Lucille Ball News

How much can one creator, writer, star and executive producer take on? Lena Dunham, recent Golden Globe Award winner for HBO's GIRLS, wants to find out! Deadline reports that the actress will join forces with her 'Girls' co-star Jenni Konner to develop a new series, 'All Dressed Up And Everywhere To Go' for the HBO cable network.

Courtney Freed and Rebecca Johnson will star in The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour, a dazzling trip down memory lane and a peek into the hilarious and wacky lives of the these two ginger dames. Coco and Ruby mysteriously fell out of their humdrum lives in 1940's Newark, New Jersey and into modern day Hollywood to live the dream! These two characters from the hit web series, 'Coco & Ruby,' written by Rachel Roderman and directed by Steve Brian, will shuffle-ball-change right out of your computer screen on February 15th to bring you a LIVE show full of old-school comedy and musicianship reminiscent of Lucille Ball and Betty Hutton. The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour will include many of your favorite WWII era standards, as well as vintage takes on contemporary pop songs.

On Jan. 21, Broadway performers, including Lucille Ball's daughter, paid tribute to late composer Marvin Hamlisch at the McCallum Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the event below.

Bill Mendieta, who's currently bringing Ricky Ricardo to life in I LOVE LUCY: LIVE ON STAGE, has had no issues making 'Babalu' his own. The actor, who originated the role in Los Angeles, and won a BroadwayWorld Award for his performance, has followed the show for its Midwestern premiere at Chicago's Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

Lattice Boykin McKoy was inspired to write her new book, "Marked Moments" (published by Trafford Publishing) after listening to President Barack Obama's speeches during his first presidential candidacy. "As I watched him, he called out in me such joy, hope and promise for the world," she explains. "I thought, this is the President that my father, a minister, had told me God would be sending. This is the leader that Dr. Martin Luther King had talked about. His energetic and wonderful oratory made me want to respond to him and to be a part of his team." It was this very reason that McKoy shares now her new collection of poetry of marked moments of history through poetry.

Today, we're featuring Bea Arthur and Hal Linden circa 1981. Arthur's stage roles included Lucy Brown in the 1954 Off-Broadway premiere of Marc Blitzstein's English-language adaptation of Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, Yente the Matchmaker in the 1964 premiere of Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway, and a 1966 Tony Award-winning portrayal of Vera Charles to Angela Lansbury's Mame. She reprised the role in the 1974 film version opposite Lucille Ball. In 1981, she appeared in Woody Allen's The Floating Light Bulb.

The irrepressible Emmy Award-winning television star Vicki Lawrence, best known for her scene-stealing comedy on the legendary Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family, brings her crowd-pleasing "Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show" to Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston on Sunday, February 17 at 2 p.m. In an exclusive Boston area engagement, Lawrence sings, shares stories, and unleashes the hilarious wit and wisdom of the character that made her famous, the cantankerous Thelma Harper, also known as Mama.

Ned Wertimer, a versatile and prolific character actor who was perhaps best known as Ralph the Doorman for 11 seasons on TV's The Jeffersons, has died, it was announced today by his long time manager Brad Lemack. Wertimer passed away on January 2nd at the Sherman Village Health Care Center, outside of Los Angeles, from complications following a fall in his Burbank home in late November. He was 89.

Ever been introduced to someone for the first time yet had an overwhelming sense of of having met previously? Ever visited a new city or country yet felt completely at home? How does a child who has never taken a lesson suddenly begin playing the piano with the skill of a virtuoso?

Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books imprint will publish a memoir by beloved and award-winning actress Valerie Harper entitled I RHODA BOOK. The memoir will be released on January, 15, 2013.

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of Chicago in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards winners and 1/9/13 Celebration, 'Mormon' and 'Les Miz' reaction, 'Oliver!' opens, 'Lucy' extends, StarKid goes sketch, our unofficial Lloyd Webber festival and more!

BroadwayWorld Chicago is proud today to announce the winners of the third annual BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards, the only comprehensive theater award in the Chicago area voted on by fans, and the only one to honor productions in both Equity and non-Equity categories simultaneously. And you, the fans, have spoken! Prominent local companies, famous names on a national level, and some new favorites on our theater scene are winners this year.

By all accounts, Amanda Bynes was a Hollywood success story. Born and raised in Southern California, she got her big break early, and enjoyed the support of a loving family. Amanda co-starred on Nickelodeon's hit series "All That" for three seasons, and then got her very own show on the network called "The Amanda Show," all while still in her teens. Movie roles followed, and it seemed like nothing would stand in her way. However, she has since "retired" from Hollywood and, after a slew of very public driving mishaps this year which landed her in the middle of a media frenzy, people are wondering what is next for this star. Find out the full story and what all the buzz is about when "THS: Amanda Bynes" premieres Sunday, December 16 at 10:30pm ET/PT on E!

The Crawley family's fate hangs in the balance when MASTERPIECE CLASSIC "Downton Abbey, Season 3" returns in January.

When I was a couch potato kid in the 70's I couldn't imagine anything more fun than being part of Lucy Ricardo's crazy schemes. During 'I Love Lucy's twice a day airings, I dreamed of stomping grapes in Italy, stuffing chocolates down my shirt, selling Vitameatavegamin, or disguising myself in crazy costumes to break into show business. I wanted to be friends with Lucy. Little did I know that on the other side of the country, Michael Stern was doing just that.

From the Bavarian beer houses of his native Germany to "Manhattan, America," to Hollywood - one day, and one lady, at a time - Andreas Beckett unfurls his heartfelt, candid life story with song and dance under the masterful hands of legendary Mitzie and Ken Welch in a special one night return engagement Friday, December 2, 2012.