Preise » e ($1.8 million). Five first-round

Kenny Leon is the Bill Belichick of musical directors. The lifelong Lakers fan might prefer a comparison to Phil Jackson, but the New England Patriots head honcho likeness seems a bit more fitting.Basketball teams cast just a few players on the court at a time, and everyone plays both offense and defense. Football teams are larger, requiring the precise orchestration of many, and the roles are complementary yet defined.With more than 50 cast members, Hairspray Live! meanders into pigskin-sport territory. Leon, who also directed NBCs The Wiz Live!, knows how to motivate a massive team in the direction of one universal goal.I have a saying: Everybody on the bed, or everybody on the floor, he said in a phone interview.That means either youre working toward a collective effort ... or youre not working.Hairspray Live!, which premieres on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC, features an impressive lineup of stars, including Jennifer Hudson (playing Motormouth Maybelle), Ariana Grande (Penny Pingleton), Kristin Chenoweth (Velma Von Tussle) and Derek Hough (Corny Collins), all of whom will be working as one to ensure the shows success. The broadcast, with Grease: Live (Fox) and Peter Pan Live! (NBC), is the latest in a string of musicals televised on major networks in recent years.This small-screen version incorporates talent from other successful iterations of the musical and is led by executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced the 2007 movie. They were joined by the original songwriters, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and the Broadway adaptations choreographer, Jerry Mitchell. Tony award winner Harvey Fierstein, who originated the role of Edna Turnblad in the Broadway production, came aboard to reprise the role. Also joining are stage veteran Ephraim Sykes (as Seaweed J. Stubbs), Dove Cameron (Amber Von Tussle) of the Disney Channels Liv and Maddie, Garrett Clayton (Link Larkin) and rookie Maddie Baillio (Tracy Turnblad).Based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray, which was adapted as a Broadway production that ran from 2002 to 2009 and further popularized by the 2007 New Line Cinema movie, the storyline has been captivating audiences for nearly three decades.The engaging plot, which is set in Baltimore circa 1962, tells the story of protagonist Tracy Turnblad, whose dream is to cut a rug on the all-white Corny Collins Show, a dance program loosely based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. After getting on the show and gaining fame from the telecast, she sets her sights on diversifying the cast of performers. In the process, she befriends an African-American dancer named Seaweed, and they work together to fight racial justice and inequality and, finally, integrate the show.This story is set in the 60s, when integration dominated discourse, but the fight for racial equality is still present in cultural conversations today.When we did the movie over a decade ago, we felt like we were doing a period piece, Zadan said. Unfortunately, with whats going on in this country right now, [this project] feels contemporary.Sykes, who recently starred in the Broadway smash Hamilton and grew up singing in church, echoed Zadans sentiment.This is something God is calling on us to do, he said in a phone interview. This is the story he has put in front of us to tell because of what is happening.Although the cast boasts many household names and notable Broadway alumni often present the heartfelt scenes, it is newcomer Baillio who will steal the show. After beating more than 1,000 hopefuls for the role of Tracy Turnblad in an open casting process, the Manhattan College sophomore from League City, Texas, is making this her first professional theater credit.Growing up, Baillio played softball, swam and tried out gymnastics, but she didnt naturally gravitate toward sports.I hated all of it, and I just wanted to sing, she said.As a result, her mother enrolled her in a local community theater as a child, and now shes leaping into the big leagues.Hairspray Live! features 18 sets and numerous costumes. Its high-flying, with upbeat choreography and music that brings out everyones smile. All of these things, while pleasant to watch, make the show challenging to perform.The actors and dancers have to move among all the sets in a matter of seconds. The farthest distance that needs to be traveled is the length of a football field. That isnt an easy sprint when just focusing on the workout -- never mind while performing wardrobe changes and then having to sing and dance.Its a little bit of theater, a little bit of film and a little bit of television, Leon said. Its the best of all of those. Its like the Super Bowl.Stamina was not so much a concern as a necessity, and it was something Leon and choreographer Mitchell drilled from the moment rehearsals began. All members of the company were encouraged to run and do cardio training on their own, in addition to practices. No one could get sick, and everyone had to be in fighting