Newport’s Jackson lands role in Fox’s ‘Glee’
Cheyenne Jackson, who once appeared in “Li’l Abner” and “Bye Bye Birdie” as a student at Newport (Wash.) High School, has a new high school gig.
He’ll play the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline, the glee club of the rival high school in the hit Fox show “Glee.”
It’s a recurring character, but Jackson isn’t allowed to say in how many episodes he’ll appear. He told the New York Times it will be “more than one, less than 22.”
This is another coup for Jackson. “Glee” is one of the hottest shows on TV, riding high with 19 Emmy nominations.
It’s actually the second time Jackson has been picked for “Glee.” He told the Times he was cast as Dakota Stanley, a “crazed choreographer,” for Season One but got sick and had to cancel. He’s happy to get a second chance.
Jackson has been keeping plenty busy since “Finian’s Rainbow” closed on Broadway earlier this year. This is only one of three hit shows he will appear in this season.
He’ll be back, at least occasionally, on Tina Fey’s sitcom “30 Rock” as the Canadian robot-street-performer (turned sketch comedian) Danny Baker.
And now, word arrives that Jackson has been filming at least one episode of the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm, “ playing Larry David’s personal trainer.
Those are three high-profile TV shows, all in the same season. But is it any more exciting than playing “Bye Bye Birdie” at Newport High School?
We’ll ask him next time we get a chance.
A new Govedare
Are you familiar with artist and sculptor David Govedare?
I’ll bet you are, whether you know it or not. He’s responsible for “The Joy of Running Together” (the Bloomsday runner sculptures) in Riverfront Park and “Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies,” above the Columbia River on Interstate 90.
On Saturday, the latest Govedare works will be unveiled at the new Dwight Merkel Sports Complex, next to Joe Albi Stadium.
Govedare has made two sculptures, 16 feet above the ground, “constructed of steel hoops, mimicking movement.”
An unveiling ceremony will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. This will also be the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entire complex, which includes multiple sports fields, a BMX track, a skate park and a playground.
Spokane Arts Awards
Speaking of arts in the city, time is running out to make nominations for the 2010 City of Spokane Arts Awards.
The Spokane Arts Commission is taking nominations in the categories of individual artist; arts organization; arts in education; individual benefactor; business benefactor; and arts community leadership.
Deadline is Friday. Go to www.spokanearts.org/ awards.aspx for nomination forms.
The Gilded Haggis
Who will win the coveted Gilded Haggis?
That will be decided at the annual Spokane Highland Games, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St.
The Gilded Haggis is the name of the trophy that will be awarded to the winner of the event’s first-ever Tug O’ War pitting the Scots (Spokane’s St. Andrew’s Society) against the Irish (the Spokane-Limerick Sister City Society and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick).
The big tug – played mostly for fun – will take place on the main stage right after the opening ceremony, which is scheduled for noon.
Other Highland Games athletic events, such as the caber toss, are a little more serious.
The games also feature lots of cultural events, including a clan parade, pipe bands, drumming, dancing, harpists, blacksmiths, claymore sword demonstrations and sheepdog demonstrations. There’s even a haggis tasting (nongilded).
For more information and a complete schedule, go to www.spokanehighland games.org.
The event typically draws 2,000 attendees from all over the region. Tickets at the gate will be $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and youth, $3 for ages 4-10.
Scaling an IMAX Everest
The Riverfront Park IMAX Theatre will open an intriguing new film on Friday: “The Wildest Dream: The Conquest of Everest.”
It’s the story of mountaineer Conrad Anker’s quest to find the truth behind the ill-fated Mount Everest expedition of 1924, which resulted in the death of George Mallory. Anker found Mallory’s body on Everest in 1999.
This 93-minute IMAX feature, a National Geographic production, is visually spectacular – and it’s also a character study of Mallory.
It attempts to answer the question: Did he actually reach the summit three decades earlier than anyone else?
Mallory is the climber who famously answered, “Because it’s there,” when asked why he wanted to climb Everest.
‘Finding Bliss’
The risque comedy “Finding Bliss,” filmed in Spokane in 2008, comes out on DVD on Tuesday.
This Julie Davis film, about a serious film student who finds herself working at a porn studio, stars Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Davis, Denise Richards and Jamie Kennedy. It’s rated R.