Kenny Ortega News

To help audiences celebrate the holiday season, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts will present the energizing 'DRUMLine Live Holiday Spectacular' at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 29. Created by the acclaimed musical team behind the popular “Drumline” films, this festive production features elite vocalists, musicians and choreography all based on the marching band tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

The 8th Annual World Choreography Awards (WCA) will be held on October 23 at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The Choreography Awards, produced and directed by Allen Walls and Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff, are a global awards show celebrating and honoring the best in media choreography. The WCA recognizes choreographic achievement in 8 categories: Motion Picture, Music Video, Commercials, Television Episodic, Television Award Show/Specials, Digital Content, Digital Content Independent and Television Reality Show/Competition.

Freeform announced today that Bette Midler will join Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker for the network's “Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash,” an all-star party in honor of the cult classic film's milestone anniversary. The two-hour special, filmed at the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery to celebrate the movie's status as a Halloween staple, will premiere on SATURDAY, OCT. 20 at 8:15-10:15 p.m. EDT/PDT, as part of Freeform's “31 Nights of Halloween” programming event. 

The Actors Fund has announced a star-studded lineup for the 2018 Looking Ahead Awards hosted by Garrett Clayton ("Hairspray Live!," "Teen Beach Movie") and Ashley Argota ("The Fosters") on Sunday, October 28 from 4-8pm at the magnificent Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. The fifth annual gala, which raises support and awareness for The Actors Fund's Looking Ahead Program, features exciting "blue carpet" arrivals, cocktail hour, gourmet dinner, awards ceremony and live performances. Tickets are now on sale at www.actorsfund.org/LookingAheadAwards

The 8th Annual World Choreography Awards (WCA) will be held on October 23 at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The Choreography Awards, produced and directed by Allen Walls and Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff, are a global awards show celebrating and honoring the best in media choreography. The WCA recognizes choreographic achievement in 8 categories: Motion Picture, Music Video, Commercials, Television Episodic, Television Award Show/Specials, Digital Content, Digital Content Independent and Television Reality Show/Competition.

Freeform announced today that it will air “Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash,” an all-star party in honor of the cult classic film's milestone anniversary. The 90-minute special, filmed at the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery to celebrate the movie's status as a Halloween staple, will premiere on SATURDAY, OCT. 20, at 8:15 PM EDT/PDT as part of Freeform's “31 Nights of Halloween” programming event. 

Disney's Classic Film and subsequent Broadway Musical are not easy to recreate and to do justice to as well, both to the animated film version and the original stage production. Five Star Theatricals has opened this past weekend at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza/Kavli Theatre with a most lavish, charming and authentic version! I had the opportunity to speak with the Choreographer, Cheryl Baxter, of this delightful musical, and learned what it takes to be able to tackle this type of exciting but daunting project. I was not at all surprised to learn that it takes a careers'-worth of experience and dedication to be at this level.

5-STAR THEATRICALS (formerly Cabrillo Music Theatre) is thrilled to announce that Broadway's original "Belle" SUSAN EGAN, will reprise her iconic performance once again (for one last time!) in its final show of its 2017-2018 season, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Admirably directed and choreographed by Richard J. Hinds, La Mirada Theatre's NEWSIES aims to be an amiable hybrid between the popularly-received original show and a new iteration that feels fresh for us Fansies forever obsessed with the earlier Disney-backed production that played Broadway and went on tour for a few years. Filled with high-energy music and dancing and a lively, eager-to-please spirit embedded in its DNA, this brand-new Southern California regional theater production of NEWSIES---which continues performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through June 24---is a wonderfully caffeinated jolt of a stage show, highlighted by a remarkably talented and athletically-blessed ensemble that leaps and belts one show stopping number after another. What a treat for every Fansie!

