Musical.

One of the best signs this show has a chance to be good comes in the first segment when Legally Blonde director Jerry Mitchell tells the hopefuls, "Casting the next Elle Woods will be my decision."

With those words, we know this will not turn into a popularity contest where the winner will be determined by whoever has the fan base that can text the quickest. It will be a professional Broadway director, plus veteran casting director Bernard Telsey, Legally Blonde book writer Heather Hach and actor Paul Canaan, who tells the hopefuls, "I wanted to be Elle Woods, but there was a height issue . . . "

By then, we also know that the show isn't going to waste our time with preliminaries. No lingering in the hinterlands to see what crazy, delusional people show up at the open calls. We start with the ladies who got to come to New York, and quicklywe are down to a final 15 who have to be whittled to a final 10 in 45 minutes. So we see a lot of dancing and trying to sing the Act I finale, So Much Better, in which the final note is held for 16 bars. We really do get a sense of how tough being in a Broadway show is.

When Emma, a hopeful who claims Broadway is in her blood because her parents met working on the original Grease, asks associate choreographer Dennis Jones if he could demonstrate a move slower, he says, "I am."

Emma provides the most drama of the night, walking in touting her Broadway bloodline  but apparently not bringing her A game to the audition. But she makes it, and the show also starts to develop some characters, like Bailey, a 20-year-old Southern Belle from Anderson, S.C., who seems destined to become the show's bumpkin, and Lauren, already becoming the meanie.

There is a classic moment in Lauren's singing audition, where she brags, "I'm not here for my 15 minutes of fame making friends with the other girls."

Hach responds, "But Elle Woods would take it to the top, but she'd also make friends with the other girls."

Lauren starts backing up immediately, "All the other girls here are really nice . . . "

Yes, judging by the preview, there will be some drama, some tears, some backstabbing, and you want a little of that on reality TV.

But like Project Runway at its best, The Search for Elle seems to be aiming to present the process of the craft. The main whining in the first episode is about exhaustion. Bundy, who looks a couple of decades more mature than any of these girls when she meets them at the end of the premier, says, "If you are tired right now, that is nothing."

That does bring us back to the overall misgiving about this process, this premise. Dismissing the final contestant cut, Telsey says, "We can't cast based on potential."

But at this juncture, isn't that basically what this show is doing? None of these actors appear to have much professional seasoning in the premier. So really, they are looking for someone who's right for the part and has the potential to be able to go from this pressure cooker to centerstage at the Palace Theatre in a few months.

That's asking a lot.

But fortunately, watching MTV's Blonde talent search doesn't appear to be asking for too much.

'Blonde' reality show unlikely to find another Bundy

Laura Bell Bundy takes a bow on the opening night of Legally Blonde -- The Musical, April 29, 2007. Before she bows out, we'll see her a few times on the MTV reality/competition show that will name her replacement. Copyrighted Herald-Leader photo by Aaron Lee Fineman. Below: A moment from Legally Blonde The Musicial: The Search for Elle Woods. Copyrighted photo courtesy of MTV.

The argument against a reality show to find Laura Bell Bundy's replacement as the lead in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde -- The Musical is Laura Bell Bundy.

This isn't argument Bundy is making. She has said nothing against Legally Blonde The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods, the MTV show that premiers tonight with 10 aspiring starlets competing to inherit Elle's hot pink wardrobe. In fact, she's promoting the show, will appear in several episodes and help train the winner for her big debut.

But you cannot deny that this show is a purely commercial move designed to keep Blonde in the spotlight after its Tony Award-nominated star exits. Yes, there is always that chance that The Search will turn up some diamond in the rough, a previously unknown talent with the skills, magnetism and stamina to fill Bundy's pink high heels.

