Jessica Lewis - Page 241

In a new feature out in Out.com today, consumate performer Patti LuPone opens up about everything from A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, UK Gypsy, Arthur Laurents, her misguided reputation as a diva and more, all revealed in her new book: Patti LuPone, A Memior, set for release in September.

Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara have been cast in the lead roles of Columbia Pictures' three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary blockbuster The Millennium Trilogy under the direction of David Fincher. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - the first film of the series, which also includes The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - begins shooting next month in Sweden. The screenplay is written by Steve Zaillian and the film is being produced by Scott Rudin, Cean Chaffin, Ole Sondberg and Søren Stærmose. Mikael Wallen and Anni Fernandez are executive producers. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is set for worldwide release December 21, 2011.

MCC Theatre (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced three exciting additions to their upcoming 2010-11 season, which will mark the company's 25th Anniversary.

Deadline.com reports that stage and screen vet Oliver Platt is the latest star to join the newest X-Men film, X-Men: First Class. He will be appearing alongside a growing list of stars including Kevin Bacon, who will play a villain who fights Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy and Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender.

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on Adam Shankman, who directing and choreographing the movie adapation of ROCK OF AGES. Click Here to Follow Adam Shankman on Twitter!

The New York Times has announced that theater legends Stephen Sondheim and James Earl Jones, who will be heading back to Broadway this fall in Driving Miss Daisy will be featured guests at this year's TimesTalks series.

Original PRODUCERS cast members Brad Oscar and Roger Bart will be returning to the production they helped make famous when they assume the roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, respectively, at the Kansas City Starlight Theatre on August 23, 2010. The production will run through August 29, 2010. Audiences will remember Oscar as the Tony-nominated neo-Nazi Franz Liebkind and Bart at the assistant Carmen Ghia on Broadway.

Stage and television star Jesse Tyler Ferguson has taken to the internet with advocacy group Fight Back New York (fightbackpac.com) to campaign for marriage equality in New York, newly inspired by the recent overtuning of Prop 8 in California. The effort involved replacing the NY senators who voted against gay marriage rights last year. Click below to hear what he has to say, and how you can help.

As BroadwayWorld has reported, Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis will perform for the last time as 'Drew' on Broadway Thursday, September 9 before headlining the First National Tour of ROCK OF AGES, debuting in Chicago on September 21. Joey Taranto will take over the role of 'Drew' at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Additional cast changes include Mitchell Jarvis playing his final performance as 'Lonny' on Sunday, September 5 and taking over the role of 'Stacee Jaxx' from James Carpinello, who will play his final performance on a date to be determined. Jay Klaitz, recently of Lend Me a Tenor, to begin performances as 'Lonny' on Monday, September 6. BroadwayWorld has learned that joining Maroulis on tour are Joey Calveri, Erika Shannon, Angela Brydon, Casey Tuma and Burn the Floor's MiG Ayesa, who will be assuming the role of Stacee Jaxx.

Billboard's Top Cast Albums chart for week ending 8/14/2010.

Get your twitter fingers ready for more unforgettable moments as MTV announces the first round of artists who will perform LIVE at the '2010 MTV Video Music Awards.' Kanye, Drake and Florence + The Machine will take creative leaps and bring fans an evening filled with groundbreaking performances that will be discussed for years to come. With the highly anticipated release of Kanye West's new album this fall, music lovers and fans alike will be glued to the screen to see what the rapper has in store for the audience when he hits the VMA stage. This year's awards will mark the first VMA performance for Grammy- nominated hip-hop artist Drake and UK indie favorite Florence + The Machine, who will perform her 4-time VMA nominated 'Dog Days Are Over.' Nicki Minaj, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Trey Songz, Selena Gomez and Ne-Yo are the first presenters confirmed for the show. The '2010 MTV Video Music Awards' will air live from Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 9PM (Live ET/Tape delayed PT.) MTV will announce additional performers, presenters and host on a later date.

As BroadwayWorld previously speculated, producers Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay will welcome Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Patti LaBelle to the cast of the hit Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! on Tuesday, September 14, when she takes over the role of Fela's mother (Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti) through Sunday, January 2, 2011, when the show will play its final scheduled performance. Tony Award-winner Lillias White (who received a 2010 Tony Nomination for her performance in this production) will play her final performance on September 12. Fela! received three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. It is currently playing at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) where it opened to rave reviews on November 23.

The 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and Royal Family Productions will present the New York premiere of Anthony Rapp in his musical Without You September 27 - October 9 at the TBG Theater, 312 West 36 Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, third floor. Anthony Rapp stars in Without You, book and lyrics by Anthony Rapp, based on his bestseller Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent; music by John Keaney, David Matos, Joe Pisapia, and Anthony Rapp; featuring songs from Rent, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson; directed by Steve Maler.

During the week of August 2, 2010, ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' posted strong week-to-week growth in Total Viewers (+14% - 1.50 million vs. 1.32 million), Adults 18-49 (+16% - 590,000 vs. 507,000) and Adults 18-34 (+35% - 241,000 vs. 178,000). 'JKL' produced its biggest overall audience in 5 weeks and its top Adult 18-34 number in 7 weeks ? since w/o 6/28/10 and 6/14/10, respectively.

Syfy will rekindle the magic of Camelot, announcing today the acquisition from FremantleMedia Enterprises of the third season of the popular Merlin series, which will make its U.S. television premiere on Syfy in early 2011.

Who will be America's Favorite Dancer? Tune in to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE tonight, Thursday, Aug. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX, for one of the most-anticipated television events of the summer featuring a very special performance by Ellen DeGeneres and tWitch Boss.

A brilliant detective tormented by the darker side of humanity, Luther shines a light into the hearts and minds of psychopaths and killers, and the shadowy spaces of his own soul. A BBC AMERICA co-production starring The Wire's Idris Elba (Russell 'Stringer' Bell), Luther is a gripping, psychological thriller driven by a brilliant and emotionally impulsive detective. A self-destructive near-genius, Luther might just be as dangerous as the depraved criminals he hunts. In each episode, the murderer's identity is known from the start, focusing the drama on the psychological duel between predator and prey. Luther premieres Sunday, October 17, 2010, 10:00p.m. ET/PT.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) has announced the full cast for Tigers Be Still, a new play by Kim Rosenstock, directed by Sam Gold. Tigers Be Still will feature Reed Birney (Joseph), Halley Feiffer (Sherry), Natasha Lyonne (Grace), John Magaro (Zack).

EW.com's Ausiello Files reports that Hair alum Kyle Riabko has been cast as the newest member of the CW's Beverly Hills 90210. Riabko will be a regular in the series third season, which premieres on Monday, September 13, 2010. According to the report, Riabko's storyline involves being the love interest of either Liam (Matt Lanter), Navid (Michael Steger) or Teddy (Trevor Donovan), who will come out as gay.

Whoopi Goldberg joined the cast of the hit musical comedy SISTER ACT on Tuesday, August 10 in the role of Mother Superior. She will perform in the show through Tuesday August 31st, playing an exclusive 23 show run. No stranger to stages around the world, the role however marks Whoopi's West End debut. Whoopi follows the hugely popular Sheila Hancock, who created the role and has played Mother Superior since the show opened in May last year. She is joined on stage by the critically acclaimed Patina Miller in the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier (Whoopi's role in the original movie), recording artist Simon Webbe as Curtis Shank and Dad's Army star Ian Lavender as Monsignor. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a clip of Golberg herself weighing in on how it feels to make her West End debut in a show that hits especially close to home.