The wigs have been put away, the red carpet's been walked, and the cast and crew behind Hairspray -- the latest movie musical to hit the big screen -- is anxiously awaiting the movie's July 20 U.S. premiere. Distributed by New Line Cinema -- a division of Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) -- Hairspray returns to the early 1960s to follow the tale of "pleasantly plump" Tracy Turnblad as she aims for a role on a television dance program while attempting to battle social ills. The movie, based on the 2002 Broadway musical, which was based on the 1988 (non-musical) John Waters movie, has a cavalcade of stars, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Allison Janney, and Amanda Bynes. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky won the central role of Tracy.
One member of the Hairspray contingent that could really benefit from the film's success is John Travolta, who takes on the traditionally cross-dressed role of Tracy's mother, Edna. Since Battlefield Earth, the Scientology-inspired 2000 film widely panned as the worst move ever made, the star of Grease and Pulp Fiction has suffered some missteps, including A Love Song for Bobby Long, Domestic Disturbance, and Be Cool. Not until this Spring's Wild Hogs did Travolta appear to have any hope of ditching the box-office poison title.
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