But that's doubtful, because Bundy didn't walk into the show straight out of Lexington Catholic High School, and that's not how most of Broadway's leading lights got to center stage. Bundy first turned heads when she was 10, taking an Obie Award nominated star turn in Ruthless! The Musical. She had roles in movies such as Jumanji and guest turns on Home Improvement that you can still see on Nickelodeon. If she'd been born 10 years later, in an entertainment landscape like today's that offers more opportunities to child stars, she could have been a Miley Cyrus or Ashley Tisdale. But she actually went to high school here, then went back to New York and walked onto a plum role in a hit daytime drama, followed by a Broadway debut in a Tony Award-winning musical. When we talked to her directors and colleagues on Blonde, almost all referred to the years of work she put in leading up to this show as being of paramount importance to her landing and succeeding in the part.

She paid her dues, but even more importantly, she gained valuable experience that prepared her for a colossally demanding role that is plausibly billed as being as big as Gypsy's Mama Rose. Granted, Blonde does not have Gypsy's literary cachet. But as Elle, Bundy is dancing, singing, acting a range from humor to heartache and basically executing every play in the triple threat book with only a few minutes off stage.

It is a role you work up to, not one you walk into off the street.

Broadway already tried this once, when the revival of Grease held a reality show audition for the leading roles of Danny and Sandy. Likable Max Crumm and Laura Osnes won via viewer votes over a few folks who had more seasoning, and the opening night reviews were not kind. Normally, these roles have gone to veterans who worked their ways up through the ranks or were filled with a little stunt casting. Actually, Grease is resorting to that now, with American Idol champ Taylor Hicks joining the cast for the summer.

Broadway is a business -- big business. And with so many lights on Times Square producers need to do something to make theirs shine brighter. Maybe being the show with the girl from MTV will help Blonde, now well into its second year. But it's not a move that shows a tremendous amount of respect for Bundy, her supporting players or hundreds of other actors who have put in their time on auditions, rejections and bit parts to get roles like this. And in many ways, it will put the eventual winner of the contest in precarious position she'll need Elle-like determination to overcome.

Starting tonight, we'll find out if anyone fits that bill.

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Laura Bell Bundy to join Sardi's wall of fame

When Laura Bell Bundy was a young actress in New York City, her mom would take her to dine at Sardi's, the famous 44th Street restaurant where caricatures of stars who dined at the restaurant filled the walls.

"She looked up and asked me, 'Mommy, can I have my picture up on this wall?'" Lorna Bundy Jones recalls. "I remember answering her by saying, 'Honey, if you work really hard, someday, you will have your picture up on that wall.'"

Well, someday is now April 24, just five days shy of the first anniversary of the opening of Legally Blonde, Bundy's first lead  role on Broadway. Her caricature will be unveiled at the restaurant, where it will hang alongside of legends such as Leonard Bernstein, Liza Minnelli and Bernadette Peters. It is being drawn by Sardi's longtime artist Richard Baratz, who's drawn Robert De Niro, Marvin Hamlisch  and Billy Joel, to name a few.

Copyrighted photo, above, by Aaron Lee Fineman.

Looking for Laura Bell Bundy's replacement on MTV

Laura Bell Bundy has signed on to stay with Legally Blonde -- the Musical, through the Spring. After that, she will likely be moving on from her first leading role on Broadway, as SoCal sorority girl turned Harvard Law standout Elle Woods. Last month, Laura (photo, left, by Aaron Lee Fineman) told us she's looking to pursue other projects, including her burgeoning career as a recording artist.

MTV, it appears, will be looking for her replacement.

Last fall, the network showed Legally Blonde in its entirety several times, including a sing-along version, an unprecedented move for a Broadway musical that was still running. Now, according to Playbill, MTV is planning a reality series to find an actress to take over the part. The New York Post reports there's a casting call for the show in Orlando on Jan. 21. They are looking for non-union actresses 18 and over, according to the paper.

This looks similar to Grease: You're the One That I Want, last year's NBC series that found Max Crumm and Laura Osnes to play Danny and Sandy in the current revival of Grease on Broadway. University of Kentucky graduate Derek Keeling was in the running for Danny up until the next-to-the-last episode.

