You won't find Elena Kagan in Houston this summer. Lilith Fair's stop in Syrup City has now been officially cancelled (CultureMap was the first to report that it likely would be on June 26).
Sarah McLachlan's pet project isn't hating on Houston, however; dates have also been cancelled in such cities as Montreal, Austin and Dallas, accounting for about one-third of the scheduled shows.
Slumping ticket sales are to blame — at the kickoff show in crazy Calgary, only 9,000 concert goers filled a 35,000 capacity stadium. Unrelatedly, McLachlan recently suffered a 74-percent sales slide for her first album in seven years.
The 2010 promotional package was laced with nostalgia for the 1997-1999 bra-burning concert series. But with a lineup that includes such disparate acts as Carly Simon, Queen Latifah and Selena Gomez, it's difficult not to ask: In the 21st century, is a tour themed solely around a gender still relevant?
Megan Thee Stallion is an executive producer and occasional guest on Playground.
Houston’s favorite Hot Girl is branching out into streaming TV.
Rapper and hometown girl Megan Thee Stallion serves as one of the executive producers for Playground, a new reality series that premieres on Hulu this Friday, July 26. The series follows veteran and up-and-coming dancers whose clubhouse is Playground LA, a popular, viral video-creating Los Angeles dance studio.
Since this is a reality show, it’s more about drama and conflict than delving into the world of professional dancing. (The show does have frantically-edited montages of dancers moving, gyrating, and shaking.) In the first episode, we already have two pairs of dancers butting heads. There’s the rivalry between former dance-troupe mates Deanna, a “loose cannon” (we’re told this because somebody mentions it every five minutes) and Alexis, a self-described princess who isn’t afraid to admit she wants a dude with money.
The show has plenty of dancers strutting their stuff.Courtesy of Hulu
There’s also some tension between Playground LA owners/choreographers Robin Antin (who created the Pussycat Dolls) and Kenny Wormald (who starred in that 2011 Footloose remake), as they obviously get into tiffs about who’s really running things at the studio.
But where’s the romance? Well, we also have a situationship (that’s what the kids call it these days) between best buds Roman and Madison. While Madison would love to make their on-again/off-again romance permanent, proud lothario Roman would prefer to keep it open.
Dancers Madison Cubbage and Kenny Wormald discuss something spicy.Courtesy of Hulu
The show also features guest appearances from music stars looking for dancers. In the second episode, R&B singer Tinashe and DJ duo Louis the Child show up to get some performers for their respective projects. Megan herself will also stop by later in the nine-episode season.
In short, if you’ve always wanted to see a messy-as-hell reality show that also has sweaty, stylish dance sequences, then have fun at Playground.
Get a sneak peek of all the drama by watching the extender trailer below. All episodes will be available beginning this Friday, July 26.