Amerie

Broadway in Chicago's 'Spelling Bee' colored blue tonight

For anyone who is a fan of the Tony Award-winning comedy musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," tonight's your night. (If you're age 17 or older ...)

As part of the show's open run at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, the cast is presenting what it calls "parent/teacher night," for one performance only, at 8 tonight.

While the kids stay home and do their homework, adults can see and hear a more "colorful" (as in BLUE) version of the show and musical numbers.

Both the Broadway and San Francisco companies of "Spelling Bee" have presented special "mature audiences only" performances.

Jay Reiss, who originated the character of Vice Principal Douglas Panch in New York, wrote many of the word definitions and hilariously unhelpful sentences used throughout the traditional show.

This version adds quite a few twists and lots of double entendres as the spellers compete to redden the faces of audience members (who are always called onstage to participate).

Eric Roediger, who plays speller William Barfee, says tonight's performance is a test to see if Chicago audiences like the "adult concept" as a special feature to repeat in additional shows.

"Much of what you'll see and hear can be compared to the out-takes and the kidding around the cast does behind the scenes in rehearsals when we purposely trade out words to shock or surprise," he said.

"Since much of this show is based on improv, this is the perfect theme to try out with adult audiences who have already seen the show and are die-hard fans."

Roediger emphasizes the foundation for the musical's plot remains the same: "Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser."

Scarlett made Cameron see red

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz officially confirmed their split Thursday, just as Us Weekly was reporting that a third party had played a major role in the breakup -- one Scarlett Johansson. Seems Timberlake and Johansson had a thing for each other for a while. And with his relationship with Diaz listing badly, Timberlake took the decisive move of asking Johansson to appear as the designated vixen in his new video, "What Goes Around." Bad Alpha Dog, Justin, bad Alpha Dog!! Johansson agreed in a heartbeat. "Scarlett has always liked Justin," a friend of the actress' told Us Weekly. "They've always had a flirtation -- that's why Cameron was threatened by her." Adds a friend of Timberlake's, "(Diaz) could not believe he went behind her back to put (Johansson) in the video," "Cameron was very jealous of Scarlett." Timberlake's casting call essentially dissolved his relationship with Diaz, Us Weekly said. The pair confirmed it was over Thursday with a joint statement that said, "We have, in fact, ended our romantic relationship and have done so mutually and as friends, with continued love and respect for one another." Timberlake and Diaz had dated since 2003 after meeting at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. MADONNA, MAULED BY ANGELINA, RUNS TO ROSIE: Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna has got your back. Um, let us rephrase that. Rosie, you have a friend in Madge. Madonna told "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira Thursday she thought Rosie didn't deserve the heat she's getting from Donald Trump and others. "People are giving Rosie a hard time," said Madonna, who starred with O'Donnell in 1992's "A League of Their Own." "I wish they'd stop. I don't think it's fair. ... Basically, I mean, she's a stand-up comic. I think all stand-up comics talk about provocative things in their monologues before shows ... . I have a feeling that if every stand-up comic was penalized for saying politically incorrect things or provocative things, I think they'd all be hung in the public square," she added. We'd recount for you why The Donald and Rosie are fighting, but then we'd have to throw up. Of course, Madonna has been no stranger to controversy lately, with some human rights groups claiming she used her fame to skirt the law when she adopted a baby boy from Malawi. Angelina Jolie joined the fray this week when she blasted Madonna in the French magazine Gala, saying she would "never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal." Jolie was herself criticized for those remarks by several adoption experts Thursday, who told the New York Post that Jolie had no right to criticize, since she employed a group to adopt her Cambodian son that was found guilty two years later of visa fraud and money laundering related to Cambodian adoptions. "Angelina is not a hero in the adoption community," Tatiana Beams, a Seattle-based international adoption advocate, told the Post. So just to recount, in case you're having a hard time keeping up: Cameron hates Scarlett, cuz Scarlett loves Justin. Donald hates Rosie. Barbara Walters loves Rosie and

hates Donald, even though Rosie's still kinda peeved at Barbara. Madonna loves Rosie, so she probably
hates Donald, too. Angelina hates Madonna, but we don't know if she likes Donald.
Oh, and we're pretty certain Vieira told Madonna she could kiss her, if she wanted to. That has to count
for something.
DREW AND FABRIZIO -- IT'S OVER: Drew Barrymore and Fabrizio Moretti, drummer for the New
York rock band the Strokes, have broken up after five years of dating, Us weekly reports.
"Drew said they needed time off," a source close to the actress told the magazine.