For Legally Blonde, this looks like a dicey proposition. Yes, it'll get the show more national publicity. But Elle Woods is a huge, huge part. The stars are going to have to line up just right for the reality show to find an untested actress with the triple-threat talents and stamina to do that part for eight shows a week. So far, the information is simply there will be a reality show, so no word on whether this will be decided by viewers, judges, a combination of the two and if Laura will play any role in the TV show.

2007: Top arts stories

Shakespeare at Equus Run was one of several events launched in the Summer of 2007 to fill the void left by the closing of the Lexington Shakespeare Festival. Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com photo by Matt Goins.

"This is a developing story . . . " is a fairly common phrase in the news biz, and it certainly applies to the arts in Lexington in 2007. When you start thinking back on the big stories of the past year, several of them were stories that carried over from 2006. And heck, some of them won't be resolved by the time this piece is being penned in 2008.

There's quite a bit of evolution and change taking place here, and that usually doesn't easily fit into a calendar year. But evolution and change are also exciting, so let's see what was going on.

Summer reboot: One of the late-breaking stories of 2006 was the dissolution of the Lexington Shakespeare Festival. The arts community responded big time, filling the summer with events including Actors Guild of Lexington's Shakespeare at Equus Run and another festival that swooped into the Arboretum to replace the Shakespeare Festival. The summer also saw the debut of new chamber music festivals at the beginning and end of the season: The Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass, featuring the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, at Shakertown and the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, featuring Lexington native and Chicago Symphony violinist Nathan Cole, at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion.

This story will continue to develop in 2008. Actors Guild has already decided to pass on presenting a indoor musical, as it did with Kiss Me Kate, this year, and SummerFest will likely look different in its 2008 offerings than it did this year. We'll keep you posted.

The search begins: George Zack is an indisputable institution in the Lexington arts community. So it meant a major change was afoot late last year when he announced he was stepping down as music director of the Lexington Philharmonic after 35 years on the job. This year, the change started happening. Though Zack's final concert isn't until September 2008, and his successor won't be announced until 2009, we got a look at the first two candidates for his job -- Phoenix Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor Kayoko Dan and Alexander Platt, who has several orchestras under his baton -- and an idea what the Phil will look like without Zack. In 2008, we should see at least five more candidates for the job.

Laura Bell takes the lead: No, this did not happen in Lexington. But if you ever wanted a statement that you can be born and raised in Lexington, go to school here, sharpen your skills in local arts entities and go on to top the marquee in a major cultural capitol, Laura Bell Bundy's star turn in Legally Blonde -- the Musical was a strong one. The Lexington native and Lexington Catholic graduate culminated years of working through stage and film to grab the leading role in one of Broadway's hottest shows, and a Tony nomination for the performance. Bundy's a performer with a lot of irons in the fire, so we'll see where 2008 leads her.

Zirkel's passing spotlights his cause: Ross Zirkle's death from cancer robbed the University of Kentucky of one of its beloved art professors and Lexington of a strong and active member of its visual arts community. It also revived a cause that Zirkle had fought passionately for: Getting the University of Kentucky administration to pay attention to the deplorable conditions at the Reynolds Building where the art department is housed. Despite problems that prompted an accreditation  team to call the building, "a disaster waiting to happen," and previous problems including a collapsing staircase, the University of Kentucky administration has not made renovating the facility a top priority. We'll see if Zirkle's passing prompts any change of heart in '08.

The UK Symphony goes on the record and on the road: This year saw conductor John Nardolillo putting his orchestra on the national map with achievements including recording a CD for Naxos Records, the largest classical music label in the world, and playing Carnegie Hall with folk legend Arlo Guthrie. That CD of ballet music by George Frederick McKay should come out in 2008, and we'll see how else Nardolillo turns heads in the new year.

UK Opera joins forces with San Francisco Opera and composer: The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre increased its national profile joining with the San Francisco Opera's Merola Young Artist Program for the world premier of Thomas Pasatieri's comic opera Hotel Casablanca. It put the UK company in league with one of the nation's strongest opera companies, a prolific composer, and it stamped its name on a show that could wind up on stages around the world.

