Ed Strong News

In Ten Reasons I Won't Go Home With You, now playing as part of the Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival, actress/stand-up comic Kelly Nichols plays Katie, a smart, funny and single New Yorker looking to find her one true love.  But as bookwriter of the show, which is inspired by her own dating highs and lows, Nichols is happy playing the field; seeking out and supervising the work of seven composer/lyricist combinations to create the score.  I asked her about this unusual process for creating a new musical.

Michael Lucas, founder of famed Lucas Entertainment, will stand before the ranks of QFest crowds Saturday, July 17th, to present his experiences in the porn industry, political activism, and the manifestation of his outstanding character at an event, Michael Lucas: Lip Service.

Michael Lucas, founder of famed Lucas Entertainment, will stand before the ranks of QFest crowds Saturday, July 17th, to present his experiences in the porn industry, political activism, and the manifestation of his outstanding character at an event, Michael Lucas: Lip Service.

Monday night's premiere of TNT's new original series Rizzoli & Isles now claims the record as cable's #1 commercial-supported series launch of all time, with 7.6 million viewers. The series, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, raced out of the starting gate after an equally strong performance for the sixth-season premiere of The Closer, which delivered 7.7 million viewers, up 7% over its fifth-season premiere on June 8, 2009. Both premieres also rank as ad-supported cable's top series telecasts for the year-to-date among viewers and households.

Eclipse Theatre Company is to have a new home at Sheffield's Crucible. Eclipse Theatre, under the Artistic Direction of Dawn Walton, are pioneers in producing culturally diverse theatre for regional venues. Formed in 2001, Eclipse has recently established itself as an independent Trust with a new board of directors.

During the week of the July 4th holiday (w/o 6/28/10), ABC's primetime numbers surged over the same week last year (w/o 6/29/09) by 22% in Total Viewers (4.5 million vs. 3.7 million) and 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.1/4). In fact the Network registered its 7th consecutive week of year-to year gains with both viewers and young adults.

Driven by continued strong returns from both The Bachelorette and True Beauty, ABC once again earned first place on Monday in both Total Viewers (8.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8), hitting summer-highs on the night with its top summer performance since 7/27/09. In fact the Network ranked #1 in Adults 18-49 for its 4th straight Monday, beating second-place CBS by 50% (1.8/5), third-place Fox by 69% (1.6/5) and fourth-place NBC by 93% (1.4/4).

On Friday, June 25, five small theatres presented original premiere pieces at the 2010 Spark Showcase, for the chance to win the 2nd annual Hotel Obligado Audience Choice Award for New Work.

Our blogger Adam Pearce, aka Love Never Dies' tattooed strong man Squelch, spends an hour a day in the makeup chair in his dressing room at London's Adelphi Theatre - that's a long time to sit still, so we've speeded up the process slightly in our latest video, which shows how makeup artist Danny transforms Adam into Squelch each night. Danny and Adam also explain how the process works in a voiceover… and Adam reveals some of the early reactions to his new look!

Taste the culinary power on the seventh season of the No. 1 food show on cable, Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series 'Top Chef: Washington D.C.,' premiering Wednesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. The 17 new chef'testants come face to face in the nation's capitol for the ultimate power play that will determine just who has the chops to become Top Chef.

Paced by strong debuts from 'America's Got Talent' and 'Losing It With Jillian,' and with its primetime week bookended by two potent NHL Stanley Cup Final games, NBC averaged a 1.9 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 5.7 million viewers overall for the week of May 31-June 6, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research. For the week, NBC ranked #3 in primetime in adults 18-49 and #2 among adults 25-54, men 18-49 and men 25-54.

Edward Herrmann and Jill Clayburgh will headline a reading of CHASING THE TIGER, a new play by Gail Sheehy, on June 5 to benefit Community Mental Health Affiliates Methodist Church.

Come join us every Friday and Saturday from 11PM-2AM for our piano lounge. No cover, no minimum!

Come join us every Friday and Saturday from 11PM-2AM for our piano lounge. No cover, no minimum!

Whistler in the Dark Theatre concludes its fifth season with Family Stories, Biljana Srbljanovic's haunting (and darkly hilarious) portrait of the cruelties and atrocities of a country at war with itself. First performed in Belgrade in 1997, Family Stories uses the games of four children to explore issues of censorship, war, oppression and rebellion.

Whistler in the Dark Theatre concludes its fifth season with Family Stories, Biljana Srbljanovic's haunting (and darkly hilarious) portrait of the cruelties and atrocities of a country at war with itself. First performed in Belgrade in 1997, Family Stories uses the games of four children to explore issues of censorship, war, oppression and rebellion.

VH1 announced today that its latest hit series 'Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business,' 'Basketball Wives' and 'What Chilli Wants' have all been picked up for second seasons. Closing out their first seasons, 'Basketball Wives' and 'What Chilli Wants' finale on Sunday, May 30th at 10PM* and 10:30PM* respectively. 'Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business' will finale on Sunday, June 27 at 9PM*.

The CW Network unveiled the schedule for its 2010-2011 season today at a presentation for advertisers, affiliates and national media in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, where singer Katy Perry rocked the house to open the show. The announcement was made by Dawn Ostroff, President of Entertainment, The CW.

Edward Herrmann and Jill Clayburgh will headline a reading of CHASING THE TIGER, a new play by Gail Sheehy, on June 5 to benefit Community Mental Health Affiliates Methodist Church.

Whistler in the Dark Theatre concludes its fifth season with Family Stories, Biljana Srbljanovic's haunting (and darkly hilarious) portrait of the cruelties and atrocities of a country at war with itself. First performed in Belgrade in 1997, Family Stories uses the games of four children to explore issues of censorship, war, oppression and rebellion.