Latest news with #Act2
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Muses Creative Artistry Project presents Broadway-style performance with classic Disney songs
TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS)—The Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council (TRAHC) is bringing a Broadway-style, Disney-inspired show to town. The Muses Creative Artistry Project will remix classic Disney songs to showcase the talents of their own singers, dancers, and instrumentalists in a 'best of' performance. Disney, like you remember, but not exactly what you remember. TRAHC Executive Director Jennifer Unger said, 'We are thrilled to welcome The Muses back to Texarkana. The Muses always put on a spectacular show, and we love having them fill Cabe Hall with their beautiful voices.' The Muses, based out of the Muses Cultural Arts Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas, tour the region. They present over 30 multi-art programs per year. Performances incorporate visual art, vocal and instrumental music, dance, poetry, and drama. Misty Copeland's new picture story, 'Bunheads, Act 2,' will be out in September General Director of The Muses Deleen Davidson considers their mission as, '…to preservethe Classical Arts through performance and education, making each performance enriching toyour Community, accessible and enjoyable for all ages.' Tickets are on sale for Broadway: Disney Cabaret by The Muses will take place on Thursday, June 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Regional Arts Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
What's On
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- What's On
Don't get a fine: Dhs1000 for failing to do this in UAE
29,000 people were fined last year… Nearly 29,000 people received a fine in the UAE in 2024 for failing to stop at the extended stop sign on a school bus, Gulf News reports. The stop sign is used to protect children from traffic as they get on or off the school buses in the country and failing to stop can result in you receiving a hefty fine. If you do happen to be fined, it will cost you Dhs1,000 and 10 black points for motorists. The Ministry of Interior released the statistics and the most violations were reported in Abu Dhabi with 23,787 violations, Dubai had 4,990 violations and the other emirates had less with Ajman receiving 104 violations, Sharjah with 36 and Fujairah with 3. So remember, if you come across the sign, you must halt in either direction or face the penalties. There are some new ways to receive a fine in the UAE and we've been keeping an eye on them, Now, Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has announced penalties for those that don't adhere to appropriate standards with respect to installing satellite dishes, and also hanging laundry on public facing roads. There are also fines for dirty and abandoned cars in the UAE. The DMT has announced that as per regulations enlisted in Act 2, 2012 (Clause 62), 'leaving a vehicle in public places in a way that distorts the general appearance, including leaving the vehicle dirty' could result in a fine of Dhs500 for the first offence, Dhs1,000 if committed a second time and as much as Dhs2,000 for a third, and any repeated violations. Image: Gulf News > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Must ride-share drivers pay general excise tax?
Question : Are ride-share drivers required to pay GET in Hawaii ? Most drivers that have picked me up stated they don't have a GET license and don't pay GET. They said Uber and Lyft don't require them to have a GET license as part of the sign-up process. Could the Hawaii Tax Enforcement Division contact the ride-share platforms and make it a requirement to have a GET license as part of the driver sign-up process ? This is what Nevada does. This would increase money given to the state and prevent back-owed taxes due to penalties. Answer : Here's the response from Gary H. Yama shiroya, a spokesperson for the state Department of Taxation : 'Both ride-share companies and their drivers must pay general excise taxes (GET ). 'The companies are treated as 'marketplace facilitators' … As stated in (Tax Information Release No. 2019-03 (Revised ), ), Act 2 deems marketplace facilitators (Uber, Lyft, etc.) to be the retail sellers of all products and services sold through their marketplaces. The GET rate for these sales is 4 % plus any applicable county surcharge. 'Act 2 further deems the sales of marketplace sellers (drivers ) made through marketplace facilitators to be sales at wholesale under section 237-4, HRS, which defines wholesale sales and has a rate of 0.5 %. 'Regarding the second question, the companies are well aware of their responsibility to pay GET and drivers should be aware as in any other similar industry. We agree that as a service to their drivers, ride-share companies should provide guidance and LYFT, for example, does so specifically about Hawai 'i's GET : . Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'It should be noted that DOTAX does identify ride-share drivers who are not in compliance and takes appropriate action.' Anyone who needs a GET license can apply via the DOTAX website, at Hawaii Tax Online. For more information, go to Q : Last month, I bought a new car with a temporary dealer plate (paper ). What kind of permanent plate will I be getting ? I don't recall being given a choice. I have a gas car. A : Check with your dealer to be sure, but in general Hawaii car dealers will receive America United 9 /11 organization license plates as the default alternative for standard-issue number plates (and EV plates ) during the shortage of license plates spelling Hawai 'i with an 'okina, said Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu's Department of Customer Services. Dealers typically submit the paperwork to obtain permanent license plates for new cars that left the lot with temporary tags, he said. As Kokua Line has explained in past columns, the America United 9 /11 decal organization license plate was chosen as the default alternative during the shortage because it costs the same as a standard plate : $5.50 with no additional annual fee. The red, white and blue license plate decal was first issued in October 2001, to honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to declare solidarity as Americans. Car buyers who want a different organization or specialty plate should let the car dealer know when they are buying the car, and the dealer can order it at that time, Nedd said. The car owner can't order a new plate on their own while it has a temporary dealer tag, he said. Although Kokua Line has mainly written about the shortage of standard number license plates and electric vehicle plates, because that's what readers have asked about, Nedd said there are about 50 categories of Hawaii license plates affected by the shortage of 'okina plates, including for government fleets such as TheBus and the Honolulu Police Department.———Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email kokualine @ to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Buzz Feed
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
I Asked 10 Questions Backstage At Broadway's "The Outsiders" And Here Are The Incredible Insights I Learned
It's a chilly afternoon as I walk down 45th Street to the Jacobs Theatre. Making my way to the box office, I hear the cast rehearsing the Act 2 song "Trouble" while multiple groups of fans come in and out, looking for last-minute tickets to the evening performance. Brody meets me inside a few minutes later and happily offers to show me around. Outsiders star and Tony and Grammy nominee Brody Grant has had a whirlwind year, portraying Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest Curtis brother with dreams of leaving Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tony Award-winning 'Best Musical' has made a huge splash on Broadway and is one of the city's most sought-after tickets. We walk backstage, where Brody spots stage manager Beverly Jenkins, who he introduces as "the best woman in the world." We wave to some of the cast on stage, and I'm struck by the camaraderie I can feel between the cast and crew, as well as the genuine fun they are having preparing for the show. I tell Brody about my front-row experience (the best way to see the show is at the front of the action, where the rubber 'dirt' they use comes flying off stage). "It was a lot of fun!" I say, "I collected some of it and put it with my playbill." Brody laughs. "I'm happy you enjoyed that," he says, taking a tiny handful of the 'dirt' on the stage and giving it to me. Brody points out a few props, like the Soc's Corvette, and I spot the tire used throughout the show. We sit to chat about The Outsiders and Brody's music, including his new single, "All Talk." Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. BuzzFeed: Ponyboy opens the show, sitting on the tire and writing in a notebook. What are some things you write about? Brody: I always write a noun, an adjective, or a verb. Sometimes I write song lyrics. Sometimes, I'll start writing poetry. I'll always write down a prayer for our cast, crew, ushers, and everybody working on the show. God, let us soar safely. Give us the wings to fly, and let us do it safely. Because it is a physical show — it's intense! It was my grandfather's birthday recently, and so sometimes I'll write dedications. He turned 87 recently. That's awesome! Brody: There was a point when we were out of town when my Grandpa wasn't doing well, and I thought, I want to have something for him, something from the show to share with him. I went over to Justin [writer, Justin Levine] and Sky [Sky Lakota-Lynch portrays Johnny], and I was like, "Hey, could we do a little of 'Stay Gold,' and could we just sing it? I'll just do a harmony on the spot, and then I can just send it to him?" (Brody pulls up the video on his phone). He really liked it, and luckily, he's all good. "Stay Gold" used to be performed only by Johnny but eventually became what it is now, which has Ponyboy and Johnny singing in harmony. It is so special to me that moment organically got its way into "Stay Gold." It makes me feel like my grandfather will always be a part of this show. Even when I'm not in the show anymore, that part of us will always be there. How do you stay in shape for so many performances a week? Brody: I just saw my trainer this morning. His name is Corey, and he's a great guy. It's helpful to do things to prevent injury because it is an intense piece of theater — it is specifically athletic. You're moving on uneven ground, and it's wet from the rain, and you're tired, you know, when it's the second act of the second show of the day. I also like to practice mindfulness. I like to put my phone down, take