The Mayor issues a challenge: New Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry made the Lexington arts community nervous when he initially declined to declare a donation to the LexArts annual Campaign for the Arts as the effort got underway, breaking a tradition set by several of his predecessors. But he came back with an interesting proposal: He allocated $350,000 to the campaign and offered an additional $150,000, if LexArts could match the grant by coming up with new donors to pledge an additional $150,000, at no more than $1,000 each. LexArts rose to the challenge and acquired a new base of support, thanks to Newberry's visionary proposal that he hopes to apply to other concerns in the city. Now it's up to LexArts to build on the money and the new donor base.

Catching up with Laura Bell Bundy

Laura Bell Bundy on stage Dec. 10 at the Lexington Opera House for a holiday concert with lifelong friend Lyndy Franklin. Copyrighted photo by Angela Baldridge for the Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com.

The last time we had a good chat with Laura Bell Bundy, it was the eve of the opening of Legally Blonde -- the Musical, the Broadway hit that has made the Lexington-native a certified stage star.

A lot has happened since that late April night: Bundy received a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a musical, the show was filmed and aired nationwide by MTV, and Broadway endured a 20-day shutdown with the stage hands strike. All that, and she also released her solo debut as a country artist, Longing for a Place Already Gone, and played gigs around New York to promote it.

So, we decided to take advantage of Bundy being in town for her holiday concert with fellow Broadway performer, Lexington-native and lifelong friend Lyndy Franklin to chat with her about how it’s been going and her future with and beyond Blonde.

Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation:

Copious Notes: Tell us about the strike.

Laura Bell Bundy: There were rumors like, ‘OK, tonight, you might need to take your stuff out of the theater,’ months before we struck.  Then, all of a sudden, within 48 hours it was like, ‘Take your stuff out of the theater, if you need anything. Make sure you take it home tonight.’ We weren’t able to get into the theater, even to get our costumes for the Thanksgiving parade [Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade] because the Local One stage crew opens the door to the theater.

But we were required by Equity (the stage actors union) to show up at what would be our half hour (call) and stay until the time of the show in case there was a deal. We had to do that for the first week. The second week, they started to say, ‘Well, you don’t have to come tonight because we know they’re not negotiating.’ So then we started to come every couple of shows.

CN: So, what was it like being closed during that period of time, during the holiday season, when you’re one of the hottest tickets on Broadway?

LBB: It was really unfortunate, because I’m sure we would have had incredible audiences during those weeks. Our show was pretty much sold out for that week and it’s a big money-maker week that lasts them a long time. You have two major weeks a year: Thanksgiving week and the week following Christmas.

But in a lot of ways, it was OK for me, because my family was up in New York, and I got to spend a lot more time with them.

Laura and Lyndy come home

Laura Bell Bundy and Lyndy Franklin perform at the Lexington Opera House Dec. 10, 2007. Copyrighted Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com photo by Angela Baldridge.

Note: For the Laura Bell Bundy fans who frequent this site, here's the account of her Dec. 10 holiday concert at the Lexington Opera House with Lyndy Franklin:

Most nights Laura Bell Bundy and Lyndy Franklin perform under the lights of Broadway. But last night, just like they did decades ago, the Lexington natives and lifelong friends were putting on a show in Kentucky.

"The last time we put on a holiday show, it was 20 years ago at the Bourbon Heights Nursing Home in Paris," Bundy told the audience that packed the Lexington Opera House. "I think we've come a long way since then."

Bundy stars in the Broadway hit, Legally Blonde -- The Musical, and Franklin is the dance captain and understudies several roles in the acclaimed revival of A Chorus Line.

The concert was a mix of holiday classics and Broadway tunes, all backed by the Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors.

Together and solo, they reminded local audiences of their flairs for song and dance, and they laughed through a few mishaps.

