LISA DENTON: Barry, I'm thinking it might be time to head to Crossville, Tenn. Our buddy Jason Ross is in the next production opening at the Cumberland County Playhouse on Friday. "Grease" should be a fun show.
Even when I'm just singing to myself, I like to do all the choreography for "Born To Hand Jive" and "Greased Lightning." Granted, it has surprised you a few times to see me doing such strange maneuvers over here in my cubicle, but that's how I roll. Actually, I guess that's how I rock 'n' roll.
BARRY COURTER: It does lose something without being able to hear the actual music. Especially "Hand Jive."
LISA: Yeah, you thought I was having some sort of spasm that one time.
BARRY: Jason is one of our favorites, and he is very talented. I wonder if he is playing the John Travolta/Danny Zuko part or the Jeff Conaway/Kenickie part.
LISA: Actually, he's playing Vince Fontaine, the TV show host for the dance-off. I wish he was playing Kenickie because one of the best lines in the movie is said about him: "A hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmark card: When you care enough to send the very best."
BARRY: This is a busy week with lots of good stuff, with several opportunities for me to wear one of my tie-dyed doo rags. Unfortunately, two of them take place on the same night. The Zac Brown Band will be at McKenzie Arena on Wednesday and Umphrey's McGee is at Track 29 the same night.
LISA: Did you catch the Zac Brown Band on "Nashville" last week? They did "Free/Into the Mystic" with the actress who plays Scarlett (Clare Bowen). And it's worth mentioning that Gator from US101 made an appearance when Scarlett was making the rounds of radio stations. They used made-up call letters, not WUSY-FM, but that's still way cool. Plus, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts was featured. He attended Lee University before making it big in Nashville.
BARRY: "Nashville" is one of my stories I follow, so it was really cool to see all of the local connections. And anytime a Van Morrison song is involved, it's even better. I always look for one of Ben Jumper's Soundcheck trucks on the show as well.
And I will have another chance to wear a favorite bandana on Friday at the Black Jacket Symphony show at the Tivoli. You'll remember they do full-scale, note-for-note live versions of classic rock albums, and this time around they will be doing Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy." It's one of their trippier albums with classics like "Over the Hills and Far Away," "The Ocean" and "The Song Remains the Same" which, of course, makes me immediately think about midnight movies at the old Eastgate theater. Now, those were a trip.
LISA: Wow, I haven't thought about those in a while. To think, I used to be able to stay up past midnight. I did well to see the end of "Nashville" the other night.
And don't forget we're coming up on a little game called the Super Bowl on Sunday. You reckon anybody around here will be rooting for the Seahawks?
BARRY: Well, Golden Tate, who prepped at Pope John Paul II High School in Nashville, does play for them, but I'd say most folks around here are rooting for Peyton, I mean Denver.
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Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281. Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.