Kenny Leon is the Bill Belichick of musical directors. The lifelong Lakers fan might prefer a comparison to Phil Jackson, but the New England Patriots head honcho likeness seems a bit more fitting.Basketball teams cast just a few players on the court at a time, and everyone plays both offense and defense. Football teams are larger, requiring the precise orchestration of many, and the roles are complementary yet defined.With more than 50 cast members, Hairspray Live! meanders into pigskin-sport territory. Leon, who also directed NBCs The Wiz Live!, knows how to motivate a massive team in the direction of one universal goal.I have a saying: Everybody on the bed, or everybody on the floor, he said in a phone interview.That means either youre working toward a collective effort ... or youre not working.Hairspray Live!, which premieres on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC, features an impressive lineup of stars, including Jennifer Hudson (playing Motormouth Maybelle), Ariana Grande (Penny Pingleton), Kristin Chenoweth (Velma Von Tussle) and Derek Hough (Corny Collins), all of whom will be working as one to ensure the shows success. The broadcast, with Grease: Live (Fox) and Peter Pan Live! (NBC), is the latest in a string of musicals televised on major networks in recent years.This small-screen version incorporates talent from other successful iterations of the musical and is led by executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced the 2007 movie. They were joined by the original songwriters, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and the Broadway adaptations choreographer, Jerry Mitchell. Tony award winner Harvey Fierstein, who originated the role of Edna Turnblad in the Broadway production, came aboard to reprise the role. Also joining are stage veteran Ephraim Sykes (as Seaweed J. Stubbs), Dove Cameron (Amber Von Tussle) of the Disney Channels Liv and Maddie, Garrett Clayton (Link Larkin) and rookie Maddie Baillio (Tracy Turnblad).Based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray, which was adapted as a Broadway production that ran from 2002 to 2009 and further popularized by the 2007 New Line Cinema movie, the storyline has been captivating audiences for nearly three decades.The engaging plot, which is set in Baltimore circa 1962, tells the story of protagonist Tracy Turnblad, whose dream is to cut a rug on the all-white Corny Collins Show, a dance program loosely based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. After getting on the show and gaining fame from the telecast, she sets her sights on diversifying the cast of performers. In the process, she befriends an African-American dancer named Seaweed, and they work together to fight racial justice and inequality and, finally, integrate the show.This story is set in the 60s, when integration dominated discourse, but the fight for racial equality is still present in cultural conversations today.When we did the movie over a decade ago, we felt like we were doing a period piece, Zadan said. Unfortunately, with whats going on in this country right now, [this project] feels contemporary.Sykes, who recently starred in the Broadway smash Hamilton and grew up singing in church, echoed Zadans sentiment.This is something God is calling on us to do, he said in a phone interview. This is the story he has put in front of us to tell because of what is happening.Although the cast boasts many household names and notable Broadway alumni often present the heartfelt scenes, it is newcomer Baillio who will steal the show. After beating more than 1,000 hopefuls for the role of Tracy Turnblad in an open casting process, the Manhattan College sophomore from League City, Texas, is making this her first professional theater credit.Growing up, Baillio played softball, swam and tried out gymnastics, but she didnt naturally gravitate toward sports.I hated all of it, and I just wanted to sing, she said.As a result, her mother enrolled her in a local community theater as a child, and now shes leaping into the big leagues.Hairspray Live! features 18 sets and numerous costumes. Its high-flying, with upbeat choreography and music that brings out everyones smile. All of these things, while pleasant to watch, make the show challenging to perform.The actors and dancers have to move among all the sets in a matter of seconds. The farthest distance that needs to be traveled is the length of a football field. That isnt an easy sprint when just focusing on the workout -- never mind while performing wardrobe changes and then having to sing and dance.Its a little bit of theater, a little bit of film and a little bit of television, Leon said. Its the best of all of those. Its like the Super Bowl.Stamina was not so much a concern as a necessity, and it was something Leon and choreographer Mitchell drilled from the moment rehearsals began. All members of the company were encouraged to run and do cardio training on their own, in addition to practices. No one could get sick, and everyone had to be in fighting shape. Doctors and masseuses were on set to help the cast stay healthy and overcome injuries.At times, it is damn near impossible, Sykes said of the difficulty of the show. The way you learn how to do it and make it possible is by doing it over and over again.According to Mitchell, the show has been in production for a couple months, and that rehearsal time is relatively standard. The difference is the lack of a preview run. By the time a musical premieres on Broadway, the cast has performed it anywhere from 30 to 60 times in out-of-town previews. The Live! concept doesnt have that luxury.We are going to get four run-throughs, and then we have to go live, he said. So we really have to be on our game.Rehearsals were no walk in the park, either. If someone was late, missed a beat or a line, everyone (including Leon) dropped and did 20 pushups as punishment.When one person does something out of line, we all do, Leon said.Leon and Mitchell once ran the shows closing number, You Cant Stop the Beat, five times back-to-back. The way Leon tells it, Mitchell led them through the number while he was shouting in the background, I dont want to see you breathing.Its one of the hardest finales to sing and dance, Mitchell said. You are literally singing and dancing full-out for the eight minutes.With such a high-energy show, it is essential for the cast to stay nimble throughout the performance. Every morning, the crew is led through an athletic warm-up. They jog and do jumping jacks, burpees and more exercises focusing on stretching and dance.It breaks a sweat, gets you warmed up and ready for the day, Mitchell said.?You have what you have, and you cant get any players off waivers now, Leon said. Weve got to do it. 