Kenny Wormald, the New “Footloose” Star

Not too long after Zac Efron dropped out of new version of Footloose last year, it was announced that the lead role would be played by Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford.

Then director Kenny Ortega dropped out and eventually so did Chace who is not really known for his dancing.

But the project lives on!

It’s just been announced that newcomer Kenny Wormald has emerged from a nationwide search to land the role of Ren McCormack, a part that made Kevin Bacon into a big star in the original film nearly 30 years ago.

Kenny joins the already cast Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid and Miles Teller. He is a Boston native who appeared in the MTV series Dancelife and recently toured with Justin Timberlake.

Paramount has set April 1, 2011 for the film’s release with production set to begin in August. Craig Brewer is now the director of the project.

Kevin Bacon Performs on 14,110-Foot Pikes Peak

Actor Kevin Bacon hiked the 14,110-foot Pikes Peak (in Colorado Springs, Colorado) to play a concert at the top as part of an event to raise money for a cancer charity.

Bacon and his brother, Michael, climbed Pikes Peak on Saturday with about 95 people as part of a fund raiser for the Love Hope Strength Foundation cancer charity.

The hikers made the event a tribute to Farrah Fawcett, who died Thursday after battling anal cancer.

At the mountaintop, their band, The Bacon Brothers, performed three songs.

The brothers also were playing a concert Saturday night in Denver to raise money for the foundation, which has held fundraising concerts at Machu Picchu in Peru and Mount Everest.