Bryan A. Howard and Laura M. Spain

Mr. and Mrs. Bryan L. Spain of Arlington are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura M. Spain, to Bryan A. Howard, son of Mr. Andy H. Howard and Mrs. Catherine A. Walger. 

The bride-elect earned a bachelor of business administration and a master of business administration from Texas Christian University and is a partner in Hygeia Paragon Holdings, Inc. The groom-to-be received a bachelor of environmental design from Texas A & M University and is a project manager for C.B. Richard Ellis. 

The couple plans to marry Jan. 30 at Meadowbrook United Methodist Church in Fort Worth and will honeymoon on a Caribbean cruise.

Last night I, along with what seemed like a bazillion other parents, took my daughter to the American Airlines Center (AAC) to watch the Miley Cyrus – Wonder World Concert.  Now mind you, I didn’t exactly do too much research on this because I thought this was going to be your typical Hannah Montana concert. Let me tell you, I was wrong! 

First of all, before I even had a clue as to what the show was like, I had to deal with what seemed to be the most disorganized and incompetent ticket system I have ever seen.  From what I was able to understand from speaking with some of the frustrated crowd, Ms. Cyrus’ concert promoters decide to make this a ticketless concert. So when someone purchased their tickets online, they were instructed to print out the confirmation statement and present it at the door along with a credit card and their ID to get in. Well I don’t believe it was clearly communicated that they needed to bring the credit card that they used when purchasing the tickets because I understand that was one of the issues holding things up.   (You might think that would be obvious, but apparently it wasn’t.) To make matters worse, not all doors were equipped to scan the confirmation statements and patrons were told to go to the ticket booths to get “actual tickets” in order to gain entry. So you know what happened then….a tidal wave of humanity crashed down upon the ticket booths that had signs saying “Problem Resolution” flashing in the windows as parents with crying children in tow, tried to exchange their paper confirmation statement for actual tickets. And, adding to all the fun, there were no distinct lines for people to stand in. So you had the people waiting with tickets to get into the AAC mixed in with the hundreds of people trying to get into will call, mixed in with even more people trying to exchange their paper confirmation statement with actual tickets.  It was an absolute mess! I was just in New York City (trip post coming soon) and prior to the trip I purchased theater tickets online.  After you order, you print your actual bar-coded ticket from your printer and use that to enter the theater. They have that process down to a science and it was flawless! The Miley Cyrus concert promoter needs to take a note from the Broadway Theater ticket agents!   

I do want to also put this very important note in here:  I heard a couple of comments blaming the AAC for this nightmare ticket confusion.  If you were there in the mess and believe that the ticket issue was AAC’s fault, then you would be mistaken! These organizational decisions are strictly controlled by the concert promoter, not the venue.  I’m sure the AAC was just grateful that Mother Nature was being kind to them or things really would have gotten out of hand.  You have to understand, there were people who had to stand in line over an hour, with multiple little ones in tow, to retrieve their tickets.  Honestly, I would rather have had a root canal…without Novocain! 

If you were able to get into the AAC before the opening act, Metro Station (Miley Cyrus’ step-brother Trace and Mason Musso, brother of singer/actor Mitchel Musso), finished performing, you might have thought this opening act had a very “Heavy Metal Band” feel for a pop concert. Well you would have been wrong, because unfortunately this was a sign of things to come!

There was a slight break as the Miley Cyrus concert set was prepared (which also gave a bit more time for those outside to get their ticket mess straightened out) and then the show began.  Flashes of light filled the arena and then, from the center of the stage came Miley, encased in ice as fake snow and winds filled the video monitors. She emerged dressed in a silver-topped hoodie and go-go boots. It was obvious by her short leather hot pants and top that this concert was a bit more adult oriented than I had thought.  Now mind you, I realize that teen fashion has gotten a bit more provocative over the years, but when you have an audience made up of girls under the age of 10, this choice of outfit just seemed trashy, rather than flashy!  And it didn’t get any better as the night went on. By the third costume change when she performed her hit “Fly on the Wall,” I was wondering if Ms. Cyrus’ had shopped the Madonna garage sale, because her outfits were defiantly taking on that look.  Then she performed “Let’s Get Crazy” which had an amazing video package projecting on these giant, awesome multi-media walls.  Too bad she sang the first half of the song flat. 

