Celebrities have unusual ways of harkening back to the past. Harry Houdini had nothing to do with Dua Lipa until Lipa released her song “Houdini” from her album Radical Optimism. Still, referencing a stage magician from a century ago is an odd move for a pop singer. Lipa explained why she referenced an icon from another era in her song and what she is trying to accomplish with Radical Optimism.
Dua Lipa used Harry Houdini’s name as a metaphor
During a 2023 interview with Sleek, Lipa opened up about “Houdini.” “Houdini is an escape artist, and the whole idea behind this song is essentially about knowing where you stand, understanding what you deserve, and recognizing when to stay or execute a disappearing act, like Houdini,” she said. “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek in terms of the metaphor, but fundamentally, it’s about knowing your worth.”
Houdini, one of the most famous illusionists who ever lived,...
Dua Lipa used Harry Houdini’s name as a metaphor
During a 2023 interview with Sleek, Lipa opened up about “Houdini.” “Houdini is an escape artist, and the whole idea behind this song is essentially about knowing where you stand, understanding what you deserve, and recognizing when to stay or execute a disappearing act, like Houdini,” she said. “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek in terms of the metaphor, but fundamentally, it’s about knowing your worth.”
Houdini, one of the most famous illusionists who ever lived,...
- 5/3/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Zack Norman, a veteran character and producer who appeared in films including Romancing The Stone, Cadillac Man and several for director Harry Jaglom along with guested on The Nanny, The A-Team, Baywatch and other series, died April 28 of natural causes. He was 83.
His son-in-law Jeff Briller confirmed the news to Deadline.
Born Howard Zuker on May 27, 1940, Norman received an executive Mba from Harvard Business School before embarking entering show business. He performed as a comedian through the latter half of the 1960s and working the Playboy Clubs, the Flamingo and Copacabana with the Temptations. He made his TV debut in 1969 doing stand-up on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
He made about a half-dozen films in the 1970s before working on a pair of memorable ’80s films: He had a small role in Milos Forman’s Ragtime (1981) before being cast as Cousin Ira in Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984). His character uttered the oft-quoted line,...
His son-in-law Jeff Briller confirmed the news to Deadline.
Born Howard Zuker on May 27, 1940, Norman received an executive Mba from Harvard Business School before embarking entering show business. He performed as a comedian through the latter half of the 1960s and working the Playboy Clubs, the Flamingo and Copacabana with the Temptations. He made his TV debut in 1969 doing stand-up on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
He made about a half-dozen films in the 1970s before working on a pair of memorable ’80s films: He had a small role in Milos Forman’s Ragtime (1981) before being cast as Cousin Ira in Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984). His character uttered the oft-quoted line,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – Monday, April 15th is the annual fundraising concert for Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre. As part of “Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II,” the company will confer its “Guy Adkins Award” to the award winning actor and musical director, Roberta Duchak. For more information and tickets, click Porchlight.
For more than ten years, Porchlight Music Theatre celebrates an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the Chicago music theatre, with the prestigious Guy Adkins Award. Guy Adkins was an award-winning Chicago actor who passed away in 2010, with a number of roles at Chicago Shakespeare, The Goodman, Steppenwolf and more. The Award commemorates Adkin’s spirit and life, in addition to celebrating the many gifts he gave Chicago’s theater community and the world.
Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II
Photo credit: PorchlightMusicTheatre.org/Brett Beiner for Roberta Duchak
The Guy Adkins Awardee Roberta Duchak is an industry-recognized music director,...
For more than ten years, Porchlight Music Theatre celebrates an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the Chicago music theatre, with the prestigious Guy Adkins Award. Guy Adkins was an award-winning Chicago actor who passed away in 2010, with a number of roles at Chicago Shakespeare, The Goodman, Steppenwolf and more. The Award commemorates Adkin’s spirit and life, in addition to celebrating the many gifts he gave Chicago’s theater community and the world.
Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II
Photo credit: PorchlightMusicTheatre.org/Brett Beiner for Roberta Duchak
The Guy Adkins Awardee Roberta Duchak is an industry-recognized music director,...
- 4/15/2024
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Hinton Battle, the Tony-winning performer who originated the role of The Scarecrow in Broadway’s The Wiz, has died. He was 67.
The actor died Tuesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following a lengthy illness. In a statement, a rep told The Hollywood Reporter that his family has no plans to disclose his cause of death.
Battle made his Broadway debut in the original production of Broadway’s The Wiz and then won three Tonys — all in the category of featured actor in a musical — for his work in Sophisticated Ladies (1981), The Tap Dance Kid (1984) and Miss Saigon (1991). An NAACP Image Award winner, the actor, director, producer and choreographer was also a SAG and Critics Choice nominee, honored for his work as part of the ensemble of 2007’s movie musical Dreamgirls.
Born in 1956, Battle studied at the prestigious Jones Haywood School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. and...
The actor died Tuesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following a lengthy illness. In a statement, a rep told The Hollywood Reporter that his family has no plans to disclose his cause of death.
Battle made his Broadway debut in the original production of Broadway’s The Wiz and then won three Tonys — all in the category of featured actor in a musical — for his work in Sophisticated Ladies (1981), The Tap Dance Kid (1984) and Miss Saigon (1991). An NAACP Image Award winner, the actor, director, producer and choreographer was also a SAG and Critics Choice nominee, honored for his work as part of the ensemble of 2007’s movie musical Dreamgirls.
Born in 1956, Battle studied at the prestigious Jones Haywood School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. and...
- 1/31/2024
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘I was told my laugh wasn’t extreme enough. So I got through an entire bottle of Jack Daniel’s getting its idiot sound right’
I’d really wanted the part of Younger Brother in Miloš Forman’s previous film Ragtime and had had a couple of disastrous meetings with him. When I met him for Amadeus, he had me read for an entire day against actors coming in for other parts. I noticed he was cursory with people I thought were interesting, and nice to those who I thought didn’t have a chance. I decided strategically to be a real asshole, which seemed to intrigue him. At the end of eight hours, he looked at me and just said: “Yeah. You can go now.”...
I’d really wanted the part of Younger Brother in Miloš Forman’s previous film Ragtime and had had a couple of disastrous meetings with him. When I met him for Amadeus, he had me read for an entire day against actors coming in for other parts. I noticed he was cursory with people I thought were interesting, and nice to those who I thought didn’t have a chance. I decided strategically to be a real asshole, which seemed to intrigue him. At the end of eight hours, he looked at me and just said: “Yeah. You can go now.”...
- 10/23/2023
- by Interviews by Chris Broughton
- The Guardian - Film News
Major film and TV productions are currently on hold due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but the New York theater scene is still as active as ever. A new Broadway season is upon us, and there are five musicals set to open this fall. Will they contend at next year’s Tony Awards? Below, we give you a preview of the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast and creative teams, plus the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Merrily We Roll Along”
The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart‘s 1934 play spans three decades in the entertainment industry and charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two friends — writer Mary and lyricist and playwright Charley. The original production directed by Hal Prince only ran for 16 performances,...
