Scott Wise Dances Onto Tony Stage

Scott Wise, Central Valley High School’s contribution to the Broadway stage, says he’s up against some tough competition in his Tony Award category.

“I’m going up against Snoopy,” said Wise from his Manhattan apartment. “How easy is that going to be?”

He was referring to Roger Bart, who plays the lovable comic strip dog in the current production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

Bart is one of Wise’s fellow nominees in the Best Featured Actor in a Musical category. Wise was nominated for the third time on Tuesday, having won the Tony in 1989 for “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.” This year’s nomination is for his dazzling dance performance in “Fosse,” which caused the New York Times to call him the premier dancer of the American stage.

Still, he rates himself a dark horse this year. He goes up against not only Snoopy, but Ron Taylor of “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” an acclaimed musical journey through the blues. Taylor not only appears in the show, but he helped conceive and write it.

“That’s a big advantage for him,” said Wise. “I’m happy just to have been nominated this year. I’ll go to a few parties and have a good time.”

Wise said that right now, he’s got a different kind of ceremony on his mind: a wedding. He’s getting married to another “Fosse” performer, Elizabeth Parkinson, just a few weeks after the Tony ceremony, which is on June 6.

The return of Diamond

Neil Diamond will return to the Spokane Arena — on Aug. 17 — for his second show here in three years.

Tickets are $39.50 and $29.50, on sale May 17 at 9 a.m. through all G&B Select-a-Seat outlets. His 1996 show sold out in hours, so be forewarned.

Wow, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Neil Diamond, all in the same year. It must be Veteran Male Diva Year at the Arena.

Where’s Z-Rock

KNJY-FM, 103.9, better known as Z-Rock, ended its hard-rock format on Thursday and is now in the midst of a “countdown” to its new format, which will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Monday.

What’s the new format?

We’ll just have to wait and see. Ray Edwards, operations manager of Citadel Communications, which just acquired the station, said this is a closely guarded secret. But he promised the new format will give listeners a welcome alternative to an existing station.

“One thing I can guarantee, it won’t be Z-Rock anymore,” said Edwards.

KNJY became Z-Rock in 1994, featuring bands such as Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Its aggressive sound filled a niche in the Spokane market, but apparently never a large enough one. The station ranked 13th in the latest Arbitron ratings.

Edwards also said that Citadel has upgraded the station’s signal.

Citadel also recently acquired KEYF-FM, Oldies 101, and its simulcast partner, KEYF-AM, 1050. Edwards said that there will be no changes at all — those stations remain consistently popular in the Spokane market, usually ranking in or near the top five.

KEYF-FM and -AM were owned by Triathlon, which is being acquired by Capstar, but Capstar agreed to sell them as a part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

`Planet’ winner

The Spokane Civic Theatre has done it again. For the fourth time, a Civic production has made it into the national finals of the American Association of Community Theatre competition.

“Lonely Planet,” a Studio Theatre production directed by Diana Trotter, will represent the Northwest in the June competition in Memphis. The show features Troy Nickerson and Thomas Heppler - and Heppler was named Best Actor in the regional competition.

Congratulations to the Civic and good luck.

Set sail on `Zodiac’

If you harbor any interest in sailing, you owe it to yourself to catch “Zodiac: Spirit of the Wind,” a locally produced documentary on KSPS-7 on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Former Spokane TV newsman Tom McArthur has produced this beautifully done one-hour show about the Zodiac, the largest working sailing vessel on the West Coast. The documentary follows the ship on one of its weekly trips out of its home harbor in Bellingham. McArthur also traveled to Maine to take a look at the East Boothbay shipyard, where the ship was built in 1924.

You’ll be jealous of the lucky people who, for a fee, get to sail the ship around the San Juan islands and beyond.

If you catch some sailing fever from this show, and it’s hard not to, relief is surprisingly convenient. The Spokane Parks Department is offering a charter trip on the Zodiac July 24-28.

`Native’ star

Colville Tribes member Kimberly Norris Guerrero is the star of a new feature-length film, “Naturally Native,” which is currently on the film festival circuit.

Guerrero has extensive acting experience and is probably best known for her appearance in the “Cigar Store Indian” episode of “Seinfeld.”

The movie recently had special screenings in Omak and Coulee Dam in conjunction with a conference that Guerrero was participating in.

Generous donors

Assistants, Inc., a group of Spokane women who have been raising funds for the arts in Spokane for 38 years, just announced its 1999 donations.

They distributed $8,400 to 19 different organizations in Spokane, including Allegro, Cathedral and the Arts, the Children’s Museum, Connoisseur Concerts, the Spokane Music and Arts Festival, Holy Names Music Center, Spokane Art School, Spokane Jazz Orchestra, Spokane Opera, Spokane Symphony and various local charities.

Thanks for helping keep the arts alive in Spokane.