<P> Critical reception was positive, with particular praise to the overall atmosphere and production style of the presentation, as well as the performances of the cast, particularly Hudgens as Betty Rizzo--the special was dedicated in the memory of Hudgens' father, who had died from cancer one day prior to the broadcast . The special was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards and won a total of five including Outstanding Special Class Program . </P> <P> On April 28, 2014, Fox announced that it had partnered with Paramount Television to produce a live, three - hour televised adaptation of the 1971 musical Grease in 2015 . The move came in the wake of similar live musical adaptations that had been produced by NBC, such as The Sound of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live! . </P> <P> On January 17, 2015, Fox officially announced that Julianne Hough had been cast as Sandy and Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo and that the special would air on January 31, 2016 . Entertainment Weekly reported that the special had been delayed from its original target of Summer 2015 due to difficulties in the casting process . On May 28, 2015, it was announced that Keke Palmer would join the broadcast as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies . On July 9, it was announced that Aaron Tveit would star as Danny Zuko in the live TV broadcast, and Carlos PenaVega would play the role of Kenickie . On September 30, 2015, it was announced that Carly Rae Jepsen, Kether Donohue, and David Del Rio would play Frenchy, Jan, and Putzie, respectively . On November 6, it was announced that Jordan Fisher, Andrew Call and Yvette Gonzalez - Nacer would join the cast as Doody, Sonny and Cha - Cha, respectively . </P> <P> Director Thomas Kail envisioned Grease: Live as being a "combination" of elements from the original musical and the 1978 film version of Grease . For instance, the production incorporated songs that were created for the film version, such as a performance of its theme song "Grease (Is The Word)" by Jessie J, "You're the One That I Want", and "Hopelessly Devoted to You", as well as songs that were exclusive to the stage version, such as "Freddy, My Love" and "Those Magic Changes". Kail explained that "very early on as I started imagining what this could be, talking to Marc Platt, our executive producer, and the folks at Paramount, one of the things we really were very focused on was trying to capture the spirit of both the original companies of Grease and that film that has left such an indelible impression on all of us . To try to honor that and pay homage to something that has moved us and we have such a great affection for, and then try to make our own version of it ." </P>

Who did keke palmer play in grease live