“Merrily We Roll Along”
The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart‘s 1934 play spans three decades in the entertainment industry and charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two friends — writer Mary and lyricist and playwright Charley. The original production directed by Hal Prince only ran for 16 performances,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
This past summer, as Hollywood faced its second major strike, the president of actors union SAG-AFTRA took the podium. She was without makeup, she was raspy and she was pissed. Gone was the ozone-shattering hairspray and the wild prints plucked right from the zoo. Nowhere in earshot was the dog whistle voice and the dolphin laugh. This was Fran Drescher: not the street-smart bimbo of somehow successful sitcoms and expectedly by-the-numbers romances, but the woman who will do anything to show her loyalty and not back down from anything. She had done it throughout her career through battles with industry execs and cancer, and now she was doing it against some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Wtf Happened to…Fran Drescher?
But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Fran Drescher, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when she was born on September 30th,...
Wtf Happened to…Fran Drescher?
But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Fran Drescher, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when she was born on September 30th,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Jamie Christopher, the valuable first assistant director whose work spanned such films as Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and all eight Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 52.
Christopher died Tuesday from heart complications in Los Angeles.
Hailing from a filmmaking family — his father was a production manager on Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and his mother a production coordinator — Christopher rose to become an in-demand crewmember for studio franchises and filmmakers, running and scheduling shoots.
He worked for and developed strong relationships with Rian Johnson, James Gunn, David Yates and Sam Raimi, among others, and in the process became the second highest grossing assistant director in the film business.
“Jamie was a good friend, and he loved making movies,” Johnson, who worked with Christopher on Last Jedi and Knives Out, said in a statement. “He loved his crew, loved his job, the process of it and the history of it.
Christopher died Tuesday from heart complications in Los Angeles.
Hailing from a filmmaking family — his father was a production manager on Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and his mother a production coordinator — Christopher rose to become an in-demand crewmember for studio franchises and filmmakers, running and scheduling shoots.
He worked for and developed strong relationships with Rian Johnson, James Gunn, David Yates and Sam Raimi, among others, and in the process became the second highest grossing assistant director in the film business.
“Jamie was a good friend, and he loved making movies,” Johnson, who worked with Christopher on Last Jedi and Knives Out, said in a statement. “He loved his crew, loved his job, the process of it and the history of it.
- 8/30/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jeff Daniels is ready to tell his story. The actor, who has been in everything from “The Purple Rose of Cairo” to “Dumb and Dumber,” is readying his audio-only memoir, “Alive and Well Enough,” as a 12-part series for Audible, with the first season debuting in September (with a second season on the way).
According to the official release “Alive and Well Enough” “mixes storytelling, original music and performance, [and] is like nothing you have heard before.” Would it be too much to ask for several chapters devoted to the making of “Arachnophobia?”
“Audible is the only place where I get to do everything I do,” said Daniels in an official statement. “’Alive and Well Enough’ is an audio adventure of an accidental artist who one day looked up and realized he had a sense of humor, a passion for writing and stories to tell.”
Daniels, of course, is an accomplished performer,...
According to the official release “Alive and Well Enough” “mixes storytelling, original music and performance, [and] is like nothing you have heard before.” Would it be too much to ask for several chapters devoted to the making of “Arachnophobia?”
“Audible is the only place where I get to do everything I do,” said Daniels in an official statement. “’Alive and Well Enough’ is an audio adventure of an accidental artist who one day looked up and realized he had a sense of humor, a passion for writing and stories to tell.”
Daniels, of course, is an accomplished performer,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
When Bo Goldman, the two-time Academy Award screenwriter of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Harold and Maude," passed away on July 25, 2023 at the age of 90, the world lost a master dramatist and a razor-sharp observer of human behavior. Hailed by his Hollywood peers as a "screenwriter's screenwriter," Goldman possessed an unerring ear for dialogue and a cliche-eschewing sense of narrative. Be it a wistful satire of the American dream or a bruisingly authentic depiction of divorce, his name on the poster guaranteed an honest, offbeat view of humanity.
And it almost never happened. Goldman was born in the midst of the Great Depression on September 10, 1932. His father owned a chain of department stores that had fallen on hard times, but that didn't stop the besieged patriarch from sending his son to the prestigious likes of Phillips Exeter and Princeton University. It was at the latter institution that Goldman discovered a love for theater,...
And it almost never happened. Goldman was born in the midst of the Great Depression on September 10, 1932. His father owned a chain of department stores that had fallen on hard times, but that didn't stop the besieged patriarch from sending his son to the prestigious likes of Phillips Exeter and Princeton University. It was at the latter institution that Goldman discovered a love for theater,...
- 7/27/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Song and dance man or gangster? Few stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era could claim they were equally well known for two such diverse genres. Yet, the legendary James Cagney worked hard to be able to make such a claim.
He was born on July 17, 1899, in New York City. His family was poor, and Cagney was sickly as a child. While growing up in a rough neighborhood, he learned a variety of skills, including tap dancing, street fighting, baseball and boxing. When he was 19, his father died, and he took odd jobs to help support his mother and siblings. On a whim, he auditioned for a role of a chorus girl in a local production. Although he had never had professional training, he landed the role and learned the dances from watching the other performers – and it never bothered him to dress as a girl and perform. Despite his mother...
He was born on July 17, 1899, in New York City. His family was poor, and Cagney was sickly as a child. While growing up in a rough neighborhood, he learned a variety of skills, including tap dancing, street fighting, baseball and boxing. When he was 19, his father died, and he took odd jobs to help support his mother and siblings. On a whim, he auditioned for a role of a chorus girl in a local production. Although he had never had professional training, he landed the role and learned the dances from watching the other performers – and it never bothered him to dress as a girl and perform. Despite his mother...
- 7/15/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday features several traditional music and fireworks special presentations on TV and streaming online in primetime. Here is a rundown:
A Capitol Fourth
PBS/PBS.org, 8 p.m. Et
The 43rd annual celebration will be broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and is hosted this year by Alfonso Ribeiro. A total of 20 cameras positioned throughout the city will capture the fireworks around the National Mall.
Scheduled performers include Boyz II Men, Chicago, Belinda Carlisle, Babyface, Maddie & Tae, Charles Esten, Renée Fleming and Adrienne Warren, with performances from America’s Got Talent finalists Northwell Nurse Choir, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the U.S. Army Band with “Pershing’s Own” during the fireworks display, accompanied by live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery.
Watch the PBS livestream on Deadline here:
Macy’s 4th Of July Fireworks
NBC/Peacock,...
A Capitol Fourth
PBS/PBS.org, 8 p.m. Et
The 43rd annual celebration will be broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and is hosted this year by Alfonso Ribeiro. A total of 20 cameras positioned throughout the city will capture the fireworks around the National Mall.
Scheduled performers include Boyz II Men, Chicago, Belinda Carlisle, Babyface, Maddie & Tae, Charles Esten, Renée Fleming and Adrienne Warren, with performances from America’s Got Talent finalists Northwell Nurse Choir, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the U.S. Army Band with “Pershing’s Own” during the fireworks display, accompanied by live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery.
Watch the PBS livestream on Deadline here:
Macy’s 4th Of July Fireworks
NBC/Peacock,...