A&E Network presents a Biography(R) limited original series, 'Cultureshock.' The five-part documentary series takes an in-depth look at the untold stories behind watershed moments in pop culture that have had a lasting impact on our society. Produced by Meredith's Four M Studios in association with Entertainment Weekly, each episode of 'Cultureshock' will shed light on the untold stories behind the big, unforgettable moments, helmed by an acclaimed director with the full participation of key players from each story. The series premieres on Monday, June 25 at 9pm ET/PT with 'Michael Jackson's Final Curtain Call,' a profound look at Jackson's final days timed to the anniversary of the pop icon's untimely and devastating death.

Cheyenne Jackson ('American Horror Story') has been cast in Disney's 'Descendants 3,' in the role of Hades, the nefarious underworld ruler from the 1997 Disney animated musical comedy film 'Hercules.' Jackson, who began his career as a theatrical actor including starring roles in Broadway productions 'All Shook Up' and 'Xanadu' among others, starred in multiple seasons of 'American Horror Story' and has had roles in over 40 television series and films. The trequel is set to begin production shortly for a scheduled debut in 2019.

The 39th annual Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth* (Wicked, Hairspray Live!) will host this year's Rockie Awards Gala Ceremony featuring a star-studded line-up of award recipients. The night of celebration will take place on Tuesday June 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada.

Jim Belushi, an alumnus of Saturday Night Live and Chicago's famed Second City, is bringing to the stage an improvised comedy sketch show featuring members of the Board of Comedy. Jim Belushi and the Board of Comedy will improve their way to Thrasher-Horne Center on Saturday, January 26 at 8 PM.

Beautiful and prim Audrey, the daughter of Princess Aurora 'Sleeping Beauty', is back and actress Sarah Jeffery is set to once again play her in 'Descendants 3' the highly- anticipated third movie in a trilogy about the teenage sons and daughters of Disney's MOST INFAMOUS villains. 'Descendants' (2015) and &'Descendants 2' (2017) were each the #1 cable movie for the respective years among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, and both rank among Disney Channel's Top 10 original movies of all time. DESCENDANTS 2 premiered two years after 'Descendants' and was the highest-rated telecast across all cable television among Kids 6-11 since the first movie.

A legion of “Descendants” fans received confirmation of the long-awaited news of a “Descendants 3” movie tonight, via an interstitial that aired during a programming event for Disney's “ZOMBIES” on Disney Channel. The intriguing message, featuring “Mal” (daughter of Maleficent), alludes to a new villain character – Mal's father – joining the hugely popular story of the teenage sons and daughters of Disney's most infamous villains. Loyal fans have suspected and even demanded a “trequel” and have skillfully tracked clues across social media and the internet of recent pre-production activities in Vancouver, Canada. “Descendants 3” will begin production there in summer for a debut next year on Disney Channel.

BroadwayWorld has teamed up with Broadway alum Ilana Levine, who makes her entrance onto the podcast stage with her new show Little Known Facts. Ilana's unique brand of celebrity interview, 'Podcast Verite,' is unfiltered, raw, honest and uniquely funny.

Olivier Award winner and Broadway star Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Dames at Sea, Zorro), Adelaide from Bucks County Playhouse's blockbuster production of Guys and Dolls, returns to New Hope with a brand-new concert, This Broad's Way, Saturday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m. Margherita is appearing at the Playhouse as part of the Winter Visiting Artists Series.

Last night, The Trevor Project hosted its 2017 TrevorLIVE Los Angeles gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., where it honored fashion designer, award-winning screenwriter, producer, and film director Tom Ford with the Hero Award, and Tony Award winning actress, singer and author Kristin Chenoweth with the Icon Award. The evening kicked off with special opening remarks from Lisa Kudrow and Kristin Davis, and featured performances by Grammy-nominated band Garbage, Broadway legend Shoshana Bean, and Neon Trees. BroadwayWorld has photos from the star-studded evening below!

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) has announced the 2017 winners of the Dottie Burman and John Wallowitch songwriting awards.