The emotional centerpiece was For Good, a duet about life-altering friendship from Wicked, in which Bundy performed as Glinda. They dedicated the song to each other's mothers, Luanne Franklin and Lorna Bundy Jones, who they said were instrumental in helping them realize their dreams. Then, holding hands at centerstage, the duo sang:

"Because I knew you

I have been changed

for good."       

The Laura and Lyndy show

Straight from Broadway, Lexington's Laura Bell Bundy and Lyndy Franklin will be on stage tonight at the Lexington Opera House for a show of Christmas and Broadway favorites.

Fresh from her flight from NYC back to the Bluegrass, we got a few minutes to chat with Laura Bell, who gave a little preview of tonight's event, which will include Laura and Lyndy singing songs from the Broadway hits they are currently in, Legally Blonde and A Chorus Line, respectively.

"If Lyndy was not involved, I don't know that I'd be doing this," Laura said. "Doing the show together was our motivation to get together."

Lyndy (photo, right, by Aaron Lee Fineman), Laura said, was largely the driving force behind arranging things for the concert such as rehearsals, scripts and whatnot. Lyndy is the dance captain for A Chorus Line and an understudy for numerous speaking and non-speaking roles in the show. Laura, of course, is the Tony Award-nominated star of Legally Blonde -- The Musical.

Audiences at the Opera House will hear Laura sing So Much Better, Blonde's first act finale, and Lyndy will sing the Chorus Line classic, What I Did for Love. They'll also duet on For Good from Wicked, in which Laura played the part of Glinda on Broadway as the frequent replacement for Kristin Chenoweth. They'll also share the stage and solo on a number of Christmas hits, accompanied by the Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors (BAJA).

Last year, BAJA recorded a Christmas album with Laura, and together, they presented a holiday concert at the University of Kentucky's Memorial Hall. Laura says the wheels were put in motion for this year's concert after that event.

"We wanted to do it with more preparation, on a bigger scale and announced more in advance," Laura said.

The concert is a benefit for Laura's educational charity, Kreative Kids, the Opera House Fund Capital Campaign and BAJA.

~ We also talked to Laura about Blonde; the high of presenting the show on MTV, the low of the stagehand's strike and her future with the show. Check back later this week for a post from that conversation.

Lexingtonians in NYC for Turkey Day weekend

Laura Bell Bundy in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde, the Musical. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Barlow-Hartman Public Relations.

How's this for football counter-programming: MTV is reshowing the Broadway production of Legally Blonde the Musical, this time in a sing-along format, at 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. The show, starring Lexington's Laura Bell Bundy as SoCal sorority girl-turned-Harvard law student Elle Woods, will play with lyrics at the bottom of the screen. It's been a successful technique with tween hits such as High School Musical.

MTV and Legally Blonde broke new ground in October by being the first Broadway show ever to be shown on TV in its entirety while it was still running on Broadway. According to Playbill.com, between the initial Oct. 13 showing and subsequent airings on MTV, Legally Blonde was seen by more than 12.5 million viewers. Funny thing is, unless there's a real quick resolution to the Broadway stagehands strike, TV is the only way you'll see Legally Blonde Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanksgiving morning, Bundy and the Blonde cast will perform on the broadcast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which starts at 9 a.m. on NBC.

Also in NYC:

~ The Dunbar High School Marching band will be in the Macy's Parade -- maybe they should just hold the thing in Lexington, don'tcha think? Keep up with the high schoolers adventures in the big city on the blog, March of a Lifetime.

~ The University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra's big Carnegie Hall appearance with Arlo Guthrie is Saturday night. Watch the Herald-Leader over the weekend for photos and a story on the big event.

Bluegrass Broadway stars coming 'Home for Christmas'

Legit Lexington talents Laura Bell Bundy and Lyndy Franklin will present a Christmas concert with the Bluegrass Jazz Ambassadors at 7:30 Dec. 10 at the Lexington Opera House. Tickets are $15-$35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

Bundy is starring as Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde, and Franklin is the dance captain and understudies several roles in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Last December, in the midst of rehearsals for Legally Blonde, Bundy came home to present a concert with the Jazz Ambassadors at Memorial Hall, with whom she recorded a CD, I'll Be Home for Christmas. Bundy and Franklin are longtime friends who actually spent last Christmas day together in New York.

