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Keke Palmer Joins Julianne Hough, Vanessa Hudgens in Grease: Live!

Keke Palmer and Dinah Manoff as Marty
Keke Palmer will play Marty in Grease

Pink lady! Keke Palmer just booked a big new gig, nabbing the part of Marty Maraschino in FOX's upcoming Grease: Live! special.

The former child star, 21, will play the popular high school senior, who keeps herself busy when she's not hanging out with her best friends by romancing older men and maintaining long-distance relationships with members of the military. The role was most famously played Dinah Manoff in the 1978 Grease movie, later taken on by Megan Mullally in the 1994 Broadway revival.

Related: PHOTOS: Stars on Broadway: Celebs Who've Taken the Stage

Palmer is the third star to sign on for the network television musical event. She joins previously announced castmates Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens, who will play Sandy and Rizzo, respectively. The two roles were famously played by Olivia Netwon-John and Stockard Channing in the big-screen version.

Related: PHOTOS: John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Happy Marriage

"Excited to be joining the Pink Ladies on #GreaseLive as Marty!" Palmer tweeted on Thursday, May 28. Grease: Live will hardly be the Akeelah and the Bee performer's first time singing publicly — she crooned in 2012's Joyful Noise and regularly records videos of her vocals. 

Related: PHOTOS: Julianne Hough: How She Became a Red Carpet Star!

The show will be the first of its kind for FOX. The network is following earlier successful moves by NBC, which charted huge ratings with 2013's Carrie Underwood-starring The Sound of Music Live! and 2014's Peter Pan Live! with Allison Williams.

"From Broadway to film, and across generations, Grease is one of the most beloved musical stories ever told — and we can’t wait to bring it to our air in a spectacular live event," Fox's Senior VP of Event Series Shana C. Waterman said at the time of the initial announcement. "Its iconic characters and addictive songs make it the perfect fit for Fox, and we’re going to give it the kind of star power and production quality to make every Sandy, Danny, Rizzo and Kenickie out there want to get up and sing along." 

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