Celebrity Birthdays

Today: Actor Rod Taylor is 77. Actor Mitchell Ryan (Dharma and Greg) is 73. Actor Felix Silla (Cousin Itt on The Addams Family, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) is 70. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is 65. Country singer Naomi Judd is 61. Guitarist Vicki Peterson of The Bangles is 49. Actress Kim Coles (Living Single) is 45. Keyboardist Jim Bryson of MercyMe is 39. Guitarist Tom Dumont of No Doubt is 39. Singer Maxee Maxwell of Brownstone is 38. Singer Mary J. Blige is 36. Musician Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers is 36. Actress Amanda Peet is 35. Friday: Country singer Ray Price is 81. Singer Glenn Yarborough is 77. Country singer William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys is 68. Trumpeter Cynthia Robinson of Sly and the Family Stone is 61. Singer-keyboardist George Duke is 61. Actor Anthony Andrews is 59. Actress Kirstie Alley is 56. Political commentator Rush Limbaugh is 56. Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 55. Radio personality Howard Stern is 53. Drummer Tom Ardolino of NRBQ is 50. News correspondent Christiane Amanpour is 49. Keyboardist Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows is 47. Actor Oliver Platt is 47. Singer Rob Zombie is 41. Rapper TBird of B-Rock and the Bizz is 40. Model Vendela is 40. Actress Farrah Forke (Wings) is 39. Singer Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) is 37. Rapper Raekwon of Wu Tang Clan is 37. Singer Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay is 34. Bassist Matt Wong of Reel Big Fish is 34. Singer Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice) of the Spice Girls is 33. Singer Amerie is 26. Saturday: Country singer Liz Anderson is 77. Actress Frances Sternhagen is 77. Actor Charles Nelson Reilly is 76. Comedian Rip Taylor is 73. Actor Billy Gray (Father Knows Best) is 69. Actor Richard Moll (Night Court) is 64. Guitarist Trevor Rabin of Yes is 53. Drummer Fred White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 52. Actor Kevin Anderson (Nothing Sacred) is 47. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Seinfeld) is 46. Singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson of Madness is 46. Country singer Trace Adkins is 45. Actress Penelope Ann Miller is 43. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 41. Actress Traci Bingham (Baywatch) is 39. Actress Nicole Eggert (Baywatch, Charles in Charge) is 35. Actor Orlando Bloom is 30. Sunday: 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney is 88. Blues singer Clarence Carter is 71. Country singer Billie Joe Spears is 70. Singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint is 69. Singer Jack Jones is 69. Actress Faye Dunaway is 66. Actress Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men, The Practice) is 64. Singer-producer T-Bone Burnett is 59. Actor Carl Weathers is 59. Singer Geoff Tate of Queensryche is 48. Rapper Slick Rick is 42. Actor Dan Schneider (Head of the Class) is 41. Actress Emily Watson is 40. Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes (Mr. Rhodes) is 40. Guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne) is 40. Rapper LL Cool J is 39. Actor Jason Bateman is 38. Musician Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters (and Nirvana) is 38. Monday: Actress Margaret O'Brien (Meet Me In St. Louis) is 70. Singer Captain Beefheart is 66. Actress Andrea Martin is 60. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 50. Actor James Nesbitt (Waking Ned Devine) is 42. Singer Lisa Lisa of Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam is 40. Actor Chad Lowe is 39. Actress Regina King is 36. Actor Eddie Cahill (CSI: New York) is 29. Tuesday: Singer Barbara Lynn is 65. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 64. Country singer Jim Stafford is

63. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 60. Director John Carpenter is 59. Actress-dancer Debbie Allen is 57. Singer Sade is 48. Bassist Paul Webb of Talk Talk is 45. Singer Maxine Jones of En Vogue

is 41. Actor David Chokachi (Baywatch) is 39. Actor Richard T. Jones (Judging Amy) is 35.
Supermodel Kate Moss is 33. Guitarist Nick Valensi of The Strokes is 26.
Wednesday: Actress Betty White is 85. Actress-singer Eartha Kitt is 80. Actor James Earl Jones is 76.
Talk show host Maury Povich is 68. Singer William Hart of The Delfonics is 62. Former Rolling Stones
guitarist Mick Taylor is 59. Singer Sheila Hutchinson of The Emotions is 54. Singer Steve Earle is 52.
Singer Paul Young is 51. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 50. Singer Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles is