- 7/4/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“It grabbed my heart and just shook it,” reveals Audra McDonald of Adrienne Kennedy’s searing play “Ohio State Murders.” The six-time Tony Award winner initially participated in a reading of the script over Zoom, one of many plays producer Jeffrey Richards organized during the pandemic to keep folks engaged while theater was shuttered. “When we finished, I couldn’t breathe. I was so stunned, and my soul was so shaken by what I had just read that I couldn’t let it go,” admits McDonald. The actress immediately agreed to star in the searing drama, eventually earning her 10th career Tony nomination. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Even though it just recently debuted on Broadway, “Ohio State Murders” was first performed over 30 years ago. Its central figure, Suzanne, never leaves the stage and endures a horrific, unceasing wave of racism, misogyny, and violence. “I know that if I...
Even though it just recently debuted on Broadway, “Ohio State Murders” was first performed over 30 years ago. Its central figure, Suzanne, never leaves the stage and endures a horrific, unceasing wave of racism, misogyny, and violence. “I know that if I...
- 6/5/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
The man behind the Waystar Royco exec on the highs, the frights and the best insults from the hit drama, whose final episode is just about to air – plus who he’d like to see come out on top
New York-born character actor Peter Friedman, 74, made his name in theatre, where he was Tony award-nominated for Ragtime in 1998. His TV roles include The Affair and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, while film credits include Single White Female, Safe, She Said and Synecdoche, New York. He currently plays Waystar Royco vice-chair Frank Vernon in hit HBO drama Succession, which is about to reach its feature-length finale.
How are you feeling about the Succession finale?
It was a golden era for us actors and everybody who worked on it. It was a good, good time and this last season has been wonderfully riveting, so we’re leaving on a high.
New York-born character actor Peter Friedman, 74, made his name in theatre, where he was Tony award-nominated for Ragtime in 1998. His TV roles include The Affair and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, while film credits include Single White Female, Safe, She Said and Synecdoche, New York. He currently plays Waystar Royco vice-chair Frank Vernon in hit HBO drama Succession, which is about to reach its feature-length finale.
How are you feeling about the Succession finale?
It was a golden era for us actors and everybody who worked on it. It was a good, good time and this last season has been wonderfully riveting, so we’re leaving on a high.
- 5/28/2023
- by Michael Hogan
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Malcolm McDowell is saddling up with James Paxton, Bernadette Peters and Laura Marano for Adam Rifkin’s Western Last Train to Fortune.
Last Train to Fortune also reteams McDowell with his former wife, Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, the duo previously starring together in the 1979 sci-fi drama Time After Time and the 1983 Martin Ritt drama Cross Creek.
In the pic, McDowell plays Cecil Peachtree, a stuffed-shirt schoolmaster who misses the last train to Fortune and meets an outlaw named Dooley (Paxton), at which point they strike a deal: The gunslinger will ride the book-loving Cecil to Fortune in exchange for his teacher’s stipend awaiting him. Along the way there are gunfights, jailbreaks and saloon gals, and our mismatched heroes form an unlikely bond. The pic, which is produced by Michael Gerstein, Paxton, Matt Williams, Rifkin and Brad Wyman (the Oscar-winning Charlize Theron drama Monster) is said to be in the spirit of True Grit,...
Last Train to Fortune also reteams McDowell with his former wife, Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, the duo previously starring together in the 1979 sci-fi drama Time After Time and the 1983 Martin Ritt drama Cross Creek.
In the pic, McDowell plays Cecil Peachtree, a stuffed-shirt schoolmaster who misses the last train to Fortune and meets an outlaw named Dooley (Paxton), at which point they strike a deal: The gunslinger will ride the book-loving Cecil to Fortune in exchange for his teacher’s stipend awaiting him. Along the way there are gunfights, jailbreaks and saloon gals, and our mismatched heroes form an unlikely bond. The pic, which is produced by Michael Gerstein, Paxton, Matt Williams, Rifkin and Brad Wyman (the Oscar-winning Charlize Theron drama Monster) is said to be in the spirit of True Grit,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Cinematic Arts (Sca) announced the creation of the John Singleton Lounge during a special screening of the series finale of FX’s Snowfall — Singleton’s final work — on the campus Thursday night. Set for location outside of the dean’s office suites, the seating area will be decorated with posters showcasing the work of the late filmmaker and USC alum who also co-founded the school’s African American Cinema Society while he was a student there.
“I want to thank John for being my son, and I want to thank John for listening to me and allowing me to guide his life,” said Singleton’s mother, Sheila Ward-Johnson, in opening remarks during the event, which was one of a series of screenings Sca has held throughout the 2022-2023 academic year as part of a yearlong celebration honoring the Academy Award-nominated director.
“I want to thank John for being my son, and I want to thank John for listening to me and allowing me to guide his life,” said Singleton’s mother, Sheila Ward-Johnson, in opening remarks during the event, which was one of a series of screenings Sca has held throughout the 2022-2023 academic year as part of a yearlong celebration honoring the Academy Award-nominated director.
- 4/21/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The defamation lawsuit Paradise Square producer Garth Drabinsky filed against Actors’ Equity has been dismissed with prejudice.
In the lawsuit, filed in October 2022 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Drabinsky sued the union, claiming defamation, after it placed him on its “Do Not Work” list following his production of Paradise Square. Actors’ Equity, as well as other unions and workers on the production, have separately sued Drabinsky for what they claim is thousands of dollars in owed payments, wages and health contributions.
The musical Paradise Square ran on Broadway from March 15, 2022 through July 17 of that year.
Upon its closure, Drabinksy was placed on the “Do Not Work List,” which effectively bars him from working on Broadway or other professional productions, after company members spoke out about their experience on the production, alleging that the producer had “had withheld benefits and pay from many company members,...
In the lawsuit, filed in October 2022 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Drabinsky sued the union, claiming defamation, after it placed him on its “Do Not Work” list following his production of Paradise Square. Actors’ Equity, as well as other unions and workers on the production, have separately sued Drabinsky for what they claim is thousands of dollars in owed payments, wages and health contributions.
The musical Paradise Square ran on Broadway from March 15, 2022 through July 17 of that year.
Upon its closure, Drabinksy was placed on the “Do Not Work List,” which effectively bars him from working on Broadway or other professional productions, after company members spoke out about their experience on the production, alleging that the producer had “had withheld benefits and pay from many company members,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This year’s Tonys will be held on June 11, so the American Theatre Wing will likely be announcing their lifetime achievement award recipient in the near future. Who do you think should be taking home this prestigious trophy? Scroll down to let us know in our poll which behind-the-scenes creative deserves the honor this year.
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
PBS is celebrating Black History Month by capping off the celebration with a joyous concert special, Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future featuring fan-favorites such as High School Musical alum Corbin Bleu. Ahead of the concert’s onscreen debut, TV Insider caught up with the musical performer who is delivering two showstopping numbers in the two-hour presentation to discuss how the historic event came together. Filmed at the prestigious Howard University, the concert brings together iconic Black artists performing classics from shows like The Wiz, The Color Purple, Ragtime, and many more with the support of Howard and Morgan State University student choirs. Below, Bleu previews what viewers can expect from the must-see evening of celebration and he opens up about bringing representation to younger generations as a Black Broadway performer. (Credit: Courtesy of PBS) How did you get involved with this concert celebration and how long did...
- 2/28/2023
- TV Insider
Strange as it sounds when you say it out loud, starring in one of the highest-grossing films of all time is no guarantee people will be knocking down your door with job offers -- doubly so if you're a woman or a person of color (and especially if you're both). It's why someone like Mena Massoud has struggled to find work despite being praised by critics as one of the highlights of Disney's billion dollar live-action "Aladdin" remake. In keeping with that theme, most would agree Daisy Ridley was part of the glue that held the Mouse House's "Star Wars" sequel trilogy together ... and yet, her career hasn't really taken off since her breakout turn in "The Force Awakens."
