Michael Jacobs News

In what is believed to be one of the largest awards made to support poetry in the United States by a philanthropic institution, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has made two grants to the Academy of American Poets totaling $2.2 million. The funds will enable the work of several poets serving in civic Poets Laureate positions, and of more than 20 poetry organizations who comprise a national Poetry Coalition.

THIS IS US star Milo Ventimiglia has sold three of his projects to Fox, with his producing partner Russ Cundiff via their company DiVide Pictures, as reported by Deadline.

If the Bravo 'Housewives' franchise had 'The Real Housewives of Broadway,' Michele McConnell would certainly be a cast member and her opening 'hook' line might be, 'I'm not really a diva, but I play one onstage 8 times a week.'

Tennessee Women's Theater Project launches its eleventh season at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater with the regional premiere of a play that addresses a timely dilemma: Nikkole Salter's Lines in the Dust, which probes the timely topics of integration, racial privilege and school zoning manipulation. Lines in the Dust runs October 6-22.

Tennessee Women's Theater Project launches its eleventh season at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater with the regional premiere of a play that addresses a timely dilemma: Nikkole Salter's Lines in the Dust, which probes the timely topics of integration, racial privilege and school zoning manipulation. Lines in the Dust runs October 6-22.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival invites audiences to "be our guest" for a Falstaffian romp through merry old Windsor; a heroic, Homeric journey home to Ithaka; and a revelatory musical journey of self-discovery when its outdoor theatre opens the weekend of June 16-18. The Allen Elizabethan Theatre will feature The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Dawn Monique Williams; The Odyssey, adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman; and Disney's Beauty and the Beast, directed by Eric Tucker. Previews begin June 6, and all three shows will run through the weekend of October 13-15.

Author and creator Jeff Kinney today revealed the cover of the eagerly anticipated 12th book in the internationally bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The unveiling of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway took place at New York City's famous Carnegie Hall in front of schoolchildren from throughout the city, broadcast live for fans around the world watching the livestream on the Wimpy Kid YouTube channel.

Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, announced the publication of The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter, an original, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.

The 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today announced its lineup of 57 thought-provoking and diverse short films in competition, including 36 world premieres. The selected shorts, 40% of which were directed by women, and include filmmakers from every corner of the globe, were curated from a record 4,385 submissions. They will be presented in 10 distinct competition programs, consisting of five narrative, four documentary, and, for the second year, one animated program. In addition, there is the Sports Shorts program as part of the 11th annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, sponsored by Mohegan Sun. The Shorts program, sponsored by Nutella Originals, is a part of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 19-30.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the 2017 Writers Guild Awards winners for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation

Galleon is presenting Cheaters, under the astute direction of Brian Godfrey.

Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, announces a new global in-print number for the #1 bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, as well as the bookseller hosts and dates for Jeff Kinney's North American tour to support the release of Double Down, the 11th book in the blockbuster series that has captured the attention of readers everywhere.

Below, get a first look at the third season of Disney Channel's GIRL MEETS WORLD. The series returns with all new episodes on July 8, 2016!

Oh, the places you'll go! The Oregon Shakespeare Festival transports audiences to a ghostly Danish castle, dynastic China, and Oz's Emerald City when its outdoor theatre opens the weekend of June 17-19. The Allen Elizabethan Theatre will feature Hamlet, directed by Lisa Peterson; the classic 1970s musical The Wiz, directed by Robert O'Hara; and The Winter's Tale, directed by Desdemona Chiang. The shows will close the weekend of October 14-16.

Michael Jacobsen, co-founder of DIRTY DANCING: THE MUSICAL is an investor in PIP'S ISLAND. The project is an animated fantasy series and the brand is bringing the PIP'S ISLAND world to life with immersive, interactive, 360-degree experiential events featuring live actors, animation and cutting edge set design.

3,000 Miles Off-Broadway Productions presents 2WENTY 7EVEN: JANIS, JIMI & THE DOORS at the historic El Portal Mainstage Theatre, in the NOHO Arts District, North Hollywood, CA. This special 4 show only engagement begins today, April 15, and continues April 16 & 17, 2016.

3,000 Miles Off-Broadway Productions presents 2WENTY 7EVEN: JANIS, JIMI & THE DOORS at the historic El Portal Mainstage Theatre, in the NOHO Arts District, North Hollywood, CA. This special 4 show only engagement will be presented April 15, 16 & 17, 2016.

The 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced its lineup of 72 selected short films, 45 are world premieres and 53 are in competition at the Festival.

NEW YORK, Nov 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, announced today that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, the tenth book in Jeff Kinney's blockbuster series, is the number one bestselling book in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain (Catalan), and across Asia. Since it went on sale on Tuesday, November 3 in more than 90 countries simultaneously, the book has had an incredible first week, with more than 1,000,000 copies sold to consumers around the world.