Spice Girls Musical Now In the Works

Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer will soon be seeing if she can do for The Spice Girls what she did for ABBA. Craymer has worked out an agreement with American Idol creator Simon Fuller and The Spice Girls themselves that is to result in the creation of a brand new musical based on the song catalog and the personalities of the five-woman "girl power" pop band The Spice Girls. No creative team has yet been announced, but the show's tentative title is Viva Forever. The Spice Girls' biggest hit was the single "Wannabe," and they also had a hit film called Spice World. Although the quintet will be involved in the development of Viva Forever, they will not actually be in the musical.

Chenoweth To Guest As American Idol Judge

It's that time of year again, when Fox's ratings juggernaut American Idol takes over the airwaves and a new slate of aspiring performers become incessant water cooler talk (a select few even go on to superstardom). During the audition episodes of American Idol, several guest judges will be sitting in on the panel, and among them will be a couple of Broadway babies. Kristin Chenoweth (of Wicked fame) will serve as a guest judge on January 20 for the Orlando auditions, and Neil Patrick Harris (who has several Broadway credits but is more recently known for TV's How I Met Your Mother) will join the Dallas auditions on January 26.

Idol Taylor Hicks To Make Broadway Debut

In another case of reality TV show mixing, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is set to make his first Broadway bow in the Broadway revival of Grease. Season Five Idol winner Hicks will play the Teen Angel in Grease beginning June 6 in an engagement that is expected to go through September 7.

From Broadway To Hollywood: Andrew Lloyd Webber To Mentor American Idol Contestants

On last night's broadcast of American Idol, it was announced that West End/Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (along with Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, and Mariah Carey) will serve as a "celebrity mentor" on the hit Fox TV show this season. It's a bit of a surprise, considering judge Simon Cowell frequently uses the phrase "Too Broadway!" as a slam to contestants whose singing sounds more legit than pop. And Lloyd Webber of course has had multiple hits on Broadway, including Evita, Cats, and the still-running Broadway phenomenon The Phantom of the Opera. But maybe Cowell decided to make an exception for a fellow Brit? In any case, Andrew Lloyd Webber's appearance on the show is bound to be a "Broadway week", giving the nation exposure to some (hopefully) terrific Broadway tunes.

Clay Aiken Makes Broadway Debut in Spamalot

American Idol finalist and popular singer Clay Aiken makes his Broadway debut tonight in Monty Python's Spamalot. Aiken is playing the role of Sir Robin, originated on Broadway by David Hyde Pierce. Get discount tickets to Spamalot and see if Clay is a worthy "Broadway idol".