If it's any comfort to Ridley, she's not the first "Star Wars" actor to find themselves in this position. Going all the way back to the Ot, there was no guarantee Mark Hamill,...
If it's any comfort to Ridley, she's not the first "Star Wars" actor to find themselves in this position. Going all the way back to the Ot, there was no guarantee Mark Hamill,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Eugene Lee, the six-time Emmy-winning production designer for Saturday Night Live since 1975 and a multiple Tony winner for such Broadway hits as Wicked, Sweeney Todd and Candide, died Tuesday in Providence, Ri. He was 83.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Woody Harrelson To Host 'Saturday Night Live' For Fifth Time Related Story 'SNL's Weekend Update Takes Swipes At George Santos' "New Lie" About 'Spider-Man' Musical & Donald Trump
As the production designer of SNL since the year of its debut, Lee was the longest-serving member of the NBC show’s production staff. He also served as production designer for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from 2014-2018 and numerous SNL specials.
He also led the production design for Late Night with Seth Meyers and the 2000 television movie On Golden Pond, among others. For his work in television production design,...
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Woody Harrelson To Host 'Saturday Night Live' For Fifth Time Related Story 'SNL's Weekend Update Takes Swipes At George Santos' "New Lie" About 'Spider-Man' Musical & Donald Trump
As the production designer of SNL since the year of its debut, Lee was the longest-serving member of the NBC show’s production staff. He also served as production designer for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from 2014-2018 and numerous SNL specials.
He also led the production design for Late Night with Seth Meyers and the 2000 television movie On Golden Pond, among others. For his work in television production design,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Bryan Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Heart and The Doobie Brothers are among the nominees for the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame, part of a dazzling list of talented acts who left their mark on country, pop, rap, Broadway, post-punk, Latin and New Jack Swing.
The ballot includes the musical theater duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote Ragtime and Anastasia, as well as soul-jazz vocalist Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.”
Two veteran rock stars are also nominees: Patti Smith — whose songs include “Because the Night” and “Dancing Barefoot” — and Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Higher Love” and “Roll With It.” Vince Gill is once again a nominee, having first made the ballot in 2018.
Eligible voting members have until Dec. 28 to turn in ballots with their choices of three nominees...
Bryan Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Heart and The Doobie Brothers are among the nominees for the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame, part of a dazzling list of talented acts who left their mark on country, pop, rap, Broadway, post-punk, Latin and New Jack Swing.
The ballot includes the musical theater duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote Ragtime and Anastasia, as well as soul-jazz vocalist Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.”
Two veteran rock stars are also nominees: Patti Smith — whose songs include “Because the Night” and “Dancing Barefoot” — and Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Higher Love” and “Roll With It.” Vince Gill is once again a nominee, having first made the ballot in 2018.
Eligible voting members have until Dec. 28 to turn in ballots with their choices of three nominees...
- 11/14/2022
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Will Swenson will reprise his Boston performance in A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical when the production moves to Broadway this fall, producers confirmed today.
Swenson will be joined in New York by his Boston costars Mark Jacoby (Swenson and Jacoby play Diamond at different stages of the icon’s life), Robyn Hurder as Marcia, and Linda Powell as Doctor.
The castings were announced today by producers Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio. A Beautiful Noise begins previews Wednesday, November 2 ahead of a Sunday, December 4 opening night at the Broadhurst Theatre.
Rounding out the cast will be Jessie Fisher, Michael McCormick, Tom Alan Robbins, and Bri Sudia as Ellie Greenwich and Rose Diamond.
Director Michael Mayer said in a statement, “I’m excited to bring our stunning company to the Broadhurst this fall to celebrate the music and life of Neil Diamond. His exceptional career speaks for itself, and I...
Swenson will be joined in New York by his Boston costars Mark Jacoby (Swenson and Jacoby play Diamond at different stages of the icon’s life), Robyn Hurder as Marcia, and Linda Powell as Doctor.
The castings were announced today by producers Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio. A Beautiful Noise begins previews Wednesday, November 2 ahead of a Sunday, December 4 opening night at the Broadhurst Theatre.
Rounding out the cast will be Jessie Fisher, Michael McCormick, Tom Alan Robbins, and Bri Sudia as Ellie Greenwich and Rose Diamond.
Director Michael Mayer said in a statement, “I’m excited to bring our stunning company to the Broadhurst this fall to celebrate the music and life of Neil Diamond. His exceptional career speaks for itself, and I...
- 9/6/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel L. Jackson and Viola Davis are both veterans of the New York theater scene, and embrace the opportunity to dig into their shared experiences before addressing their latest work on TV. On Apple TV+, Jackson takes the lead role in “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” an adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel about an elder struggling with dementia. And on Showtime, Davis plays Michelle Obama in the dramatic anthology “The First Lady.”
Samuel L. Jackson: How do you feel about rolling around town, seeing yourself on these big old billboards? How is that?
Viola Davis: I don’t see that as myself. I see it as something else. Michelle Obama, the other Viola Davis. I don’t marry the two because otherwise it’s too difficult.
Jackson: What was the first time you saw yourself up on a big old billboard and it was Ok to see yourself?...
Samuel L. Jackson: How do you feel about rolling around town, seeing yourself on these big old billboards? How is that?
Viola Davis: I don’t see that as myself. I see it as something else. Michelle Obama, the other Viola Davis. I don’t marry the two because otherwise it’s too difficult.
Jackson: What was the first time you saw yourself up on a big old billboard and it was Ok to see yourself?...
- 6/12/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
James Olson, who starred opposite Joanne Woodward in 1968’s Rachel, Rachel, played a surgeon investigating a deadly alien organism in the 1971 sci-fi classic The Andromeda Strain and survived the notorious Broadway flop Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Mary Tyler Moore that closed before it opened in 1966, has died. He was 91.
His April 17 death at his home in Malibu was reported by the Malibu Times.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
A familiar character on television and in film for four decades before retiring in 1990, Olson received his first national exposure in the title role of Kraft Theatre‘s 1956 TV installment The Life of Mickey Mantle, following up that high-profile performance with guest appearances throughout the decade and into the 1960s among them Robert Montgomery Presents, Have Gun – Will Travel, Playhouse 90, Route 66, The Defenders and The Magical World of Disney.
His breakthrough film role came in 1968 with Rachel,...
His April 17 death at his home in Malibu was reported by the Malibu Times.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
A familiar character on television and in film for four decades before retiring in 1990, Olson received his first national exposure in the title role of Kraft Theatre‘s 1956 TV installment The Life of Mickey Mantle, following up that high-profile performance with guest appearances throughout the decade and into the 1960s among them Robert Montgomery Presents, Have Gun – Will Travel, Playhouse 90, Route 66, The Defenders and The Magical World of Disney.
His breakthrough film role came in 1968 with Rachel,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
James Olson, a highly versatile stage and screen actor whose credits touched just about every 1970s television hit, has died. He was 91.
