Billy Crystal News

TV Land announced today that the cast of the trailblazing FOX series IN LIVING COLOR - Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Tommy Davidson, Kelly Coffield Park, Kim Wayans and T'Keyah Crystal Keymah - will be honored with the Groundbreaking Award at the 'TV Land Awards' 10th Anniversary celebration, taping Saturday, April 14 at the Lexington Avenue Armory at Gramercy Park in New York City.

Actors Dennis Quaid, Brett Cullen, Cindy Pickett and Robert Wuhl learned their craft under the tutelage of University of Houston professor Cecil J. Pickett. Soon, these star alums will return to the university to celebrate his legacy and talk theater.

Fred Weintraub, an 85-year-old Bronx native, who has spent more than 50 years in the entertainment business, is coming to NYC March 29 - April 5, to promote his new memoir, 'Bruce Lee, Woodstock and Me.' The founder of the Greenwich Village nightclub The Bitter End (which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year), began his adventurous life in the Fort Apache section of The Bronx, after which it took him to Greenwich Village and the founding of the world famous Bitter End, where he launched the careers of such famous entertainers as Woody Allen, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Joan Rivers, Billy Crystal, Bill Cosby, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul and Mary, Dustin Hoffman, Carly Simon, David Amram, and Neil Diamond, among others, and then out West to Hollywood where he discovered Bruce Lee and produced 'Enter The Dragon,' and then produced the original Woodstock movie and 40 more films with stars such as Steve McQueen, George C. Scott, Robert Duvall. Karen Dunst and dozens of others.

The Bay Area premiere of San Jose Rep's God of Carnage begins previews tonight. This winner of the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Play was written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton. The production runs from March 22 to April 15, 2012, with Opening Night on Wednesday, March 28 at 7:30 pm.

Fred Weintraub, an 85-year-old Bronx native, who has spent more than 50 years in the entertainment business, is coming to NYC March 29 - April 5, to promote his new memoir, 'Bruce Lee, Woodstock and Me.' The founder of the Greenwich Village nightclub The Bitter End (which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year), began his adventurous life in the Fort Apache section of The Bronx, after which it took him to Greenwich Village and the founding of the world famous Bitter End, where he launched the careers of such famous entertainers as Woody Allen, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Joan Rivers, Billy Crystal, Bill Cosby, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul and Mary, Dustin Hoffman, Carly Simon, David Amram, and Neil Diamond, among others, and then out West to Hollywood where he discovered Bruce Lee and produced 'Enter The Dragon,' and then produced the original Woodstock movie and 40 more films with stars such as Steve McQueen, George C. Scott, Robert Duvall. Karen Dunst and dozens of others.

TV Land announced today that the beloved casts of 'Laverne & Shirley' (Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Michael McKean and David L. Lander) and 'One Day At A Time' (Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, Glenn Scarpelli and Pat Harrington Jr.) as well as pop culture phenomenon 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' will be honored at the 'TV Land Awards' 10th Anniversary celebration. The star-studded awards show, which honors classic television, film and music icons, will be held at the Lexington Avenue Armory at Gramercy Park on Saturday, April 14th and air on Sunday, April 29th at 9pm ET/PT. More honorees will be announced in coming weeks. They join previously announced honoree Aretha Franklin (Music Icon Award) and second-time host Kelly Ripa for the special decade ceremony.

When the sad news came out this morning that famed Disney songwriter Robert B. Sherman died yesterday, March 5, in London, some of our first thoughts here at BroadwayWorld went out to Tony-winner Marc Shaiman. Shaiman had been a huge proponent of the incredible 'THE BOYS - The Sherman Brothers' Story' documentary and it was his enthusiasm that sent us off to see the fantastic film, and our lives were better off for it. We asked Marc to put together some of his thoughts on Robert Sherman and are proud to present them below.

La Jolla Playhouse just announced that The Nightingale, by the creative team behind the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening: Steven Sater (book and lyrics) and Duncan Sheik (music), directed by Tony Award nominee Moises Kaufman (33 Variations), will be part of the Playhouse's 2012/2013 season. Running in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre July 10 - August 5, 2012, The Nightingale will be presented as part of the Playhouse's acclaimed Page To Stage Play Development Program.

