Megan Hilty News

Today, July 4th, America's biggest Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 236th birthday with a special salute to our Olympians and Paralympians as they prepare for the London games. Eight-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno will host the tribute to Team USA.

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters will host the fourteenth annual BROADWAY BARKS!, a star-studded dog and cat adoption event benefiting New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies. Produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, sponsored by the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and with additional sponsorship by the New York Times, the event will take place on Saturday, July 14 in Shubert Alley, the heart of the Broadway Theater District (located between 44th and 45th Streets, between Broadway and Eighth Avenues). The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m.; celebrity presentations of pets from animal shelters citywide will take place between 5-6:30 p.m.

This July 4th, America's national Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 236th birthday, as A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS welcomes a brand new host, Emmy Award-winning television personality Tom Bergeron.

A devout theater fan knows no holiday, and thankfully, many of Broadway's most beloved shows and performers nationwide don't either. So what's a theater enthusiast to do on this Independence Day? Check out a sampling of this year's most exciting 4th of July offerings and click below to revisit some of your favorites saluting our nation in song!

Jennifer Hudson recently teamed up with Pampers for a new initiative, creating her interpretaion of Brahms' 'Lullaby and Goodnight' classic in tribute to moms. On June 27, Hudson and Pampers hosted a Pampers Lullaby Listening Party at Espace in New York City, where Hudson debuted her version of the famous tune.

As previously reported, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 is headed to the West End, with an opening night set for October 16 at the Manchester Opera House. The Daily Mail announces today that Jackie Clune will play 'Violet,' alongside Bonnie Langford as 'Roz,' Natalie Casey as 'Judy,' Ben Richards as 'Franklin Hart' and Amy Lennox as 'Doralee.'

Today we are talking to a Tony Award-winning legend famous for his performances starring in the original Broadway productions of PIPPIN and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, as well as his celebrated turns in stage and screen projects as diverse as ALL THAT JAZZ, SWEET CHARITY, CHICAGO, FOSSE, WICKED, GRIND, ROOTS, I'M NOT RAPPAPORT, GOLDEN BOY, IDLEWILD, FUNNY LADY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and many more - the simply incredible Ben Vereen. Discussing many of his most fondly remembered roles and recounting his experiences working with many legendary directors and collaborators - Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, Tom O'Horgan, Herbert Ross, Ann Reinking, Dan Sullivan, Sammy Davis, Jr., Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and many more among them - Vereen paints a vivid picture of a bygone Broadway and reminisces about many of the most significant theatrical creators of the past fifty years and his roles in their stage and film projects. Additionally, Vereen fills us in on what we can expect from his upcoming solo spotlight show - a career retrospective - that will be kicking off at 54 Below on July 10 for a two-week engagement before an even larger, Broadway-bound mounting later this year at Princeton. Also, Vereen elaborates on the causes closest to his heart, shares thoughts on GLEE and SMASH, future plans and much, much more!

Megan Hilty talked to the Canadian Press about her role in the upcoming season of Smash on NBC. She will be back, probably causing a lot of drama, she says, but she hopes life gets better for Ivy this season. Watch the interview below!

A CAPITAL FOURTH will include a musical tribute to beloved American legend Gene Kelly, in celebration of his 100th birthday, featuring the National Symphony Orchestra performing a medley of Hollywood classics including SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.

This July 4th, America's biggest Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 236th birthday with a special salute to our Olympians and Paralympians as they prepare for the London games. Eight-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno will host the tribute to Team USA.

Broadway Sings for Pride's Second Annual Gay Pride Concert will feature rousing songs from Broadway and pop hits, as well as feature stories of LGBT pride as told by celebrities, activists and the TADA! Youth Theater. The event will be held at the Mainstage Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City tonight, June 25, 2012 at 7pm. The concert will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City and Broadway Sings for Pride.

Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls') will appear in a multi-episode arc on NBC's 'Smash' beginning with the second-season premiere when the musical drama returns to the NBC schedule.

As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, the Encores! cast of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES went into the recording studio last month to put a cast record together. As per Megan Hilty's official website, the recording is set to be released September 4, and is now available to preorder on Amazon.com.

Today we are talking to an iconic Tony Award-winning star who made her name as a teenager singing on TV variety shows - THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW and SING ALONG WITH MITCH included - and then went on to a multimedia career in film and theatre, conquering Broadway with her Tony-winning turn in the Jule Styne/Arthur Laurents musical HALLELUJAH, BABY! in 1967 and returning to the stage in the subsequent decades in a host of Broadway productions, such as BLUES IN THE NIGHT, JERRY'S GIRLS, ANYTHING GOES, August Wilson's KING HEDLEY II and her celebrated Muzzy in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - a role she reprises in the new Muny production of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical beginning this week - the one and only Leslie Uggams. Taking a thorough look back at her career thus far, Uggams opens up about her many successes and how she has endured for fifty years in show business and shares recollections of many of her most noted co-stars and collaborators, all the way up to the recent 2012 Encores! PIPE DREAM. Additionally, Uggams comments on her film and TV appearances over the years, speaking about her work in INHERIT THE WIND, TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, ROOTS and beyond. Plus, she shares her candid opinions on GLEE, SMASH, Broadway then versus now, future plans for her Lena Horne solo show and thoughts on other roles she would enjoy pursuing - and much, much more!

The animated Disney movie SECRET OF THE WINGS is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on October 23rd. The movie features the voices of Anjelica Huston, Timothy Dalton, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symoné, Megan Hilty, Pamela Adlon, Matt Lanter, Debby Ryan, Mae Whitman and Lucy Hale. Get a first look at the trailer below!

EWonline reports that AMERICAN IDOL winner Phillip Phillips is set to headline this year's July Fourth concert and celebration on the National Mall in Washington DC. The singer recently underwent kidney surgery but is reportedly recovering well.

This July 4th, America's national Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 236th birthday, as A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS welcomes a brand new host, Emmy Award-winning television personality Tom Bergeron. According to the Associated Press, Matthew Broderick will join previously announced Kelli O'Hara to perform from the 2012 Tony-nominated musical NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT at the event.

Broadway Sings for Pride's Second Annual Gay Pride Concert will feature rousing songs from Broadway and pop hits, as well as feature stories of LGBT pride as told by celebrities, activists and the TADA! Youth Theater. The event will be held at the Mainstage Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City on Monday, June 25, 2012 at 7pm. The concert will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City and Broadway Sings for Pride.

Yesterday, June 5, theatre legend Patti LuPone opened the new nightclub and restaurant, 54 Below, with a two-week engagement of a new act that will run through June 16. Before the star took the stage for the evening performance, she treated the press to a special sneak peek of the show and BroadwayWorld was there to talk to the star and capture her memorable performance!