Olson died peacefully at his home in Malibu on April 28, The Malibu Times originally reported. His career began in the late 1950s, and though he loved the theater and appeared on Broadway, he’d soon become one of the TV industry’s busiest actors, with credits on nearly 100 shows, sometimes playing multiple and repeating characters.
His dizzying list of guest-starring turns included “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Route 66,” “Columbo,” “Kung Fu,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Lou Grant,” “Maude,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Little House on the Prairie,” and “Murder, She Wrote,” truly just to name a few. From 1972-1979 he appeared five times on “Hawaii Five-o” – as five different characters.
Olson also had a healthy film career, co-starring opposite Joanne Woodward in the 1968 film “Rachel, Rachel,” which was nominated for Best Picture.
Olson died peacefully at his home in Malibu on April 28, The Malibu Times originally reported. His career began in the late 1950s, and though he loved the theater and appeared on Broadway, he’d soon become one of the TV industry’s busiest actors, with credits on nearly 100 shows, sometimes playing multiple and repeating characters.
His dizzying list of guest-starring turns included “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Route 66,” “Columbo,” “Kung Fu,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Lou Grant,” “Maude,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Little House on the Prairie,” and “Murder, She Wrote,” truly just to name a few. From 1972-1979 he appeared five times on “Hawaii Five-o” – as five different characters.
Olson also had a healthy film career, co-starring opposite Joanne Woodward in the 1968 film “Rachel, Rachel,” which was nominated for Best Picture.
- 5/10/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Exclusive: The upcoming pre-Broadway world premiere engagement of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical in Boston has cast Tony Award nominees Mark Jacoby and Robyn Hurder, and Linda Powell to its cast, producers said today.
Jacoby will play the musical icon as he is now, while the previously announced Will Swenson will portray Diamond as a young man. Jacoby’s casting is the first indication that A Beautiful Noise will include two actors portraying the singer-songwriter.
“Neil Diamond has had a myriad of career highs which are a joy to celebrate, but sometimes as artists we look back and only see the mistakes, the roads not taken, the failures, and the aftermath success can leave behind,” said director Michael Mayer in a statement. “Anthony McCarten’s book for A Beautiful Noise beautifully weaves these two perspectives together: the highs and the lows, looking forward and looking back, the artist...
Jacoby will play the musical icon as he is now, while the previously announced Will Swenson will portray Diamond as a young man. Jacoby’s casting is the first indication that A Beautiful Noise will include two actors portraying the singer-songwriter.
“Neil Diamond has had a myriad of career highs which are a joy to celebrate, but sometimes as artists we look back and only see the mistakes, the roads not taken, the failures, and the aftermath success can leave behind,” said director Michael Mayer in a statement. “Anthony McCarten’s book for A Beautiful Noise beautifully weaves these two perspectives together: the highs and the lows, looking forward and looking back, the artist...
- 4/21/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Oscars telecast incorporated reunions of cast members from classic movies such as “The Godfather,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Juno.” Last year’s Tony Awards actually did something similar, bringing together cast members from different Broadway classics such as “Hairspray,” “Ragtime,” “Rent,” and “Wicked” for performances as the industry was fighting to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Tonys will be presenting their landmark 75th annual ceremony this year, I think it would be even more fitting if they reunite more co-stars from Broadway classics of yesteryear to perform or even present awards. Here are some suggestions. Vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know which you’d most like to see.
SEE2022 Tony Awards: Full awards season calendar revealed
Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury – “Sweeney Todd”
In 1979 Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler‘s adaptation of Christopher Bond‘s 1973 stage play won...
SEE2022 Tony Awards: Full awards season calendar revealed
Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury – “Sweeney Todd”
In 1979 Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler‘s adaptation of Christopher Bond‘s 1973 stage play won...
- 4/8/2022
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Paradise Square makes quite the reach. A musical about the build-up to New York’s horrific Draft Riots of 1863 reaches to the past to tell us about the present. It reaches across cultures to tell us about assimilation and appropriation. It reaches across styles of music and dance to celebrate diversity and commonality. It reaches to contain both epic realism and mythical nostalgia. And somewhere along the line it reaches a point of no return, when all that reaching just wears itself out.
The musical, opening tonight at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, is big in a way that calls back to the Cameron Mackintosh productions of the 1980s and their ’90s Broadway offspring like Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman – those latter two courtesy of Garth Drabinsky, the producer attempting a comeback with Paradise Square after some financial flim-flam landed him in a Canadian prison; he was paroled in 2013 after serving 17 months.
The musical, opening tonight at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, is big in a way that calls back to the Cameron Mackintosh productions of the 1980s and their ’90s Broadway offspring like Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman – those latter two courtesy of Garth Drabinsky, the producer attempting a comeback with Paradise Square after some financial flim-flam landed him in a Canadian prison; he was paroled in 2013 after serving 17 months.
- 4/4/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
First 4K Ultra HD in the Paramount Presents Line Debuts May 17, 2022
with New and Legacy Bonus Content
One of the greatest Westerns in cinematic history arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) as part of the Paramount Presents line when The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance debuts May 17, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Four-time Academy Award®-winning* director John Ford brought together an all-star cast for what is considered by many critics to be a quintessential—and yet pioneering—Western late in his storied career. Starring James Stewart and John Wayne (together for the first time), alongside Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance tells the engrossing story of a senator (Stewart), his old friend (Wayne), and a despicable outlaw called Liberty Valance (Marvin).
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance...
First 4K Ultra HD in the Paramount Presents Line Debuts May 17, 2022
with New and Legacy Bonus Content
One of the greatest Westerns in cinematic history arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) as part of the Paramount Presents line when The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance debuts May 17, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Four-time Academy Award®-winning* director John Ford brought together an all-star cast for what is considered by many critics to be a quintessential—and yet pioneering—Western late in his storied career. Starring James Stewart and John Wayne (together for the first time), alongside Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance tells the engrossing story of a senator (Stewart), his old friend (Wayne), and a despicable outlaw called Liberty Valance (Marvin).
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance...
- 3/22/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Randy Newman, the prolific Oscar-winning songwriter, has postponed a European tour as he recovers from surgery to repair a broken neck.
Newman, who had a smash hit with the 1977 single “Short People,” shared news of his injury and surgery on his website today, maintaining the sense of humor that informs so much of his musical catalog.
“Recently, I noticed I was shrinking,” Newman writes. “People over whom I had towered now towered over me. Could this be payback for having written Short People? Turns out, my neck was broken.
“They operated on me successfully, I think,” he continues. “For even now, I look less like an anteater and more like a folk rock artist from the early sixties. But the doctor said I’m not quite ready to tour. I was really looking forward to coming to Europe to perform. I miss performing a great deal and I look forward...
Newman, who had a smash hit with the 1977 single “Short People,” shared news of his injury and surgery on his website today, maintaining the sense of humor that informs so much of his musical catalog.
“Recently, I noticed I was shrinking,” Newman writes. “People over whom I had towered now towered over me. Could this be payback for having written Short People? Turns out, my neck was broken.
“They operated on me successfully, I think,” he continues. “For even now, I look less like an anteater and more like a folk rock artist from the early sixties. But the doctor said I’m not quite ready to tour. I was really looking forward to coming to Europe to perform. I miss performing a great deal and I look forward...