48. Actor Jim Carrey is 45. Actor Joshua Malina (The West Wing, Sports Night) is 41. Singer Shabba Ranks is 41. Actor Naveen Andrews (Lost) is 38. Musician Kid Rock is 36. Actor Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) is 32. Actress Zooey Deschanel (Elf, The Good Girl) is 27. Singer Ray J is 26. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson of The Wilkinsons is 25.

The Month In: Grime/Dubstep

How long before we see a dubstepper at the Brit Awards? The scene's had a good year, but let's be real: If you want something done right, in the award stakes or otherwise, you're probably best to do it yourself, which is the organizing principle behind the second annual Dubstep Forum Awards, whose nominations, categories, and winners were chosen by the scene, for the scene. Many of the scene's big guns fared well at the awards-- and rightly so. Best Producer winner Mala had an immense 2006. Burial, who claimed Album of the Year honors, were even bigger. Rinse's position as radio's flagship station was always assured. And the DMZ night and label were deserved winners. But it's the less well known names, or those who didn't win last year, that provided the most interesting results. N-Type's triumph in the Best DJ category heralds his arrival as a true heavyweight on the scene. He fought off stiff competition-- not just from dubstep DJ Youngsta but also Mala DMZ, Skream, Hatcha, Joe Nice, and Kode9. In many ways N-Type's win is symbolic of where much of dubstep is headed right now. If Hatcha's reign at FWD>> during 2003-04 ushered in the sound's modern era and Youngsta's sets characterised the coldest subzero halfstep experiments in 2005, then N-Type as 2006's DJ of the Year epitomizes the raviest, most high-energy strain of dubstep. With his hyper-fast mixing and emphasis on quick-fire drop after drop, it will be interesting if purveyors of this style can, as well as satisfying crowd demand, continue to also take the occasional risks with their selection that has traditionally allowed dubstep to evolve quickly. N-Type was also a deserved winner in the Best Radio Show on Rinse. The pirate station remains the home of dubstep on air, but it's great to see a new rival emerge in the Best Radio Station category: Sub FM. Broadcasting online and with a tiny fraction of its budget or audience, Sub FM beat the mighty BBC Radio 1 into third place. Plastican and Mary Anne Hobbs might be flying the flag for dubstep at the Beeb, but Sub FM is punching well above its weight, shrewdly hoovering up the freshest new production and DJ talent like Cyrus (Random Trio), Sweden's criminally under rated L-Wiz, Bristol's Hench Crew, Selector Dub U, Bun-Zer0, Argon Records' Nick Argon, Matty G, and Skynet, many of them award winners in their own right. If dubstep is to evolve from the state so many people first found it at the beginning of 2006, then it is new producers and DJs like the Sub FM line up that will push things forward. Sub FM should also give thanks to Deapoh's Barefiles. The pirate radio download site is a central distribution hub for all dubstep DJ sets and, as well as spreading the word far beyond London's pirate signal strength, has had a crucial democratising effect on the scene. It doesn't matter how big your radio station is, or if you don't even have a station at all, if you get onto Barefiles you get an audience. Needless to say Barefiles was a clear winner in this years' Best Website category. The Best International Newcomer category is one to watch for future stars, not just because the producers are newcomers but also because they're international. Separated from the birthplace of the scene, by geography if not in spirit, they have the opportunity to forge their own unique identity, indebted to their influences and surroundings. Finland's Tes La Rok was a surprise runner up in the category but tunes like "Gunshot" show evidence of the kinds of Coki-cloning that decimated the scene's quality control in 2006. More original is Parson (download Tracktor Pull mix here). His style might be exactly the kind of warping dark halfstep you'd expect from Youngsta or Hench, but it's saved by a Texan twist. Screwed and chopped hip-hop vocals give Parson a uniquely U.S. flavor-- essential if he's to add to the healthy momentum that he generated for himself