deep breaths, and not text people back right away. I think that's totally healthy. I try to stretch. Pretty much as soon as I get to the building, I'm warming up; I'm doing the lip trills; I'm doing the straw phonation and all that. The show is a workout, and speaking for the role that I play, you have to spend time outside of it to make sure that your body is functioning right because it is a deceivingly physical part. Speaking of intense scenes, we need to chat about the rumble. What was it like learning the choreography? Brody: It is a dance, you know what I mean? It's a fight, but it's a dance. The Kuperman brothers, who are brilliant, have been working on it since the workshop, even before we did our out-of-town production in La Jolla. Fun fact — we did a six-week workshop before the show opened where I was actually Sodapop [Ponyboy's older brother]. The Kuperman brothers kind of put it together there and then finessed it on their own time. Between that time and now, it's been such a gradual evolution. There are parts that have been in it since that workshop, like that moment where Ponyboy gets sucked into the clump, and then he does a kick in the air. What's going through your mind when you perform it? Brody: What's going through my head at that moment is to look alive, plant my feet, plié, and make sure my knees are bent so I can stay mobile. It's hyperactive, and it's raining — half the time, I forget it's raining once it starts. Also, to breathe in and out through the nose because that helps everything stay cool. You're also just staying aware and trying to be mindful of all your scene partners. In the moments where it doesn't have to be super harsh or anything, you just kind of take it easy. There's a moment where I've got someone in a lock. And whenever I do that, I'm literally patting their shoulder, I'm like, "Yeah, we got this." Sometimes I'll sing a song (laughs). Just finding those moments — our Director, Danya Taymor, calls them soft landings. Even when things are intense, find one moment just to breathe, just to be like, "We're good, yeah?" and then keep going. It is an incredible scene. The Kupermans, our lighting designer, our projection designer, and our director all came together in such an amazing way. Adam Rapp is the book writer for our show. We would do these workshops where we would just kind of sit and read the show, and he'd read the stage directions. And his stage direction for the rumble — it's the coolest stage direction I've ever read. Ponyboy has so many great songs in the show. Do you have a personal favorite to perform? Brody:"Great Expectations" is such a beautiful song. The music of The Outsiders is written by Justin Levine and a band, Jamestown Revival, and they're amazing. They drew from Bill Withers, and Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, and so a lot of the songs are that structure: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, sometimes maybe a bridge, chorus, like a set folk or pop song. And "Great Expectations" is so different, almost like a stream of consciousness! Brody: It is, and I texted Justin Levine, great guy, and I was like, "What is the formula for this song? It's not like an A, B, A, B, C, B, structure song," and he broke it down for me. It's so cool because when that song is its best, I feel like it's a perfect combination between Frank Ocean and Les Mis — something orchestral, but then something very soulful, like Frank. It's the hardest to sing in the show by a long shot. Even beyond reaching the high notes, it's getting the words out. Because they are so important. You really are opened up to Ponyboy's heart and the way he sees people. Speaking of music, you recently released a song, "All Talk," that I saw got some Spotify Editorial playlisting! Can you share a bit about your songwriting? Brody: Before The Outsiders came to my life in the way that it is now, I was songwriting like crazy. Most of the time I spent in New York was working at the Flatiron Equinox, just waking up at 3 a.m. to get there (I had the graveyard shifts at Equinox), or just going and meeting people and writing songs. I was just really using social media to connect with producers and songwriters. "All Talk" was the first song I wrote when I moved to the city. This amazing guy named Michel, one of two of the duo Lucky Dog, reached out to me through Instagram, and we connected. As an independent artist right now, let's say the goal is to release one song a month. I say this knowing that it's challenging — this goal might change, it might not. I have a lot of songs that I went back to and thought, I need to release this into the world. I'm also looking to meet more songwriters and producers and just get to work, especially now that I'm in the rhythm of the show and that the awards are done. I really want to commit some time to that while also being in The Outsiders. (Brody shows me a demo of a new song he's working on — it's excellent!) You also went to the Grammy Awards recently! [ The Outsiders was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album]. How was that experience? Brody: It was one of the most amazing experiences. Also, congrats to Hell's Kitchen. They won 'Best Musical Theater', which I thought was awesome. Alicia Keys — she doesn't miss when it comes to the music; it's just like, wow! At the awards, I heard Bruno Mars start to sing, and I remember watching Bruno Mars absolutely kill it on the Super Bowl halftime show with Red Hot Chili Peppers. It changed my life. He's just an incredible artist. I look up to that guy so much artistically, and it made me emotional. While I was just sitting there, I looked over, and I saw, is that Bruno Mars in a cowboy hat? Nah, there's no way. And then he started singing with Lady Gaga, and I just lost it, like it was amazing. As I watched him walk off with his Grammy, I was just like, I want to be back here one day and perform as a nominee for my solo project. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. When I saw the show on opening weekend, I ran into Angelina Jolie [producer] in the orchestra, and she was so wonderful to meet. What is it like working with her? Brody: She's really a brilliant woman, and as an artist, she is iconic. I would talk to her about some things in the show that I was dealing with creatively, and she always helped to kind of get me on my feet. She's also a very gracious person. Very often, usually once a week, she'll send these juice shots to our backstage, the ones with the ginger and the turmeric and all that. It really helps. It's been a real blessing to have her as a confidant, to be like, "Hey, I'm trying to navigate this scenario in my life or this scenario in the show." And she's just open. This is a great reminder to me, no matter how far you go in any given career, to try to keep that humility that she has. It's kind of how I felt when I watched Kendrick Lamar give his speech at the Grammys; I was just like, he's so humble. He's one of the best rappers in the entire world, and he's so humble. I haven't met Kendrick, though I hope to one day. To be that level, you need to keep a level head, you know? And I think she really possesses that — she's a great person. Also, for anyone who reads this, go and watch Maria! It's a great movie. She's phenomenal in the film. Ponyboy is a character who has connected with so many generations. What is your own connection with him? Brody: I could write a whole novel about it, but Ponyboy, he's an artist, and he's born into a space where that's not necessarily something you can just share with everybody. Ponyboy is a product of his environment, and he has to be tough. He has to at least try to just literally survive in his environment. I was born in Michigan. I lived on dirt roads, and that was my life. And going back to that town, what's crazy is, it hasn't changed. There are not a lot of opportunities there yet for artists, and I say yet because one day, I would like to help that along. When you're an artist, but you don't really know which way to go with it, you don't even know you could possibly be that — it just makes a young person feel lost. I think I felt that way for a long time. I also resonate with Ponyboy as a person. He's very observant, and he tries to learn not only from his mistakes but from other people's. He tries to be content with what he has, which I really respect. I guess the biggest thing I could say is Ponyboy and I are thinkers. I also feel that Ponyboy, at least in my interpretation of him, is a bit spiritual. He talks about it in the book, like going to church with Johnny, and Two-Bit drops a Bible, and then they never go back because they're too embarrassed. But I grew up singing in church choir, which was an amazing experience. I just feel like I always responded to music and was interested in the poetry of the music. And I think Ponyboy is very much like that — the fact that he's the type of person where he looks at the sunset and then he's reminded of a poem. I think there's something very spiritual about him. Susie Hinton [author of The Outsiders ] spoke to a group of the cast about how Ponyboy is kind of the most unfiltered version of herself, just on the page. I also feel that deeply. I feel that a great piece of art, like a show like this, can touch people's spirits, touch people's hearts and souls, and hopefully open them for the better.
What's On
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- What's On
This is why you'll need to get your car washed in Abu Dhabi ASAP
Clean car, clean city… Chances are you've spotted that car in a parking lot with a generous coating of negligence-induced dust on it, with 'Wash me' written on its windshield by a considerate passer-by. Now, it's been announced by the UAE capital's Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) that owners of dirty and abandoned cars could be subjected to fines amounting to several thousand Dirhams. As announced via their social media channels, the DMT has announced that as per regulations enlisted in Act 2, 2012 (Clause 62), 'leaving a vehicle in public places in a way that distorts the general appearance, including leaving the vehicle dirty' could result in a fine of Dhs500 for the first offence, Dhs1,000 if committed a second time and as much as Dhs2,000 for a third, and any repeated violations. As per Clause 63, 'leaving a vehicle's body/frame in public places, leading to a distorted public appearance' will result in penalties of Dhs1,000 for the first violation, Dhs2,000 for the second violation and Dhs4,000 for the third and any repeated violations. The laws have been put in place to 'ensure a sustainable urban environment' and with the vision of keeping the city's streets organised and clean. > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