- 3/2/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
What movie won Best Picture 40 years ago? It’s doubtful you can remember off the top of your head, but upon hearing its iconic electronic score, a vision of British Olympic athletes running on the beach would likely spring to mind and the answer would be obvious: “Chariots of Fire.”
Coming into the 54th ceremony on March 29, 1982, this British biopic had seven nominations compared to 12 for Warren Beatty‘s epic biopic “Reds.” Johnny Carson hosted as these two films slugged it out among stiff competition (it was a rare year in which all the Best Picture and Best Director nominees lined up), the older acting generation was honored, a “divine” presence put on quite the show and a new category was introduced.
This marked the second, and to date last, time three films were nominated for the “Big Five.” It looked to be a big night for Beatty, who was...
Coming into the 54th ceremony on March 29, 1982, this British biopic had seven nominations compared to 12 for Warren Beatty‘s epic biopic “Reds.” Johnny Carson hosted as these two films slugged it out among stiff competition (it was a rare year in which all the Best Picture and Best Director nominees lined up), the older acting generation was honored, a “divine” presence put on quite the show and a new category was introduced.
This marked the second, and to date last, time three films were nominated for the “Big Five.” It looked to be a big night for Beatty, who was...
- 2/4/2022
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
‘The Gilded Age’: Julian Fellowes’ new period drama is exceedingly rich in Tony Award-winning actors
Few television series boast an ensemble as rich as HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” at least in terms of Tony Awards. Julian Fellowes’ new period drama, which takes place in 1882 New York during a period of American industrialization and affluence, was shot predominantly in New York City. It draws on the wealth of theatre performers available due to the pandemic. The result is a cast of Broadway luminaries whose accolades total in the dozens, or 64 nominations and 23 wins, to be exact.
At the center of the action are a pair of two-time Tony winners — Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon — who play sisters Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook. These doyennes of old, moneyed New York try to bar the door to the new wealth elbowing their way into high society. Baranski won her first Tony for her performance in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing,” which featured Nixon as Baranski’s daughter.
At the center of the action are a pair of two-time Tony winners — Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon — who play sisters Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook. These doyennes of old, moneyed New York try to bar the door to the new wealth elbowing their way into high society. Baranski won her first Tony for her performance in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing,” which featured Nixon as Baranski’s daughter.
- 1/24/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
To say that 2021 has been a weird year is quite an understatement. Things started off really bleak then seemed to be getting better only to culminate in the uncertainty we now feel about everything. But we still got awards ceremonies and plenty of great moments from them. Due to pandemic precautions, all the ceremonies had to find ways to adapt so that they could still be events full of stars but also emphasizing the safety of those in attendance. Some of those presentations, like this year’s Grammy Awards, actually made this list which was selected by 15 of the site’s editors and contributors.
SEECelebrity Deaths 2021: In Memoriam Gallery
Several of the moments that are highlighted came from specific wins. Tony Ruiz gushed over Jean Smart claiming the Best Comedy Actress Emmy for “Hacks” (her fourth win overall). Also from this year’s Emmys, Rob Licuria went nuts for...
SEECelebrity Deaths 2021: In Memoriam Gallery
Several of the moments that are highlighted came from specific wins. Tony Ruiz gushed over Jean Smart claiming the Best Comedy Actress Emmy for “Hacks” (her fourth win overall). Also from this year’s Emmys, Rob Licuria went nuts for...
- 12/30/2021
- by Charles Bright and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The sublime “Sunday” diner scene with the Broadway legends in Netflix’s “Tick Tick Boom” has become even more tear-inducing and meta with the recent passing of Stephen Sondheim, whose “Sunday in the Park with George” musical about French pointillist painter Georges Seurat started it all. First, through Jonathan Larson’s (Andrew Garfield) tribute song, “Sunday,” set in The Moondance Diner in SoHo, where he toils as a waiter and dreams of becoming the next Sondheim. Second, through “Tick Tick Boom” director Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ambitious, even miraculous, staging of the scene in a replica of the ’90s diner on a New York soundstage.
Miranda’s idea was to not only pay tribute to Larson’s heroes of Broadway but also to his own legacy, since he tragically died before the opening of “Rent” and was unable to witness its impact on the theater world. Thus, through strict protocols and safe distancing,...
Miranda’s idea was to not only pay tribute to Larson’s heroes of Broadway but also to his own legacy, since he tragically died before the opening of “Rent” and was unable to witness its impact on the theater world. Thus, through strict protocols and safe distancing,...
- 12/8/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
James Beeks, the actor fired last week from his gig as Judas in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar following his arrest for participation in the January 6 Capitol siege, will remain free on pretrial release despite angering a U.S. District Court judge by claiming “divine” authority.
During a pretrial videoconference today with Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Beeks said, “I am an American standing under public law and I am here by special divine appearance,” prompting a very bad review from the judge: “That’s all gobbledygook,” Howell said. “Mr. Beeks, you should be quiet unless spoken to.”
Beeks, a stage actor who has appeared on Broadway in Kinky Boots, Aida, Ragtime, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe and most recently starred as Judas in the touring production under the stage name James T. Justis, was arrested in Milwaukee last...
During a pretrial videoconference today with Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Beeks said, “I am an American standing under public law and I am here by special divine appearance,” prompting a very bad review from the judge: “That’s all gobbledygook,” Howell said. “Mr. Beeks, you should be quiet unless spoken to.”
Beeks, a stage actor who has appeared on Broadway in Kinky Boots, Aida, Ragtime, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe and most recently starred as Judas in the touring production under the stage name James T. Justis, was arrested in Milwaukee last...
- 11/29/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated, with actor’s tour suspension James D. Beeks, a stage actor who has appeared on Broadway in Kinky Boots, Aida, Ragtime, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe and most recently starred as Judas in a major touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, was arrested yesterday in Milwaukee on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol.
Beeks, who performs in Superstar under the stage name James T. Justis, is charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with obstruction of Congress, a felony, as well as a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds. He made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Wisconsin after being arrested Tuesday, and was released pending further court proceedings.
The tour has suspended Beeks “(aka James T. Justis)” indefinitely “pending the outcome of the hearing,” producers announced today, adding that the “production is giving...
Beeks, who performs in Superstar under the stage name James T. Justis, is charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with obstruction of Congress, a felony, as well as a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds. He made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Wisconsin after being arrested Tuesday, and was released pending further court proceedings.
The tour has suspended Beeks “(aka James T. Justis)” indefinitely “pending the outcome of the hearing,” producers announced today, adding that the “production is giving...
- 11/24/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
When a line of Oath Keepers stormed the Capitol in a “stack formation” on Jan. 6, a Broadway actor and Michael Jackson impersonator was among them, prosecutors alleged on Tuesday.
James Delisco Beeks breached the Capitol building during the insurrection with members of the militia group, according to a statement of facts from the FBI. He then proceeded to the rotunda, where surveillance video captured him holding up his cell phone, apparently capturing the moment for posterity.
The DOJ does not allege that Beeks traveled to D.C. with the Oath Keepers.
James Delisco Beeks breached the Capitol building during the insurrection with members of the militia group, according to a statement of facts from the FBI. He then proceeded to the rotunda, where surveillance video captured him holding up his cell phone, apparently capturing the moment for posterity.
The DOJ does not allege that Beeks traveled to D.C. with the Oath Keepers.