in 06. The Dubstep Forum Awards also reflect the attention the sound has generated within the drum & bass scene. Second Best Newcomer HiJak is a former member of jungle's Internatty Crew, but in fairness his involvement in dubstep relates more to the fact his brother is Skream. D'n'b mainstay Redeye makes an appearance in the Best Shop category and d'n'b producer Juju comes third in the Best International Producer. Skynet, with a history in d'n'b, plays on Sub FM. For lots of its new audience, dubstep has filled a hole in their hearts that the changes in jungle left empty. But from a production perspective, it seems that many new school d'n'b heads have had a change of heart and started making dubstep this year. Whether the results will be new school d'n'b values at dubstep tempo, or an exciting new mutation, remains to be seen. While grime is also unlikely to dominate the Brit Awards, someone who's come up through the scene has had another kind of award success. Sadie Ama, star of the Terror Danjah r&g smash "So Sure", has come fourth in the BBC's Sound of 2007 list. It's a high-profile accolade and she's probably delighted, but I feel sorry for her. Female singer plucked from grime or garage scene? It's a kiss of death. Consider Gemma Fox. Who? Yes, exactly. Plucked from garage at the beginning of the decade, she was hyped at the next Mary J Blige and even had Mary's "My Life" producer flown over to work with her. Her album bombed and she's barely been heard of since. Consider Stush. After success with the Sticky produced "Dollar Sign" she signed to a major at the same time as More Fire Crew in 2002. She still hasn't released anything. Consider Shystie. Signed to a major shortly after Gemma Fox. Her singles got specialist radio airplay, thanks in part to a great Terror Danjah remix, and she appeared in the broadsheet newspapers but the album bombed. And these, tragically, are just the UK female artists that made it through the major's doors. Open any UK urban magazines and you'll often see desperate r&b hopefuls in the new artist slots. If Mary J can do it, so can they? Yes? Seemingly not. So why can't the UK market-- and it is marketing that matters-- big r&b superstars like the U.S.? They have five times the UK's population, but 50 times the industry clout. They have Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Amerie, Mary J. Blige, Kelis, Ciara, Brandy, Cassie, and dozens more. We don't even have one-50th of the artists to show for it, let alone one-fifth. It's tragic. We have the production talent, too-- if only people like Target and Terror Danjah got major label breaks. But they don't. I feel for the men as well. Grime MCs have struggled for mainstream acceptance almost as long as the scene's existed. Various factors have held them back: be it the level of aggression in their music (too intense for mainstream acceptance, it seems, despite the success of aggressive U.S. MCs), a lack of support/faith by the majors, or the inability of both sides to form working relationships. Regardless, in 2006 the grime scene did the right thing and went independent, producing and releasing a slew of amazing underground mixtapes. But this isn't the route the women are looking for. There are two exceptions however: Ms Dynamite had a massive UK success with her first LP, thanks in many ways to her articulate, conscious message. But she proved a far bigger UK than U.S. star and her second LP failed to match the debut's achievements. Then there's Lady Sovereign. Originally known for her posts on forums, she got signed after attracting the attention of firstly DJ Ross Allen and then a large management company. There was the odd UK 12" and some style press coverage, but nothing to inspire hope in future female songstresses. Then she went to the U.S. and rapped for Jay-Z so well she won herself a record contract. With that contract came a whole amount of marketing and suddenly she was on "The O.C.", MTV, and turning up at major award ceremonies. Great to see a UK artist doing well, but given it wasn't a UK marketing push, I still haven't changed my mind. Sadie's signed to a Ministry of Sound "development deal," which is shorthand for "small marketing budget". Sorry Sadie, I hope you blow up like Beyoncé, but as the odds are against you, I'm not so sure.

