Astrid Peth "a full return to the limelight", Minogue's appearance was not universally praised. Gareth McLean, a TV writer for "The Guardian", described Minogue as "not that good...she's blank and insipid". McLean wrote: "There's no chemistry between Astrid and the Doctor, she delivers her lines with a real lack of conviction and thus we never really believe in Astrid as a character. Where Catherine Tate's Donna in last year's special was overbearing, Kylie Minogue's Astrid is hardly there at all. It does make you wonder why casting Kylie was regarded as a coup. She's a pop star – of course she's going
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical in 1995 and 1998 playing to sold-out houses every time. The musical was performed at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, where it has run every Christmas season since 1998. The Old Globe production was directed by Jack O'Brien. This version featured songs from the television special, which had music by Albert Hague and lyrics by Seuss. A then-unknown Vanessa Anne Hudgens played Cindy Lou Who (1998–1999). For the 2007 Christmas season, three new songs were added to both this and the subsequent Broadway production. These songs are "This Time of Year", "It's the Thought That Counts" and "Fah Who