Miley redeemed herself by performing her hit “Hoedown Throwdown” from her movie Hanna Montana – The Movie and her new song “When I Look at You” from her upcoming movie The Last Song, due out in theaters April 2010.   I thought both performances were exceptionally well done.  “Girls Night Out” followed with another great video package to support the song and I remember thinking, maybe we are on the upswing.  That was until I heard the familiar guitar opening to Joan Jet’s “I Love Rock and Roll.”  Question: why was that playing?  Answer: because Ms. Cyrus decided to channel Ms. Jett and let loose singing that song.  Don’t get me wrong, she really did perform it well while sitting on a motorcycle that flew over the audience.  But it was odd to see Miley Cyrus performing a Joan Jet song, (although, not as odd as the Michael Jackson Thriller dance moment that was just kind of thrown in mid show).

The concert continued and ran in total about 90 minutes (your typical timeframe).  Ms. Cyrus ended the evening with her hit “The Climb” which almost sounded like a duet with the audience thanks to the young girls, who made up the majority of the sold out venue.  And what was Ms. Cyrus’s choice of fashion for her finale?  Tighty Whities and white t-shirt get up.  Oops, forgive me, the tighty whitie shorts were trimmed in lace.  I guess that dresses them up!

If you search the internet for information on stage, screen, television and recording artist Betty Buckley, you will find a wide range of descriptions such as actress, singer, performer, composer, producer, star, legend, diva, as well as one review that refers to her as “The Voice of Broadway.”  Since her Broadway debut over 40 years ago, Buckley has amassed a resume of performing credits so extensive and diverse, no one category fully describes her.  Additionally, she also has collected a treasure chest full of awards, including the 1983 Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award, Broadway’s highest honor, for her performance as Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. It is easy to understand how this former 1966 Miss Fort Worth and Texas Christian University head cheerleader’s voice was described by the Hollywood Reporter as “one of the wonders of the world.”

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Buckley about her upcoming show BETTY BUCKLEY: BROADWAY BY REQUEST featuring Seth Rudetsky, which has its hometown debut this weekend, July 25^th, 26^th and 27^th, at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and I must say, I can only describe her as simply delightful!

LG: Has your show, Broadway By Request, evolved from when you performed it at the Lyric Stage in Irving last summer?

BB: At the Irving Arts Center, we did everything that everybody requested.   The first night it [the show] was like three hours long.   And the second night was about two and a half hours long.  Now it is a 90-minute show.  So that is a major change.  We had so much fun.  It was like a real home-town crowd at the Lyric Stage where I believe I answered every question, sang every song and told every story.  Now I have honed it down just a bit.  We performed this show at Feinstein’s at the Regency Hotel [in New York City] in February, along with a couple of weeks ago at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor NY and a week of performances at the Hartford Stage in Hartford Conn.  So we have refined it quite a bit of it. 

LG: At the Irving show, you actually sat people on the stage.  Are you planning on doing that at this performance?

BB: We added seats to the stage because there was such a demand…it was a riot!  We will certainly do whatever we can do to accommodate everyone.

LG: Considering this is a request-type show where the audience chooses what you will be performing, what has been the oddest song you have been asked to perform?

BB: Last year at the Lyric Stage, I had requests for Led Zeppelin music, which is pretty funny.  Although, I am a huge Led Zeppelin fan so that wasn’t so remote from possible…except that the show is called Broadway by Request! 

LG: Is there a favorite song that has not been requested that you wish someone would ask for?

BB: Not Really.  I always put my request, Mama Look Sharp from 1776.  This is my favorite song from the musical, which, actually, I did not sing.  That is my request!

LG: This particular performance features the talented Seth Rudetsky at the piano.  What is it like working together?  

