Surprise! Lin-Manuel Miranda Shows Up At Las Vegas Academy

Without question, Hamilton is one of the most influential musicals of our time. The mind behind that musical, Lin Manuel Miranda, surprised students at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts today.

Miranda has quite rightfully become a hero of young, budding stage performers after the outrageous success of Hamilton. He spent seven years putting pen to paper, composing the musical which would become a Broadway - and international - smash hit. The production premiered off-Broadway in 2015, and has since became one of the most critically acclaimed musicals in history.

So... no pressure on the next production, right?

The legend is the creator of a new show over at The Venetian Resort called Freestyle Love Supreme. The production, which launched three years ago in New York, is no Hamilton. FLS is quite literally a freestyle, never know what you're gonna get production. Freestyle rapping, improv and more make it an experience worthy of a Tony (and it got one!)

Lin-Manuel was a part of the first two shows at The Venetian, and joined the rest of the cast for a special talk with the best and brightest future performers at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts unannounced, taking the stage to a thunderous applause.

It wasn't long ago when Miranda was the student himself. Coming up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, his first musical in high school was directed by a fellow classmate. Of all people, it was MSNBC host Chris Hayes.

He later went to Wesleyan University and began writing musicals including his first broadway musical, In The Heights.

Now, it's his chance to be the inspiration to countless young and budding actors, actresses and directors and the fact he took out some time to do so is pretty awesome.

While you missed out on the chance to see Lin-Manuel perform in Freestyle Love Supreme (he joined the cast for special performances on November 16th and 17th), there is still plenty of time to see the production. It is expected to run at The Venetian through at least April.

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The Tony Awards hosted stars of the stage and the screen on Sunday in New York City.

November 12 was a beautiful day for animals and owners to have a day to themselves. The inaugural, Paws In The Park 2022, went off with a bang with a fierce line-up of entertainers.

We want to recognize the top tier performers that showed up, looked the part and gave our four-legged family members music to wag to their tail to.

Starting off with Social Order who opened Paws In The Park brought the mid 2000s back with their pop and alternative sound. They played a few of their TOP hits including "Kelsey" and "Shake It." The angsty band surprised fans with a cover from another Las Vegas local band, The Killers. And no, it wasn't "Mr. Brightside" they like to be different in their song cover choices. They performed, "When You Were Young" which sounded beautiful.

Professional nomad and singer, Ian Flanigan, graced our animal's ears with a little country. His rustic and warm vocals transcended across the park putting many park attendees at ease. He sang a few of his favorite songs including "Strong" and "Last Name on It." Flanigan's star presence on The Voice shined through on the Findlay Chevrolet Main Stage.

Native Phoenix Arizonan, Alec Benjamin, is a force to be reckon with. Known for his creative lyrics about mental health and relationships, he has racked up many billions of streams across many platforms. Dedicated fans wore merch and crowded the stage to get as close to the "Let Me Down Slowly" singer as they could. Alec spoke to fans with his witty charm and funny humor. He sang, "If We Have Each Other", "The Way You Felt" and "Water Fountain."

Bat Out Of Hell brought the rock n roll to Paws In The Park. Pet attendees were blown out of the water with their powerhouse vocals and matching outfits. Every song performed left us wanting more and more. They performed "Bat Out Of Hell", "Out Of The Frying Pan" and more. Meatloaf's "Bat Out Of Hell" album has sold over 60 million copies showcasing the influence this genre has on today's culture.

Soul Of Motown closed out the pet event with soulful tunes and heartfelt lyrics. Pets and owners alike were dancing on the grass taking in the smooth melodies. They performed, Gladys Knight & the pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Stevie Wonder's "Uptight" and many more classics. They looked eccentric in their gold and black matching even wear.

Overall, it was a diverse collection of music for all to enjoy. Thank you to each of the performers and their teams for giving us memories to remember. #PawsInTheParkLV