shape. Doctors and masseuses were on set to help the cast stay healthy and overcome injuries.At times, it is damn near impossible, Sykes said of the difficulty of the show. The way you learn how to do it and make it possible is by doing it over and over again.According to Mitchell, the show has been in production for a couple months, and that rehearsal time is relatively standard. The difference is the lack of a preview run. By the time a musical premieres on Broadway, the cast has performed it anywhere from 30 to 60 times in out-of-town previews. The Live! concept doesnt have that luxury.We are going to get four run-throughs, and then we have to go live, he said. So we really have to be on our game.Rehearsals were no walk in the park, either. If someone was late, missed a beat or a line, everyone (including Leon) dropped and did 20 pushups as punishment.When one person does something out of line, we all do, Leon said.Leon and Mitchell once ran the shows closing number, You Cant Stop the Beat, five times back-to-back. The way Leon tells it, Mitchell led them through the number while he was shouting in the background, I dont want to see you breathing.Its one of the hardest finales to sing and dance, Mitchell said. You are literally singing and dancing full-out for the eight minutes.With such a high-energy show, it is essential for the cast to stay nimble throughout the performance. Every morning, the crew is led through an athletic warm-up. They jog and do jumping jacks, burpees and more exercises focusing on stretching and dance.It breaks a sweat, gets you warmed up and ready for the day, Mitchell said.?You have what you have, and you cant get any players off waivers now, Leon said. Weve got to do it. Colin Kaepernick 49ers Jersey . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Deebo Samuel 49ers Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Mike-McGlinchey-49ers-Jersey/ . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Deebo Samuel Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Patrick Willis Womens Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. NEW YORK -- Just one first-round selection failed to sign under the second year of baseballs new draft restrictions, with Toronto unable to reach an agreement with No. 10 pick Phil Bickford. Only nine players taken in the first 10 rounds didnt strike deals. There were fewer deadline-day contracts Friday than in recent years after more players signed in the weeks after the draft was held from June 6-8. "That was one of the goals, getting guys signed and getting them out there earlier," Major League Baseball Executive Vice-President Rob Manfred said. "Its obviously good for the clubs, because it allows the development process to start, but we think over the long haul its good for the players because they get to the major leagues faster." In the hours leading up to the deadline, the Chicago Cubs finalized a deal with No. 2 pick Kris Bryant ($6,708,400), Miami agreed with No. 6 selection Colin Moran ($3,516,500) and the New York Yankees completed a contract with No. 32 pick Aaron Judge ($1.8 million). Five first-round picks signed on the final day last year, down from 22 in 2011, the last year before restraints on signing bonuses were put in place. In addition to Bickford, the other picks who failed to sign among players in the first 10 rounds were left-hander Matt Krook (Miami with the 35th selection), shortstop Ben Deluzio (Miami, 80), left-hander Ben Wetzler (Philadelphia, 151), outfielder Jason Monda (Philadelphia, 181), right-hander Stephen Woods (Tampa Bay, 188), third basemman Dustin DeMuth (Minnesota, 230) and second baseman Ross Kivett (Cleveland, 291).dddddddddddd Bickford, who turned 18 on Wednesday, is a right-hander with a 97 mph fastball from Oaks Christian High School in California, and he appears set to attend Cal State Fullerton. His pick had a slot value of $2,921,400. The Blue Jays will get the No. 11 pick in next years draft as compensation. Teams are given bonus pools in the labour contract, which imposes penalties on clubs that exceed their threshold -- the total of the slots for a teams selections in the first 10 rounds. A team that goes as much as 5 per cent above its threshold incurs the first level of penalty, a 75 per cent tax on the overage. Ten teams went above their thresholds last year, but none by more than 5 per cent. Going over means losing a first-round pick the next year. Spending on amateur draft picks dropped 10 per cent last year, to $209.4 million from $233.6 million in 2011, but it was the second-highest total. Figures for this year will not be available until next week. Bonuses for international players dropped 18 per cent, from $95.6 million to $78.7 million, in the first year of restrictions, which ended July 1. While players signed from the Dominican Republic increased by 23 to 432, Venezuelans dropped by 30 to 201. The total each year has fluctuated, depending on which Cuban defectors were available. "The international numbers are very difficult to compare year to year because of that," Manfred said. ' ' '