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Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City hired Manuel Pellegrini as the clubs new manager on Friday, entrusting a man nicknamed "The Engineer" with constructing a team to reclaim the Premier League title and become a force in the Champions League. The 59-year-old Chilean has been courted for months by City following impressive spells in Spain with Villarreal and Malaga, which he left this month. He also coached Real Madrid in his nine-year stint in Spain but was fired after one season despite guiding the team to its then-record points total in La Liga. Pellegrini was appointed exactly a month after Roberto Mancini was fired for failing to capture a trophy in his third full season in charge, an indication of the expectations loaded on Citys new manager by its mega-rich owners from Abu Dhabi. "I am delighted to accept this hugely exciting opportunity," Pellegrini said. "The club has a clear vision for success both on and off the pitch and I am committed to making a significant contribution." Pellegrini signed a three-year deal, having had to wait to complete the move while contractual issues with Malaga were sorted. British media is reporting his deal is worth 15 million pounds ($23.5 million). He will take up the role from June 24 and will be managing in his fifth country in 25 years, after previous stints in Chile, Ecuador, Argentina and Spain in which he won six major trophies in total. "Manuel is a hugely experienced and successful manager with a proven track record," City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said. "We have been greatly impressed throughout the selection process by his philosophy, his attitude and his commitment to the long-term development of Manchester City. I am delighted that he has joined us." In a way, though, City is taking a gamble. Pellegrini failed to win a major title during his time in Spain and will be coaching in England for the first time. Many will look at his short stint at Madrid and say he is yet to prove himself at the highest level, that he flopped despite having at his disposal the most expensively assembled squad in the history of the Spanish league. Look deeper, though, and it is easy to see why City executives Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain -- former Barcelona officials charged with developing Citys long-term strategy -- have turned to a laid-back coach known for his man-management skills and ability to get the best out of players. Pellegrini, who speaks English, overachieved at Villarreal and Malaga, leading the former to the Champions League semifinals in 2006 and an unprecedented second-place finish in La Liga and the latter to the quarterfinals of Europes top competition last season. He was also harshly dealt with by the powerbrokers at Madrid -- told which players to keep, whom to sell and with some bought without his consent. Madrid finished its one and only season under Pellegrini with 96 points, a club record at the time, despite being without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo for six weeks.dddddddddddd But the team finished second after coming up against the all-conquering Barcelona side of Pep Guardiola. Having also failed to get Madrid past the last 16 of the Champions League, he was fired and succeeded by Jose Mourinho. In firing Mancini, City said it wanted a coach who could "develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club," and Pellegrini proved at Villarreal and Malaga that he could bring through youngsters as well as have an eye for talent in the transfer market. Soriano and Begiristain clearly want City to mimic the model followed so successfully by Barca, where all the teams -- from youth to senior level -- play with the same style and philosophy. This may be a three-year deal for Pellegrini but City is planning long-term. "Manuel is a very experienced coach with a recognized ability to get the most out of his players and build cohesive teams," Soriano said. "He shares the clubs approach to football and our ambition to achieve on-field success, co-ordinating with the wider football support teams to ensure natural progression from the academy to senior level." Pellegrini will have a star-studded squad at his disposal that has been supplemented during the past week by the signings of Brazil midfielder Fernandinho and Spain winger Jesus Navas for about 50 million pounds ($78 million), with City acting quickly this off-season after missing out on its main targets last off-season. That brings its own pressure, with Pellegrini knowing he is unlikely to last beyond next summer without winning the English title or going deep in the Champions League, the tournament in which City has failed to get out of its group in the past two years. Last month, Soriano set the club a target of five trophies in the next five seasons. Under Pellegrinis stewardship, there is unlikely to be any of the dressing-room bust-ups or training-pitch clashes that scarred Mancinis 3 1/2-year reign and led to increasing disharmony in the squad. A civil engineering graduate -- hence his moniker -- he is a placid character, typically popular among players and fans and respected in the media. Pellegrini will appreciate the opportunity he has been given at a time of flux at the top of the Premier League. With no more Alex Ferguson at United and Chelsea also changing managers this off-season, the former Chile defender has a chance to establish City as the leading force in England -- just as Mancini had before the Italian messed up. "Everything is in place for Manchester City to continue to be successful," Pellegrini said, "and I am excited to be able to work with such a talented squad, the executive team and the board to deliver for fans who are renowned for their steadfast support." ' ' '