Laura Bell rules on 'Blonde' TV

Elle Woods (Laura Bell Bundy) submits her "personal essay" for admission to Harvard Law School in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde, which is showing on MTV this weekend. Below, Christian Borle as Emmett, Elle and Richard H. Blake as Warner. Copyrighted photos courtesy of Barlow Hartman.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, the Copley household, like a lot of other Central Kentuckians, I'm sure, couldn't be in front of the TV. But after getting the birthday parties, soccer games, at THAT INCREDIBLE UK FOOTBALL GAME out of the way, MTV's airing of Legally Blonde was our primetime viewing. That came thanks to the miracle of TiVo, and I seriously mean "thanks" because, with kids watching, it let us skip the ads for some of MTV's racier shows and some of the inane commentary by the cast of The Hills, a show I am too old to be familiar with -- I'm from that cranky generation that likes to reminisce about the good ol' days when MTV showed music.

But at this point, I will stop picking on Music Television, because this was an evening of music and the network did a really good job of bringing the show to the small screen. (Blonde repeats at 7 tonight, and there's another showing set for 11 a.m. Friday.)

Blonde TV alert

Laura Bell Bundy will be on MTV's TRL from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. today. The Lexington native will be promoting the showing of Legally Blonde: The Musical, which she stars in, at 1 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday on MTV.

'Blonde' TV delayed two weeks

If you were hoping to tune in Lexington-native Laura Bell Bundy in Legally Blonde today, the MTV showing of the hit Broadway musical has been pushed back two weeks. It will air at 1 p.m. Oct. 13.

Click here to read details of the filming of the show from Playbill.

In the meantime, check out this Nightline interview of Laura Bell regarding her new y'alternative album.

Blonde TV: It's official

The day after one blonde bombed on MTV, the network announced that it will be showing a certified Blonde hit at the end of this month. Last week, we mentioned that the one-time-music channel was negotiating with the producers of the Legally Blonde the Musical to air a performance of the show in its entirety. Monday, it became official: Broadway's Legally Blonde, starring Lexington native Laura Bell Bundy, will air at 1 p.m. Sept. 29 (that's a Saturday) and there will be up to six subsequent airings.

By the way, in regard to Britney Spears' train-wreck performance on the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday, the AP had a thought-provoking column on whether it was fair to criticize her out of shape physique.

Elle Woods could get her MTV

The New York Post and Playbill are reporting that the producers of Legally Blonde the Musical are in negotiations with MTV to show a performance of the Broadway hit starring Lexington native Laura Bell Bundy. The show would be taped in September and air sometime in October.

The broadcast would be an unprecedented move for a Broadway musical that is still running. While shows are frequently taped to be shown after closing, and Les Miserables was aired in a concert version during its run, Broadway producers have generally felt that putting a show on TV will hurt the box office. But, as Michael Riedel's Post column notes, the counter-intuitive view is that Blonde TV will just make viewers in its target audience of females 15-25 want to see the live show more.

Laura Bell turns heads with her 'y'alternative' act

Check out this New York Times story about Laura Bell Bundy's country act that was recently unveiled at New York's Birdland jazz club. The story is about Broadway stars in general carving out side careers as recording artists. But the lead and a lot of the text is devoted to Laura Bell, no Bundy, and her rootsy country act she calls, "y'alternative." She makes the point in the story that she is marketing her recording artist self as Laura Bell to create a second identity. But the Hairspray and Legally Blonde star also says she thinks this persona is closer to her true self than anything else she's done, and that it springs in large part from her Lexington roots.

~ In related news, there's this amusing and informative Michael Riedel column about Disney's floundering stage version of The Little Mermaid.