 BB: He is a dream!  He is the best, and he is my friend.  Years ago when we first moved to New York, he played at my voice lessons.  Since then, of course, he has gone on to become radio talk show host, author, comedian, producer and true celebrity in his own right.  He actually knows more about Broadway and about my career than I can remember.  During the show, people will ask me questions that cause me to think and he will say, “Don’t you remember…” It really is pretty funny.  It is such a pleasure having him on stage with me. 

LG: I’m sure you are always asked to perform what could be easily considered your signature song, Memory from Cats.  How often do you hear it referred to incorrectly as Memories?

BB: Often, I am always correcting people with it.  It is Memory, singular. 

LG: Will you be taking this show on the road to other cities?

BB: It is being performed here [Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth] in July and then again August 29^th, 30^th and 31^st, with the musical director John McDaniel.  He was the musical director for The Rosie O’Donnell Show and is coming down for these concerts.  We are calling that evening “On Broadway.”  I will be performing songs I have sung on Broadway and some new material we’re working on for my new Feinstein show (Feinstein’s at Loews Regency in New York) next February.

LG: You have played a wide range of diverse characters in the past, is there one character that stands out as a favorite?

BB: I loved Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies and I loved the character I played in the HBO series Oz.  On Broadway, I loved playing Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and of course, Grizabella in Cats on Broadway.

LG: I understand that you have an HBO mini-series The Pacific for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks coming up.  How will that affect your new workshops?

BB: This is a mini-series for HBO that we shot last year in Melbourne, Australia and it will air in 2010. 

LG:   What would you consider the pinnacle of your life thus far?

BB: There have been so many extraordinary nights.  I guess my Carnegie Hall Concert for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS in 1996 was one of the most extraordinary nights of my life.  It was almost a two and half hour concert with a big symphony orchestra…just an extraordinary event.  Then my opening night on Broadway for Sunset Boulevard was quite an extraordinary experience too.  I was welcomed homed to New York by the community.  It was just an amazing, amazing night.  Actually, my entire run in Sunset Boulevard was amazing.  Then the opening night of Cats.  Really, all of the Broadway opening nights were amazing…there is nothing like a Broadway opening night! 

And most recently, the birth of my brand new baby filly.  Her name is Little Bit O’ Honey Boon.  She is two months old now. 

LG: You must be quite the equestrian.

BB: I ride cutting horses.  I don’t know if you would say I am “quite the equestrian” but I sure do love it! 

LG: Where do you go to relax?  How do you get away?

BB: Well, with my horses.  I love listening to music.  I love reading a good thriller.  I like real scary books. 

LG: What piece of advice would you pass on to those who would dream to perform on Broadway? 

BB: Practice! Practice! Practice!  Keep the faith and believe in yourself.  That is why I am teaching these workshops; to help them remember that.  It really is about committing to your dreams, staying the course that is necessary to fulfill your potential and continue to believe in that potential…no matter what.  It you have a dream; it is there…you can fulfill that dream.  It might take a little more time than you figure and it might take a lot more practice and hard work than you thought about, but you can definitely fulfill those dreams. 

These upcoming concerts are a kick off for a new after-school series Buckley is working on for the Fort Worth Independent School District, sponsored by The Imagination Celebration.  At The Workshop for Young Singers and Storytellers, Buckley will help participants that are chosen from deserving students in the public school system refine their talent.  She plans to hold more than 20 of these workshops during the year.

Tickets for the hometown debut of Betty Buckley: Broadway by Request featuring Seth Rudetsky this weekend in Fort Worth can be ordered online at  www.lyricstage.org or by calling 972-252-2787.

The Imagination Celebration program, which began as an outreach project of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 by executive director Ginger Head.  Its mission of  ”to provide programs which create learning in, through and about the arts and enhance the education of students from kindergarten through university, their teachers and their families” is possible through public support. Donations can be made by marking them  as “Buckley workshop for young singers and storytellers” and sending them to Imagination Celebration, 1300 Gendy Street,  Suite 210, Fort Worth, TX  76107 or call the main office at 817-870-1141.  For more information on Buckley or the Imagination Celebration program, go to www.bettybuckley.com or www.icfw.org.