Celebrity Birthdays

Jan. 7: Author William Peter Blatty ("The Exorcist") is 79. Country singer Jack Greene is 77. Keyboardist Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders is 69. "Rolling Stone" publisher Jann Wenner is 61. Singer Kenny Loggins is 59. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 58. Actress Erin Gray ("Silver Spoons,""Buck Rogers in the 25th Century") is 57. Actor David Caruso is 51. TV personality Katie Couric is 50. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 48. Bassist Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's is

48. Actress Hallie Todd ("Lizzie McGuire") is 45. Actor Nicolas Cage is 43. Singer John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting is 42. Actor-rapper Doug E. Doug is 37. Actor Kevin Rahm ("Judging Amy") is 36. Country singer John Rich of Big and Rich is 33. Actor Dustin Diamond ("Saved By The Bell: The New Class") is 30. Actor Liam Aiken ("Lemony Snicket") is 17.

Jan. 8: Actor-comedian Larry Storch ("F Troop") is 84. Actor Ron Moody is 83. Comedian Soupy Sales is 81. "Sunday Morning" host Charles Osgood is 74. Singer Shirley Bassey is 70. Game show host Bob Eubanks ("The Newlywed Game") is 69. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 67. Singer Anthony Gourdine of Little Anthony and the Imperials is 66. Guitarist Robby Krieger of The Doors is 61. Singer David Bowie is 60. Actress Michelle Forbes ("Homicide,""Star Trek: The Next Generation") is 40. Singer R. Kelly is 40. Bassist Jeff Abercrombie of Fuel is 38. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 34. Actress Gaby Hoffman ("Field of Dreams") is 25.

Jan. 9: Author Judith Krantz is 79. Sports announcer Dick Enberg is 72. Singer Joan Baez is 66. Actress Susannah York is 66. Guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is 63. Singer Buster Poindexter is 57. Singer Crystal Gayle is 56. Guitarist Eric Erlandson (Hole) is 44. Actress Joely Richardson is 42. Guitarist Carl Bell of Fuel is 40. Singer Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth is 40. Singer Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band is 40. Singer A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys is 29.

Jan. 10: Singer Scott McKenzie is 68. Singer Frank Sinatra Junior is 63. Singer Rod Stewart is 62. Singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is 59. Actor William Sanderson ("Deadwood,""Newhart") is 59. Singer Pat Benatar is 54. Guitarist Michael Schenker (Scorpions) is 52. Singer Shawn Colvin is 51. Singer-guitarist Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets is 48. Singer Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 43. Actress Trini Alvarado is 40. Guitarist Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down is

29. Rapper Chris Smith of Kris Kross is 28.

Jan. 11: Actor Rod Taylor is 77. Actor Mitchell Ryan ("Dharma and Greg") is 73. Actor Felix Silla (Cousin Itt on "The Addams Family,""Buck Rogers in the 25th Century") is 70. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is 65. Country singer Naomi Judd is 61. Guitarist Vicki Peterson of The Bangles is 49. Actress Kim Coles ("Living Single") is 45. Keyboardist Jim Bryson of MercyMe is 39. Guitarist Tom Dumont of No Doubt is 39. Singer Maxee Maxwell of Brownstone is 38. Singer Mary J. Blige is 36. Musician Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers is 36. Actress Amanda Peet is 35.

Jan. 12: Country singer Ray Price is 81. Singer Glenn Yarborough is 77. Country singer William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys is 68. Trumpeter Cynthia Robinson of Sly and the Family Stone is 61. Singer-keyboardist George Duke is 61. Actor Anthony Andrews is 59. Actress Kirstie Alley is 56. Political commentator Rush Limbaugh is 56. Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 55. Radio personality Howard Stern is 53. Drummer Tom Ardolino of NRBQ is 50. News correspondent Christiane Amanpour is 49. Keyboardist Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows is 47. Actor Oliver Platt is 47. Singer Rob Zombie is 41. Rapper TBird of B-Rock and the Bizz is 40. Model Vendela is 40. Actress Farrah Forke ("Wings") is 39. Singer Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) is 37. Rapper Raekwon of Wu Tang Clan is 37. Singer Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay is 34. Bassist Matt Wong of Reel Big Fish is 34. Singer Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice) of the Spice Girls is 33. Singer Amerie is 26.

Jan. 13: Country singer Liz Anderson is 77. Actress Frances Sternhagen is 77. Actor Charles Nelson Reilly is 76. Comedian Rip Taylor is 73. Actor Billy Gray ("Father Knows Best") is 69. Actor Richard Moll ("Night Court") is 64. Guitarist Trevor Rabin of Yes is 53. Drummer Fred White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 52. Actor Kevin Anderson ("Nothing Sacred") is 47. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfuss ("Seinfeld") is 46. Singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson of Madness is 46. Country singer Trace Adkins is

45. Actress Penelope Ann Miller is 43. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 41. Actress Traci Bingham ("Baywatch") is 39. Actress Nicole Eggert ("Baywatch,""Charles in Charge") is 35. Actor Orlando Bloom is 30.

Amerie 1 | Amerie 2 | Amerie 3

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