Laura Bell you can take home

For nearly a year, we've been telling you about Laura Bell Bundy's stage work, mostly in New York, where she is playing Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde the Musical. Today actually presents you two chances to take Laura Bell -- or her work, at least -- home:

~ The original cast recording from Legally Blonde is out. Finally, a chance to revisit a few of the show's infectious tunes such as Omigod You Guys, So Much Better and Bend and Snap that have not truly left my brain since opening night. It's not the next great American musical, but the show is a lot of fun, and the music is a big part of that. In addition to Laura's new solo CD, Longing for a Place Already Gone, the Blonde recording should give you a good sense of her vocal chops. You'll also hear standout performances from Laura's castmates, such as Leslie Kritzer and Christian Borle.

~ Surf School -- Laura Bell filmed this teen-surf comedy before getting to work on Blonde, and it only played in a few theaters across the country. The DVD is out today.

It's the story of a group of high school misfits who enroll in a surf academy run by an aging hippie played by Harland Williams, in an effort to win a big surfing competition. Laura plays a death chick who comes out of her shell at on the beach. I haven't watched it yet, but I do have to give the writers credit for not trying to sell us Laura as an outcast without some heavy costuming. In early scenes, she's gothed up with long, eye-shading black hair and dark makeup. Teen movies tend to stretch credibility when they try to cast attractive actresses like Hillary Duff or Lindsay Lohan as outcasts. Like they couldn't get a date in high school. Sure. Fair warning, this is billed as an "Unrated" version, so it probably wouldn't be right for your preteen Blonde or Hairspray groupie.

~ Speaking of Hairspray, movie Amber von Tussle Brittany Snow talked about Laura, who originated the part on Broadway, at About.com:

“Yeah, it’s funny because the first time I went to go see the original musical was with one of my best friends at the time, Laura Bell Bundy, she was the original Amber on Broadway,” said Snow. “She originated the musical role. She was kind of my big sister growing up. She took me to see the Broadway show a couple of times. And then when I got the call for this audition, I called her and I was like, ‘How weird is that?’ And then when I got the part she was so excited. It was kind of like passing the torch to her little sister to play basically her. So I had seen it a bunch of times and went backstage and met Marissa [Jaret Winokur] and everybody. I was so excited to even meet anybody, let alone I didn’t know I was going to be a part of it five years later."

I have a feeling Brittany maybe meant to say Laura gave her tickets to see the show, or something like that. But clearly, the actors who met on Guiding Light have a good friendship. The Hairspray movie opens Friday.

~ Laura has a new website now, lauraashleybellbundy.com.

Blonde highlights: Bundy and 'Blonde' on the 'Today' show

The Legally Blonde cast, led by Laura Bell Bundy, will be on the Today show at the bottom of the 8 and 9 a.m. hours this morning, according to Playbill.com. Two numbers are set for the show: What You Want, Elle Wood's "personal essay" to get into Harvard, and Bend and Snap, led by Leslie Kritzer, who will be a lead in a Broadway show sooner than later.

Blonde was originally scheduled for the Today show April 27, but the performance was canceled due to rain.

'Blonde' highlight: Laura Bell on 'The View'

You won't see Rosie, but you will see Laura Bell Bundy on The View tomorrow morning (May 31). She and the Legally Blonde cast will be performing a number from the show. It's at 11 a.m. on WTVQ here in Lexington.

'Blonde' streak: Tony broadcast controversy

According to Variety, Legally Blonde came close to landing a performance spot in the Tony Awards broadcast, despite not being nominated for best musical. The rule has been only nominees for best musical and revival of a musical get to perform on the broadcast. But a move was afoot to get performances from Blonde and LoveMusik, which also was not nominated for best musical, on the show to liven things up. But that idea appears to have been nixed as a Broadway contingent contended that the TV showcase, which often means a box office boost, is part of the reward for being nominated and it should not be arbitrarily handed out.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel, of course, has a more colorful and detailed account of the dust-up.

The Tony Awards site has posted a nice video of interviews with this year's Tony nominees, including Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle and Jerry Mitchell.

The Tony Awards: Laura Bell Bundy nominated

Laura Bell Bundy met the press at the opening night party for Legally Blonde on