'Dirty Dancing' to get Hollywood remake: Original film's choreographer, Kenny Ortega, has signed on

LOS ANGELES — The classic 1987 film "Dirty Dancing" is getting a remake, adding songs from the 1960s and brand new compositions to some of the original music, film studio Lionsgate said on Monday.

The beloved coming of age movie, starring the late Patrick Swayze as smoldering dance teacher Johnny Castle in a forbidden romance with teenager Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman, will be modernized for a new generation, producers said. Slideshow: Patrick Swayze on film 
Kenny Ortega, the film's original choreographer and the director of the Michael Jackson concert movie "This Is It" and "High School Musical", will direct the new version which has not yet been cast.

"Amazingly it has been almost 25 years since the original film was released, but the fans remain legion, and engaged more than ever with a brand that is special and vital to them. We believe that the timing couldn't be better to modernize this story on the big screen, and we are proud to have Kenny Ortega at the helm," Lionsgate film group president Joe Drake said in a statement.

Swayze died in 2009 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. Grey hit the headlines again in 2010 when she won the TV show "Dancing With the Stars".

"Dirty Dancing" won Oscars for best music and best original song for its emotional closing number "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", and has sold more than 10 millions units on DVD, as well as inspiring a hit stage show in London and six other countries.

A "Dirty Dancing" Facebook page has more than 10 million fans, cementing the 1987 movie's status as one of the most beloved movies of modern times.

"Dirty Dancing" is the latest iconic dance film to be revisited. A much-delayed remake of the 1984 film "Footloose" starring newcomer Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough is due to arrive in movie theaters in October, while an updated version of the 1980 musical "Fame" was a critical flop in 2009.

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@JayZ & @KanyeWest #album deal irks #Indie retailers

 

Watch the Throne is due for release on iTunes on 8 August

Scores of independent US music stores have written an open letter to Jay-Z and Kanye West over exclusive release deals for their upcoming album.

Watch The Throne will be released first on iTunes before the Best Buy chain's exclusive deal to sell the album nearly two weeks ahead of other music retailers.

The letter says the deal will do "great damage" to more than 1,700 record stores and calls for equal access.
Jay-Z's spokesman had no comment.

Posted by the organisers of Record Store Day, the letter has been signed by shops across the US and calls the release plan a "short-sighted strategy".

"We know that you are busy, and that you put most of your energies into creating great music, but we are writing to you in the hope that you will hear us and take the time to rectify this matter," the letter states.

"As representatives of the independent record store music community, we are asking you to allow record stores and music fans equal access to your new album."

'Disastrous'
Some of the letter's signatories have also threatened to pull current and previous releases by the two artists from their shelves.

Others in the music retail industry have also criticised the move.

"A two-week window will be disastrous for music retailers," said Eric Levin, owner of Criminal Records and the head of the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.

According to Billboard, between the two exclusive iTunes and Best Buy release windows, 75% of the demand for the album is expected to be satisfied within 10 days.

Exclusive release deals are now common for top acts.

Recent examples include AC/DC's Black Ice given to Wal-Mart, while Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy
and the Rolling Stones Biggest Bang DVD package, were also sold through Best Buy.

Record Store Day was created in 2007 to celebrate independently owned record stores in response to counter media coverage about the demise of record shops.

However, independent stores have suffered a decline over the last decade due to digital music sales.
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