Thumbs Up! 1934 - Articles Page 16

Why couldn't this have been a film script I was asked to read!? In a straight read-through, I laughed aloud every few minutes. Though not all the book is set in the film business, the portions that are hit right on the mark. Ridiculous episodes, unusual characters and odd scenarios abound, but as one who has worked on film sets my entire adult life, I'm here to say that this IS the film biz and Lights! Camera! Dissatisfaction... captures it with two thumbs up! Bruce Pittman, Worthwhile Movies Limited, Award-winning director of films such as Where the Spirit Lives and Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

truTV is thrilled to air its fantastic summer lineup of original programming, starting with this Today's episode of Impractical Jokers (5/15 at 9:30pm EST) and series premiere of The Carbonaro Effect

truTV is thrilled to air its fantastic summer lineup of original programming, starting with this Thursday's episode of Impractical Jokers (5/15 at 9:30pm EST) and series premiere of The Carbonaro Effect

If you are even a semi-regular reader of this column of reviews, you know that about every three or four months, I post a compilation of observations of shows from the previous quarter of the year. This cabaret critiquing mash up happens for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I admittedly see too many cabaret shows for the amount of time I have to promptly review them (and then, of course, the usual writer's procrastination sets in). So I have to prioritize the timeliness of the reviews based on the prestige of the performer, the length of a show run, the strength (or lack thereof) of the performance, etc. The quality of the shows in these compilations—which can range from a half dozen to a dozen reviews in one shot—are usually a mixed bag of outright raves, qualified positives, and constructive pans (I'm not a fan of the word “negative” in the reviewer lexicon). With that in mind here are a collection of cabaret show reviews going back to the start of a very harsh winter.

EGADS! THEATRE COMPANY presents Lysistrata Jones at the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center. Opening on Saturday, June 14th and running through Sunday, July 13th.

Tucked into the mountains of southwest Virginia, Roanoke is a city of shadows and mist. The Bastards of Fate didn't move there to become famous-they were born there, to grow up obscure.

Casting has been announced and a complete schedule is set for SUMMERWORKS 2014 - the annual season of new plays presented by the four-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb -- it has been announced by Maria Striar, Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director. SUMMERWORKS 2014 will be presented May 30 to July 5 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd St.) in Manhattan. Single tickets are now on sale for $18, students tickets are $15 and festival passes are $45. Tickets can be purchased at www.clubbedthumb.org or by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111. SUMMERWORKS 2014 will feature productions of three new plays: 41-DERFUL written and directed by Jenny Schwartz; I'M PRETTY f**kED UP by Ariel Stess, directed by Kip Fagan, and 16 WORDS OR LESS by Peggy Stafford, directed by Portia Krieger.

ESPN kicks off the 2014 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light – the network's 35th consecutive NFL Draft telecast – on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET from New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

NBC and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment previously announced that NBC will televise the first-ever iHeartRadio Music Awards tonight, May 1 (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) from the historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Today, WatzOn.TV launches a new video channel for Elton John fans. The content is played straight from YouTube and VEVO so the originator of the video still gets their views counted on the original platforms.

Most actors can only dream of having the career Julie White has had. A Tony-winner for 2006's THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, White spent five years on TV's GRACE UNDER FIRE, starred in the mega-hit TRANSFORMERS franchise and the Academy Award winning LINCOLN, and on TV with FRIEND's Matthew Perry and fellow Tony-winner Laura Benanti in GO ON. White can now be seen on Showtime's NURSE JACKIE, where she plays Tony-nominee Edie Falco's AA sponsor. I spoke to her the Friday before Easter as she was preparing to head up to her fixer-upper outside the city to prune roses and pile up leaves with her good friend Tony-winner Cady Huffman.

Egads! Theatre Company heats things up at the Off Center Theatre with Lysistrata Jones. Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane wrote the musical comedy with a contemporary pop score by Lewis Flinn. Steven Eubank directs the Kansas City production, which runs from June 14 through July 12.

KITO & REIJA LEE, the Perth Australia-born and London-based duo who creatively blossomed in 2009 when they summoned the shimmering soul of their breakout 'LFO' for Skream's label Disfigured Dubz, break out again with “Starting Line,” their newest track out now on Payday/Ultra Music. 'Starting Line' delicately merges sparkling synths of KITO's production and REIJA's impressive vocalization, coming to life hypnotically.

Five-time Obie Award-winning company Clubbed Thumb has announced the lineup for their annual SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays, now in its 19th season. SUMMERWORKS 2014 will begin on Friday, May 30 and runs through Saturday, July 5 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B). Single tickets, which are $18, will go on sale on April 15. Festival passes are on sale now for $45 at www.clubbedthumb.org, or by calling OvationTix on (866) 811-41111. For more information about SUMMERWORKS 2014, visit www.clubbedthumb.org.

Cole Porter is one of the 20th century's most prolific contributors to the Great American Songbook. His charming melodies and renowned wit reigned supreme on the stage and big screen in North America, the UK and Europe from the 1920s into the late 50s. The Hudson Music Club and the Hudson Village Theatre team up to pay homage to the master with their co-production of a Montreal original, Cole & Co., co-penned by Randy Davies and Marie-Claude L'Ecuyer.

Cole Porter is one of the 20th century's most prolific contributors to the Great American Songbook. His charming melodies and renowned wit reigned supreme on the stage and big screen in North America, the UK and Europe from the 1920s into the late 50s. The Hudson Music Club and the Hudson Village Theatre team up to pay homage to the master with their co-production of a Montreal original, Cole & Co., co-penned by Randy Davies and Marie-Claude L'Ecuyer.

Amplify, the new all-rights distribution company formed in a merger between Variance Films and GoDigital, has acquired U.S. rights to Stuart Murdoch's musical, God Help The Girl.

Our intrepid cabaret columnist/reviewer Stephen Hanks catches up on some reviews of fall 2013 shows, including Mary Foster Conklin's BroadwayWorld.com Award nominated tribute to Fran Landesman, solo shows from Bernard Dotson, Gary Crawford, and Lauren Glazer, and a duo show from Alison Nusbaum and Jackie Kristel.

Thumbs Up for Milwaukee as Cream City and the Bronze Fonz take the top spot and Mid-Atlantic destinations feature prominently in ABC Travel Guides for Kids annual list.

Although she had given the thumbs up to NBC's SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! broadcast, legendary actress Julie Andrews revealed last night that she missed last Thursday night's presentation.

Who knew Burt Bacharach was so emo?

On Saturday, actors who've portrayed the legendary Batman spoke out excitedy at what was done for the nationally beloved 'Batkid.'

In today's People.com, Tony-winning actress Angela Lansbury, who starred in the original TV series, revealed that though she is a fan of Spencer, she believes a reboot of the popular CBS series is a mistake.

London's Shakespeare's Globe Company eschews modern theatrics and replicates period productions of The Bard's classics.

You'd be hard pressed to find a spookier, creepier play in Shakespeare's canon than 'Macbeth,' with its bloody ghost, three weird witches and murder most foul. As the famous line goes, 'By the pricking of my thumbs/Something wicked this way comes.' All of which makes Halloween the perfect time to experience the play. CU-Boulder Theatre & Dance will stage Shakespeare's darkest, most haunting tragedy Oct. 30 through Nov. 5.