- 11/24/2021
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will return to Broadway in Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy, the acclaimed playwright who will be making her Broadway debut at age 90. Kenny Leon will direct.
Kennedy, whose plays over the last six decades have included such Off Broadway Obie Award winners as Funnyhouse of a Negro, June and Jean in Concert and Sleep Deprivation Chamber, said in a statement, “I am so thrilled. It’s only taken me 65 years to make it to Broadway!”
Kennedy was honored in 2008 with an Obie Lifetime Achievement Award, and she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2018.
Production dates, casting and the creative team will be announced in the coming months. The producing team is led by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman and Irene Gandy.
Producers describe Ohio State Murders as “an unusual look at the destructiveness of racism in the United States.
Kennedy, whose plays over the last six decades have included such Off Broadway Obie Award winners as Funnyhouse of a Negro, June and Jean in Concert and Sleep Deprivation Chamber, said in a statement, “I am so thrilled. It’s only taken me 65 years to make it to Broadway!”
Kennedy was honored in 2008 with an Obie Lifetime Achievement Award, and she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2018.
Production dates, casting and the creative team will be announced in the coming months. The producing team is led by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman and Irene Gandy.
Producers describe Ohio State Murders as “an unusual look at the destructiveness of racism in the United States.
- 11/1/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Two of Broadway’s biggest stars – Audra McDonald and Ariana DeBose – will be the guests of the season finale of Brian Stokes Mitchell’s on demand streaming talk show Crossovers Live!, with portions of ticket sales, as always, benefitting The Actors Fund.
The season holiday finale episode is set for Monday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Et. A Stellar Original presentation in association with Atomic Focus Entertainment, Crossovers Live! was created and will be directed by Tom WIggin, and is designed to showcase performers who have made the jump from stage to film, television or music.
Since the monthly series debuted last June, Crossovers Live!, hosted by Mitchell, has featured such guests as Vanessa Williams, Daniel J. Watts, Marc Shaiman, Megan Hilty, Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth and David Hyde Pierce.
Blending candid interviews, rare footage and various surprises, the series is livestreamed in New York City and also available on demand.
The season holiday finale episode is set for Monday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Et. A Stellar Original presentation in association with Atomic Focus Entertainment, Crossovers Live! was created and will be directed by Tom WIggin, and is designed to showcase performers who have made the jump from stage to film, television or music.
Since the monthly series debuted last June, Crossovers Live!, hosted by Mitchell, has featured such guests as Vanessa Williams, Daniel J. Watts, Marc Shaiman, Megan Hilty, Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth and David Hyde Pierce.
Blending candid interviews, rare footage and various surprises, the series is livestreamed in New York City and also available on demand.
- 10/28/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Tonys deserve to win multiple Emmys next year. A night married with celebration, inclusivity and in what can only be described as the realization that Jesus Christ returned to save us all in the form of Jennifer Holliday — it was a sensational awards ceremony that may have offered all the critical clues to constructing a new age of honoring top achievements in entertainment.
Eighteen months and a global pandemic later, the American Theatre Wing’s 74th Annual Tony Awards were presented in two parts – the first half, hosted by Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who has the record for the most performance wins with six, revealed winners in all but three categories exclusively on Paramount Plus in a two-hour ceremony. The following two hours were helmed by Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr for “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!,” which featured performances and the live presentation of...
Eighteen months and a global pandemic later, the American Theatre Wing’s 74th Annual Tony Awards were presented in two parts – the first half, hosted by Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who has the record for the most performance wins with six, revealed winners in all but three categories exclusively on Paramount Plus in a two-hour ceremony. The following two hours were helmed by Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr for “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!,” which featured performances and the live presentation of...
- 9/27/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
As the Tony Awards return Sunday for the first time in more than two years, CBS and White Cherry Entertainment’s Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss faced a challenging task: How to hand out awards, celebrate the best in recent theater and — perhaps most crucially — hammer home the fact that Broadway is back and open for business.
One result: Taking advantage of multiple platforms in the ViacomCBS universe by expanding the show to four hours (from its normal three hours on CBS) — but splitting time between Paramount Plus and CBS. Dubbed “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back,” the show has been divided into two: A live presentation of most of the 74th Annual Tony Awards for the first two hours, followed by a live concert event for the second two hours.
All four hours will be streamed on Paramount Plus, with the final two hours also live on CBS.
One result: Taking advantage of multiple platforms in the ViacomCBS universe by expanding the show to four hours (from its normal three hours on CBS) — but splitting time between Paramount Plus and CBS. Dubbed “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back,” the show has been divided into two: A live presentation of most of the 74th Annual Tony Awards for the first two hours, followed by a live concert event for the second two hours.
All four hours will be streamed on Paramount Plus, with the final two hours also live on CBS.
- 9/24/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Paradise Square, the new Broadway-bound musical from producer Garth H. Drabinsky set during the history-making New York Draft Riots of the 1860s, will arrive at the Barrymore Theatre in February with several news songs added since its 2019 West Coast incarnation, including an anthemic new musical number that can’t help but summon thoughts of the galvanizing response to recent racial discord: The new number is called “Breathe Easy.”
In this new music video, debuting on Deadline, listeners can hear what Broadway audiences have in store.
The musical features a book by Christina Anderson, Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, and a score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, with additional material provided by Masi Asare and Kirwan. The new song was written by Howland (music) and Tysen & Asare (lyrics).
In the video, recorded at New York City’s Seer Sound, the number – which includes lines like “In your...
In this new music video, debuting on Deadline, listeners can hear what Broadway audiences have in store.
The musical features a book by Christina Anderson, Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, and a score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, with additional material provided by Masi Asare and Kirwan. The new song was written by Howland (music) and Tysen & Asare (lyrics).
In the video, recorded at New York City’s Seer Sound, the number – which includes lines like “In your...
- 9/17/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
By Susan King
Audra McDonald is the most lauded Broadway performer winning a whopping six Tony Awards in both musical and dramatic categories. And she may be receiving her seventh for the revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair du Lune” when the 74th annual Tonys take place Sept. 26th at the venerable Winter Garden Theatre.
Despite that record, it took a long time for Black artists to be acknowledged by the Tonys, which were first handed out in 1947. It wasn’t until 2004 that a Black actress won for a lead performance in a play: Phylicia Rashad broke this barrier with her win for a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” Hansberry was the first Black artist to be nominated for Best Play in 1960 for the original production of “A Raisin in the Sun” as were its director Lloyd Richards and stars, Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil.
Audra McDonald is the most lauded Broadway performer winning a whopping six Tony Awards in both musical and dramatic categories. And she may be receiving her seventh for the revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair du Lune” when the 74th annual Tonys take place Sept. 26th at the venerable Winter Garden Theatre.
Despite that record, it took a long time for Black artists to be acknowledged by the Tonys, which were first handed out in 1947. It wasn’t until 2004 that a Black actress won for a lead performance in a play: Phylicia Rashad broke this barrier with her win for a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” Hansberry was the first Black artist to be nominated for Best Play in 1960 for the original production of “A Raisin in the Sun” as were its director Lloyd Richards and stars, Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil.
- 9/3/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Kristen Anderson-Lopez already has her Emmys dress ready to go. It’s actually what she’d hoped to wear to last year’s Golden Globes ceremony, which she didn’t attend due to her daughter battling a then-unknown respiratory illness she’d caught on a cruise ship. “She had Covid,” Anderson-Lopez told IndieWire. “We had Covid before we knew it was Covid.”
