Hey there, hi there, ho there from the Orange County Performing Arts Center!

Mickey arrived at the Orange County Performing Arts Center this afternoon, wearing his Toronto Blue Jays uniform. To celebrate the All-Star game to be played at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium on July 13, 36 Mickey Mouse statues are decorated with graphics featuring each of the Major League clubs as well as four All-Star designs, and an American League and a National League design. Each statue is 7 1/2 feet tall and weighs 989 pounds.

Fans are welcome to snap a photo with Mickey, who will remain on site through the All-Star game.

Working it Out with The Lion King

Disney’s The Lion King cast member Amyia Burrell taught a special workout class at The Sports Club/LA in Irvine last Friday. Click on the video above to see highlights from the class. A big thank you to The Sports Club/LA for hosting the class and to Amyia for giving everyone one a great workout! Amyia and The Lion King will be at the Center through Sunday, June 13.

We're Vocal

Last Thursday more than 600 local middle-school students and teachers gathered at the Center for the 2010 Southern California Vocal Association Choral Festival. Schools from Santa Ana, Covina, Baldwin Park, Costa Mesa and Placentia participated in this year's festival, which was hosted by the Center in collaboration with Pacific Chorale. Started in 1993, the festival provides non-competitive concert-style opportunities for young singers to hear other ensembles and receive valuable evaluations and advice from professional adjudicators.

A big congratulations to all the singers and their teachers!

Photos: Choir students from McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana; courtesy of Gregory Ellis.

Mickey Mouse in the House

The Center will soon be home to one of the 36 giant Major League Baseball-themed Mickey Mouse statues appearing throughout Southern California this summer. The statues are being placed in high-profile locations in celebration of the 2010 MLB All-Star game in Anaheim on July 13. The Center's Mickey Mouse statue is decorated as a Toronto Blue Jay.

Starting June 11, MLB and Disney Consumer products is launching a Find Mickey Scavenger Hunt, which rewards fans for visiting the different statue locations and tweeting photos. The first person to take a photo in front of all 36 statues and tweet a link to their photo gallery will win the grand prize of two tickets to the MLB All-Star Game. For more contest information visit mlb.com/mickeymouse.

We hope to see you here!

PHOTO: Angels outfielder Torii Hunter and Hall of Famer Rod Carew pose with the MLB All-Star Stars & Stripes-themed Mickey Mouse statue, which will be on display at the Anaheim Convention Center, home of MLB All-Star FanFest.

The Lion King Brings Out Brandy

Disney's The Lion King had an unexpected guest at Sunday evening's performance in Segerstrom Hall: the multi-talented star, Brandy Norwood. The photo above shows Brandy and her daughter posing with the performers who play the characters of Simba and Nala in the North American touring production. The Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning musical is at the Center through June 13.

Photo caption: (clockwise from the left) Brandy Norwood, Andre Jackson, Marja Harmon, Elijah Johnson, Sy'rai Smith, and Jamariana Tribble. Photo credit: RJ Magee.

Beyond the Beat

Percussionist Andrew Grueschow helped deaf and hard of hearing students at Taft Elementary in Santa Ana experience music and rhythm. These students participated in a special four-day workshop conducted by Grueschow, a teaching artist from the Center’s ArtsConnect education program. The students learned, heard and felt basic elements of music, such as pulse, tempo, pitch and rhythm to enhance learning and understanding of cultural concepts in the classroom. Watch the video to hear from Grueschow and click here to read the OC Register's story by Tim Mangan.

Sparks in the Heights

Playbill reports that 2007's American Idol champ Jordin Sparks will make her Broadway debut in In The Heights.  The hit musical, which won four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical, currently stars Corbin Bleu as Usnavi.  Playbill also has a photo gallery of Sparks on a recent visit to In the Heights with Bleu which you can view here.