Walt Disney News

The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, has announced that two-time Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro will be honored with the 'Hollywood Supporting Actor Award' at the festival's Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony for his fantastic performance in David O. Russell's 'Silver Linings Playbook.'

Tom Rothman will come on board to produce the science fiction epic, ROBOPOCALYPSE, it was announced today by Stacey Snider, Partner and Co-Chairman of DreamWorks Studios. Steven Spielberg is set to also produce and direct the DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox co-production.

Today, September 25, 2012, Deutsche Grammophon releases Mahler 8 Symphony of a Thousand featuring Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. Available for purchase on standard DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as on iTunes, the video features the culminating concert of The Mahler Project, Mahler's Eighth Symphony, "Symphony of a Thousand" recorded live at the Teatro Teresa Carreño in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 18, 2012.

Acclaimed lyricist and songwriter Alan Bergman joins the program for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Songbook series concert, Ann Hampton Callaway - The Streisand Songbook, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Sunday, February 10, at 7:30 pm. Bergman is known for a myriad of hits, including Barbra Streisand's songs "The Way We Were," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," and songs from her 1983 movie Yentl. He will sing some songs with Callaway in an evening that will take audiences on a journey through the timeless songbook of Streisand, including Callaway's own songs written for the legendary artist.

Bounce TV (www.bouncetv.com) -- The nation's first-ever broadcast television network designed for African-American audiences -- will turn one on Sept. 26 and its first year on-the-air has been overwhelmingly successful, with accelerated growth and expansion among station groups and distribution, advertisers and viewers alike.

The third season of Lincoln Center's White Light Festival continues in November with "The Spirit of the Body," a work by dancer/choreographer Malavika Sarukkai showcasing her exquisite interpretations of South India's classical dance, Bharatanatyam. Accompanied by four musicians from Madras, India, the performances are presented in the intimate setting of the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center will kick-off its 2012-2013 10th Anniversary season with its commission of the inaugural full-length program by L.A. Dance Project founded by acclaimed choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The L.A. Dance Project commission will have its premiere performances tonight, September 22 and 23, 2012 at The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Today, Nancy Rhodes, Artistic Director announced that the Honorary Chairs, Sheldon Harnick and Maury Yeston join Encompass New Opera Theatre in celebrating Alan Menken's life in the American theatre, film and recording world on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York City.

Playwrights Theatre is currently accepting submissions for the 30th Annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest.

Idina Menzel, whose whirlwind US concert tour of Live: Barefoot at the Symphony has played 21 cities in 30 days, is headed to the UK and has announced additional UK and US concert dates via her website.

The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, announce that Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard will receive the 'Hollywood Actress Award' for her distinguished performance in Jacques Audiard's 'Rust and Bone,' a Sony Pictures Classics release, at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala ceremony on October 22.

Disney began production today on Saving Mr. Banks, the account of Walt Disney's twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers' popular novel, Mary Poppins, and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author during the project's pre-production in 1961.

ESPN announced the creation of the Armed Forces Classic, a series of Division I college men's basketball games to be played on military bases overseas. Ramstein Air Base in Germany is the inaugural location, with the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University playing in a C-5 transport airplane hangar on the base.

The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the 'Los Angeles Times, ' announced today that it will be honoring producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with this year's 'Hollywood Producers Award.'

The Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) introduces new dance classes for the 2012-2013 school year. Instruction will be offered in Franklin and at the school's new satellite facility in downtown Hudson. Entering its 28th year, FSPA offers a broad range of programming in music, dance and drama, with extensive performing opportunities through the school and the affiliated Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC).

Submissions for The New York Children's Theater Festival will be accepted October 1 through November 12, 2012, it was announced today by Festival co-founders Michael Shawn Lewis, Chelsey Shannon and Renee Barnett. In its second year, The New York Children's Theater Festival provides a birthplace in New York City for new live children's entertainment from around the globe, and serves as a platform for writers and producers who are passionate about developing innovative theatrical experiences for children.

Submissions for The New York Children's Theater Festival will be accepted October 1 through November 12, 2012, it was announced today by Festival co-founders Michael Shawn Lewis, Chelsey Shannon and Renee Barnett. In its second year, The New York Children's Theater Festival provides a birthplace in New York City for new live children's entertainment from around the globe, and serves as a platform for writers and producers who are passionate about developing innovative theatrical experiences for children.

The Garden Theatre will kick off TheatreWorks Florida's production of the Central Florida Regional Premiere of Legally Blonde: The Musical, where Ivy League sorority girl Elle Woods and her blinged out pup Bruiser kick off the 2012-13 Season, October 5-28, 2012.