Thankfully, Anderson-Lopez and her family, including husband and songwriting partner Robert Lopez, made it through, but it only makes the two Emmy nominations the pair have secured for “WandaVision” all the more powerful. Fans and pundits the world over have discussed the role the Disney+ series played in helping them get through the uncertainty of 2020. For Anderson-Lopez, hearing the nomination alongside her daughters and their friends brought it full circle.
“[They] were so obsessed with ‘WandaVision’ every Friday in January and February. It was the thing that was allowing...
Thankfully, Anderson-Lopez and her family, including husband and songwriting partner Robert Lopez, made it through, but it only makes the two Emmy nominations the pair have secured for “WandaVision” all the more powerful. Fans and pundits the world over have discussed the role the Disney+ series played in helping them get through the uncertainty of 2020. For Anderson-Lopez, hearing the nomination alongside her daughters and their friends brought it full circle.
“[They] were so obsessed with ‘WandaVision’ every Friday in January and February. It was the thing that was allowing...
- 8/10/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Anna Gross, a film executive and producer who worked on films such as “The NeverEnding Story” and “Tootsie,” died of cancer on July 23. She was 68.
Gross’ cousin, Mikie Heilbrun, confirmed her death to Variety. “Everyone’s life she touched she enriched,” Heilbrun wrote in an email. “She made them better more full beings and forever changed them.”
Gross began her career in film in the 1970s with an 8-year stint working for famed Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, during which she worked on 14 films, including “Death Wish” (1974), “Three Days of the Condor” (1975), “The Shootist” (1976), “King Kong” (1976) and “Ragtime” (1981). Gross then became vice president of production for director Sydney Pollack, working to develop his films “The Electric Horseman” (1979), “Tootsie” (1982) and “Out of Africa” (1985).
Throughout the 1980s, Gross spent time in Germany working with producer Bernd Eichinger, where she oversaw the production on “The NeverEnding Story” (1984), “The Name of the Rose” (1986) and...
Gross’ cousin, Mikie Heilbrun, confirmed her death to Variety. “Everyone’s life she touched she enriched,” Heilbrun wrote in an email. “She made them better more full beings and forever changed them.”
Gross began her career in film in the 1970s with an 8-year stint working for famed Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, during which she worked on 14 films, including “Death Wish” (1974), “Three Days of the Condor” (1975), “The Shootist” (1976), “King Kong” (1976) and “Ragtime” (1981). Gross then became vice president of production for director Sydney Pollack, working to develop his films “The Electric Horseman” (1979), “Tootsie” (1982) and “Out of Africa” (1985).
Throughout the 1980s, Gross spent time in Germany working with producer Bernd Eichinger, where she oversaw the production on “The NeverEnding Story” (1984), “The Name of the Rose” (1986) and...
- 8/1/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Anna Gross, the film executive behind such acclaimed titles as Tootsie and The NeverEnding Story, died on July 23 at her home in Twentynine Palms, CA, following a long battle with cancer. She was 68.
Gross was born in New York City on October 25, 1952. She spent the first eight years of her career working alongside famed Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. In her time with the Oscar winner, she worked in various capacities on 14 films, including Charles Bronson starrer Death Wish (1974), Sydney Pollack’s Three Days of the Condor (1975), Western The Shootist (1976), King Kong (1976), starring Jeff Bridges and Charles Grodin, and Milos Forman’s Ragtime.
Gross subsequently served as Vice President of Production for Pollack, working on his 1979 film The Electric Horseman and developing two others: 1982’s Tootsie and 1985’s Out of Africa.
Gross spent much of the 1980s working in Germany alongside producer Bernd Eichinger, overseeing production on classic fantasy pic...
Gross was born in New York City on October 25, 1952. She spent the first eight years of her career working alongside famed Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. In her time with the Oscar winner, she worked in various capacities on 14 films, including Charles Bronson starrer Death Wish (1974), Sydney Pollack’s Three Days of the Condor (1975), Western The Shootist (1976), King Kong (1976), starring Jeff Bridges and Charles Grodin, and Milos Forman’s Ragtime.
Gross subsequently served as Vice President of Production for Pollack, working on his 1979 film The Electric Horseman and developing two others: 1982’s Tootsie and 1985’s Out of Africa.
Gross spent much of the 1980s working in Germany alongside producer Bernd Eichinger, overseeing production on classic fantasy pic...
- 8/1/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Anna Gross, a producer and film executive who collaborated with Dino De Laurentiis, Sydney Pollack, Bernd Eichinger and Vittorio Cecchi Gori, has died. She was 68.
Gross died July 23 of cancer in Twentynine Palms, California, her cousin Mikie Heilbrun told The Hollywood Reporter.
Soon after graduating from Columbia University, Gross began an eight-year stint with De Laurentiis, serving in various capacities on the producer’s films including Death Wish (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), King Kong (1976), The Shootist (1976), King of the Gypsies (1978) and Ragtime (1981).
As vp production for Pollack, she worked on the director’s The Electric Horseman (1979) and on ...
Gross died July 23 of cancer in Twentynine Palms, California, her cousin Mikie Heilbrun told The Hollywood Reporter.
Soon after graduating from Columbia University, Gross began an eight-year stint with De Laurentiis, serving in various capacities on the producer’s films including Death Wish (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), King Kong (1976), The Shootist (1976), King of the Gypsies (1978) and Ragtime (1981).
As vp production for Pollack, she worked on the director’s The Electric Horseman (1979) and on ...
Anna Gross, a producer and film executive who collaborated with Dino De Laurentiis, Sydney Pollack, Bernd Eichinger and Vittorio Cecchi Gori, has died. She was 68.
Gross died July 23 of cancer in Twentynine Palms, California, her cousin Mikie Heilbrun told The Hollywood Reporter.
Soon after graduating from Columbia University, Gross began an eight-year stint with De Laurentiis, serving in various capacities on the producer’s films including Death Wish (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), King Kong (1976), The Shootist (1976), King of the Gypsies (1978) and Ragtime (1981).
As vp production for Pollack, she worked on the director’s The Electric Horseman (1979) and on ...
Gross died July 23 of cancer in Twentynine Palms, California, her cousin Mikie Heilbrun told The Hollywood Reporter.
Soon after graduating from Columbia University, Gross began an eight-year stint with De Laurentiis, serving in various capacities on the producer’s films including Death Wish (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), King Kong (1976), The Shootist (1976), King of the Gypsies (1978) and Ragtime (1981).
As vp production for Pollack, she worked on the director’s The Electric Horseman (1979) and on ...
Graciela Daniele, the Broadway director and choreographer whose many credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Once on This Island, Ragtime and The Goodbye Girl, will be the 2020 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced the award today.
In a statement, Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, noted that Daniele’s “impact on the Broadway community and on our culture as a whole has been immeasurable.”
The 2020 Tony Awards, delayed for a year by the Covid pandemic, is set for Sunday, September 26.
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced the award today.
In a statement, Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, noted that Daniele’s “impact on the Broadway community and on our culture as a whole has been immeasurable.”
The 2020 Tony Awards, delayed for a year by the Covid pandemic, is set for Sunday, September 26.
- 7/29/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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