Jada Pinkett Smith News

Multi-Grammy Award-winner and international recording superstar Patti LaBelle opened in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! last night, September 14. LaBelle will perform in Fela! through its scheduled closing on January 2, 2011.

Multi-Grammy Award-winner and international recording superstar Patti LaBelle opened in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! last night, September 14. LaBelle will perform in Fela! through its scheduled closing on January 2, 2011. BroadwayWorld was on hand for LaBelle's opening night curtain call and after party and brings you photo coverage below!

As BroadwayWorld previously speculated, producers Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay will welcome Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Patti LaBelle to the cast of the hit Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! on Tuesday, September 14, when she takes over the role of Fela's mother (Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti) through Sunday, January 2, 2011, when the show will play its final scheduled performance. Tony Award-winner Lillias White (who received a 2010 Tony Nomination for her performance in this production) will play her final performance on September 12. Fela! received three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. It is currently playing at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) where it opened to rave reviews on November 23.

Audiences will have the opportunity to grab a sneak-peek of the legendary multi-platinum recording artist Patti LaBelle in the Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9, both at 8pm.

This week, on August 24, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance featured a special number of FELA!'s 'Zombie,' choreographed by Tony-winner Bill T. Jones. Click below to see the performance!

Talk Show Listings for Thursday, August 26, 2010.

Talk Show Listings for Monday, August 16, 2010.

As BroadwayWorld previously speculated, producers Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay will welcome Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Patti LaBelle to the cast of the hit Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! on Tuesday, September 14, when she takes over the role of Fela's mother (Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti) through Sunday, January 2, 2011, when the show will play its final scheduled performance. Tony Award-winner Lillias White (who received a 2010 Tony Nomination for her performance in this production) will play her final performance on September 12. Fela! received three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. It is currently playing at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) where it opened to rave reviews on November 23.

Variety reports that Marc Anthony will be guest starring in TNT's hit show 'HawthoRNe', which also stars Jada Pinkett Smith. Anthony will portray a New York Detective, Nick Renata, who is in Richmond investigating a kidnapping and also falls for Smith's character.

Talk Show Listings for Monday, August 9, 2010.

Photographer Marilyn Nance is suing the musical FELA! for unauthorized use of one of her photographs, the New York Post reports.

The cast and crew of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, will be honored by New York City Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Julissa Ferreras on the Steps of City Hall on Thursday, July 29.

According to HollywoodNews.com, Will Smith is set to star in 'The Legend of Cain,' a vampire movie based on the Bible's warring brothers story about Cain and Abel.

According to Michael Riedel this morning, Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith may be leading a production of Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway next year as Stanley and Stella, respectively. Reportedly, the pair have been approached by producers and are considering the possibility. Emily Mann will direct the production, which will be produced by Stephen Byrd. Click here for the full report.

Michael Riedel reports in the New York Post this morning that songbird Patti LaBelle will be joining the Broadway cast of FELA! in September as Fela's mother. She will be filling in for Lillias White, who has concert obligations in Australia that month.

The New York Times reports that Femi Kuti, son of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, saw FELA! while in New York on Sunday. Previously, Kuti would not see the production unless it was brought to Lagos, where his father originally built the nightclub. On Saturday, over a World Cup viewing with FELA! co-conceiver and producer Stephen Hendel, Kuti was promised the show will see a production in Lagos. Said Hendel: 'We're going to keep our word.'

A new multi-million-dollar headquarters and an internal political struggle over who will become the next police chief add a whole new set of challenges for Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson as TNT presents the sixth season of ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time - THE CLOSER. Golden Globe(R) winner and four-time Emmy(R) nominee Kyra Sedgwick returns as Johnson, who heads up the LAPD's Major Crimes Division.

Casting for the London production of FELA! has been announced, Grace Notes reports. As previously reported on BroadwayWorld, the production will star Sahr Ngaujah, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway production, as Nigerian composer and activist Fela Kuti. The production will also star Paulette Ivory and Melanie Marshall.

Fela!, recipient of three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Choreography, will celebrate its 250th performance on Wednesday, June 30 @ 8pm. Produced by Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, this critically acclaimed show based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Kuti, began performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) on October 19 and opened to rave reviews on November 23.

Photos from arrivals for the 2010 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.