'Hair' Update: Michael Bloomberg, Snooki & The Situation?

Diana and the rest of the cast of Hair had some help from three unlikely co-stars at last night's Inner Circle dinner at the Hilton Hotel: Snooki and The Situation from MTV's Jersey Shore and Mayor Michael Bloomberg himself. According to an article in The New York Daily News:

Earlier at rehearsals, Bloomberg joked with former "American Idol" singers Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, showing off his bell-bottomed jeans and flashing a peace sign.

The ridiculousness of the collaborations can be watched in the video below:



In other Hair news, Allison Klamkin of The Hofstra Chronicle reviewed the new tribe's performance in a recent show, giving them props for the most part. Of Diana, she said:

DeGarmo is still the vocal powerhouse she was on “Idol.” Back in 2004, she was just a 16-year-old kid in a singing competition. Now, at 22 and with several musical theatre credits under her belt, DeGarmo has become a much more skilled performer, and has found her niche in musical theatre. Her rendition of “Easy to Be Hard,” Sheila’s first act ballad, brought down the house and the audience truly felt the hurt Sheila is feeling at that moment.

Playbill.com posted more photos of Diana and the rest of the cast during a recent performance. One can be seen to the right (courtesy of Joan Marcus).

Ace Young gave Diana a nice shoutout in his blog on Playbill.com's "CELEB PlayBlogger" feature:

It’s been a real pleasure being able to not only get to know, but get to work with my fellow “American Idol” alum Diana DeGarmo. After learning the show with her, I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. And, it’s an amazing thing to be part of the first show to have two “American Idols” on a Broadway stage. So if you’re a fan of Diana’s or a fan of mine, or just a fan of the show, we hope to see you at Hair.

And Diana's auction item of dinner with her for Hair's "Love Out Loud" benefit for the Fresh Air Fund closed this week, with the winning bid taking in $1,527.00.

Diana participates in "Love Out Loud" auction

Diana is lending herself to Hair's "Love Out Loud: A Donation of LOVE from HAIR on Broadway" auction series benefiting the Fresh Air Fund, as she is the first auction "prize" up for grabs.

The benefit, which runs from March 11 until May 19, is featuring dinner with Diana as its first item to bid on. The starting bid was $250 and is now up to . The bidding began on March 11 and wraps up on March 24, so if you're interested in being the proud winner of a shared meal with Diana you should act fast.

According to an article on TheaterMania.com, other prizes include:

Other packages will feature a voice lesson with the show's vocal coach Nadia DiGiallonardo, a walk-on role in the show, and an opening night VIP package to a Shakespeare in the Park production.

To bid on Diana's dinner package, visit HairLoveOutLoud.com.

The week in review: new cast of 'Hair' opens on Broadway

The first week of the new tribe's performance in Broadway's musical Hair is now complete, and Diana seems to be relieved yet appreciative of the experience, as she tweeted:

DianaDeGarmo We survived our first week! Now it's time to RELAX.........5 minutes ago via mobile web

It sure was a busy week. Playbill.com features five exclusive photos from the new tribe's opening night performance, with one photo of Diana and the fellow cast members available below on the left.

A lot of publications have been focusing on the fact that both Diana and fellow American Idol finalist and co-star Ace Young opted to do a 15-second portion of the show fully nude as the script calls. Per Zap2It.com:

According to MJ's Big Blog, people are saying that both Young and DeGarmo opted to shed their garb for the clothing-optional scene -- historically it has been up to each individual actor whether or not he or she will participate completely nude. We're sorry to disappoint you -- no pictures of the buff Idols.

But Diana and Ace laughed off people's emphasis on the minor part of the show, as she said in an interview with New York magazine's Jada Yuan:

DeGarmo added, "But it's not about the nudity," and Young righted himself: "It's just being free. We're being free. Literally, we're letting everything out. We're just being ourselves and standing in front of 1,500 people doing it." Heavy, man!

For more information on the show and to purchase tickets, check out HairBroadway.com.

Diana opens in 'Hair' on Broadway

After weeks of rehearsals, Diana, Ace Young and the rest of the new cast of Broadway's Hair finally get to take the stage tonight at the Al Hirschfield Theatre.

The most recent cast starred in its final show on Sunday, which was covered by Playbill, and an article that appeared on Playbill.com made not of the changing of the guard:

A new Broadway tribe, including "American Idol" finalists Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, as well as Spring Awakening's Kyle Riabko, will begin performances at the Hirschfeld March 9.

Diana just tweeted her excitement about beginning the latest chapter of her career:

DianaDeGarmo Final dress is OVER! Now it's SHOWTIME!!!
18 minutes ago via mobile web

Hair's show times are as follows:

Tuesday: 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Thursday: 8 p.m.
Friday: 8 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Sunday: 3 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased on HAIRBroadway.com.