The 'TV Land Awards 2012,' honoring classic television, film and music icons, will return to New York City and be hosted by Kelly Ripa (nationally syndicated talk show 'LIVE! With Kelly'), it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land.

La Jolla Playhouse has announced that its acclaimed production of Moving Arts' The Car Plays: San Diego has been extended due to popular demand. The Car Plays: San Diego will now run two additional dates: Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11, with performances at 3:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm each day. Tickets are $25 and are available online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by calling (858) 550-1010.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, America's favorite funny lady Betty White will have the dubious honor of being the target of this year's Friars Club Roast. The event will take place at Manhattan's Shertaton Ballroom on May 16th.

In an interview with Access Hollywood yesterday, funnyman Eddie Murphy has revealed that he still hopes to host the Oscars in the future.

Based on very preliminary reports, ratings for ABC's 84th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS telecast appear to be an improvement over last year's show. The broadcast averaged a 25.5 household rating and 38 share in the overnight metered markets according to the ABC network. Last year's telecast earned a 24.5 household rating and a 37 share, making the show the highest rated Oscar broadcast since 2005.

The 84th Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011, hosted by Billy Crystal were presented on February 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation was televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. Check out photos below of the red carpet - glitz, glamour and fashion!

The 84th Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011, hosted by Billy Crystal were presented on February 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation was televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. Check out photos below of the red carpet - glitz, glamour and fashion!

The 84th Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011, hosted by Billy Crystal were presented on February 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation was televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. Check out photos below of the winners in the press room!

Billy Crystal was nine for nine with his stupendous hosting - particularly thanks to his superlative musical material courtesy of Tony-winning tunesmith Marc Shaiman - yet, the 2012 Oscars were all about the awards, for once, with a heavy helping of superstars and surprises. A glamorous and generally genial broadcast, more than many in recent years this years, last night's top entertainment honors came across as a class act on the elegantly produced and impressively rendered broadcast, from beginning to end - unscripted screenwriters' Angelina impressions aside. Crytal's hilarious opening montage allowed the Oscar host extraordinaire the opportunity to enact his oh-so-idiosyncratic take on the year's top nominated films - including a kiss with George Clooney ala THE DESCENDANTS and a Justin Bieber/Sammy Davis, Jr. skit inspired by Woody Allen's MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, both of which went on to win the Best Screenplay categories - and remind us why he is tops. The portrait of the winner of Best Picture may have been painted long before last night for THE ARTIST, yet the 2012 Academy Awards show was packed with a plethora of surprises in technical and even some major categories, with Martin Scorsese's HUGO also scoring big and Meryl Streep winning her third statuette, this time for her Best Actress turn in THE IRON LADY, uncanny in her portrayal of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Additionally, THE ARTIST's Jean Judarjin took home Best Actor - over Hollywood titan George Clooney, no less - for his superb performance as a Gene Kelly-esque silent film star (save a few words at the very meta finale). The supporting categories showed some love to expected winners Octavia Spencer - for the audience hit, THE HELP - as well as veteran actor Christopher Plummer - for the indie release, BEGINNERS. Cirque Du Soleil afforded us some spectacle in the form of a 3D aerial classic film homage as only they could create and present, but Crystal's inimitable opening sequence - film sequence and crisply amusing song acting as the ideal entree into the awards season's show of shows - were the night's undeniable highlights. So, too, on the performance front did the In Memoriam sequence shine thanks to a soulful rendering of "What A Wonderful World" by Esperanza Spalding. Many of the major categories may have went the way we have all predicted, yet important categories also went to a surprisingly large smattering of the year's other fine filmatic achievements, as well, making it an entertaining and overall quite pleasing broadcast when considering the conservative slate of films nominated this season.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 26, 2012 - Sunday, February 26, 2012.

En esta noche de cine, la edición número 84 de los Premios de la Academia, 'The Artist' y 'Hugo' se han alzado con cinco Oscars cada uno, en una gala presentada por Billy Crystal en la que se ha vuelto a un estilo más clásico de ceremonia lleno de fantasía y entretenimiento que en anteriores ediciones.

Cirque du Soleil performed at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, paying a tribute to going to the movies. Watch their performance here!