Aretha Franklin News

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Producing Artistic Director; Rosetta LeNoire, Founder), will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a Gala evening on Monday, March 30th featuring a special 'Blast from the Past' concert of songs and numbers from four decades of Amas Musicals, including Bubbling Brown Sugar, It's So Nice to Be Civilized, Zanna Don't!, SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Four Guys Named Jose, Stormy Weather, Langston Hughes's Little Ham, From My Hometown, Lone Star Love, and Wanda's World, among others. The event will take place at the Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street, at 7pm.

During the first live show on Saturday 10th January, it was announced that world-renowned lyricist Diane Warren would be joining the Eurovision: Your Country Needs You team, providing the lyrics to the song that will be written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center will host a live TV broadcast of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, including the swearing in ceremony and related festivities, on Tues, Jan. 20. The event will take place in the McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square (345 N. College St.) and is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not required. Pizza and beverages will be available for purchase

SonyBMG Chief Creative Officer and three-time GRAMMY? winner Clive Davis and The Recording Academy? will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, continuing the party that has been a Davis legacy for nearly 30 years. This exclusive, star-studded celebration - attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film and television and featuring special musical performances - again will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards.

THE ZIPPER FACTORY THEATER (336 West 37th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) will present the following entertainment events in January 2009. For advance tickets to all Zipper events call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or buy online at www.thezipperfactory.com (For IN-PERSON purchases, The Zipper Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain for all events).

This week on AfroSolo TV is the award winning pianist, Tammy L. Hall. The live broadcast takes place at this Friday (December 19th) 6:30 pm on Comcast Cable Station 76 in San Francisco.

THE ZIPPER FACTORY THEATER (336 West 37th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) will present the following entertainment events in January 2009. For advance tickets to all Zipper events call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or buy online at www.thezipperfactory.com (For IN-PERSON purchases, The Zipper Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain for all events).

Upright Cabaret producers/hosts Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel proudly present Broadway star and Los Angeles native Eden Espinosa in her first solo effort entitled EDEN ESPINOSA - ME to be directed by Broadway & recording star Billy Porter with Ben Toth taking over Music Direction. During the last month of Wicked's run at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, where she is currently starring as Elphaba, Espinosa will take off the green to perform four solo concerts which will feature a different special guest each night. Special guests T.B.A.

Eminent artist friends and peers of this year's six honorees converged in Washington, D.C. Sunday night, December 7th to present entertaining and heartfelt tributes at THE 31ST ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras covered the gala event to bring you all the starry celebration.

Eden Espinosa, star of WICKED (currently at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles) makes her solo debut directed by Billy Porter at L.A.'s renowned Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant, 861 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. She will perform Monday evenings, Mon, Dec 15, 22, 29, 2008 and Jan 5, 2009 at 9pm

Bay Area Cabaret has announced that it will follow-up last season's resoundingly successful series of 'Perfect Pairings' duet concerts with an illustrious line-up of nationally renowned Broadway and jazz divas. Bay Area Cabaret's fifth season will kick-off on Sunday, November 16 at 7pm with popular Broadway veteran Christine Andreas celebrating the great women of musical theatre at the historic Empire Ballroom of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

Billy Porter returns to Joe's Pub for an evening of song, featuring new American Broadway standards, gospel, and soulful originals.

B.B. King Blues Club has announced their updated lineup including some recently added and changed performers and performance times.

Jeffrey Finn Productions announces final casting for the special return holiday engagement of THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER for two weeks only at the Kennedy Center's newly-renovated Eisenhower Theater, Tuesday, December 23, 2008 through Sunday, January 4, 2009.

The 2008 National Arts Awards were held in New York City on October 6th, 2008. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dame Julie Andrews.

Broadway favorite Shoshana Bean's first single, the title track of her upcoming CD 'Superhero' is now available for purchase on iTunes! Her solo debut 'Superhero', will be released on Tuesday December 2nd, 2008.

Dame Andrews is being honored for her profound contributions to both music and acting and for serving as a great role model and mentor for all aspiring artist

Disco diva and Grammy Award winner, Thelma Houston, will once again grace the Teatro ZinZanni fabled spiegeltent as the legendary hostess from September 25 through January 11, 2009.

Celebrate an era of love and rock 'n roll with the fun-filled production Beehive, the 60's Musical! 6 wailing women, 1 hot band, 43 wigs, 40 costumes, 25 cans of hairspray and over 40 of the greatest '60s hits. Beehive, the 60's Musical takes you on a journey through the look, sound and feeling of the girl groups and soloists of the 1960's. It's a high voltage, fast -paced, light-hearted nostalgic look back at the 60's featuring songs made popular by The Chiffons, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis, Lesley Gore, Petula Clark and more.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, will open their 10th Anniversary season with the return of ASHFORD & SIMPSON from September 9 - 20. Following their 2006 and 2007 engagements, which opened to packed houses and critical raves, the celebrated songwriters and performers will reprise many of their greatest hits including 'I'm Every Woman,' 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough,' 'Solid' and 'Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand.' They will also include several new songs from Invisible Life, their upcoming musical based on the best-selling novel by E. Lynn Harris. All shows are at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).