Jessica Lewis - Page 243

Alysha Umphress and cast members from AMERICAN IDIOT will visit Seth's Broadway Chatterbox tonight, August 12, at 6:00 PM. Off-Broadway, Umphress has appeared in Make Me a Song (the music of William Finn). She is a three-time MAC Award nominee for best female jazz vocalist and is making her Broadway debut in AMERICAN IDIOT.

Last night, August 11, 2010, in Los Angeles, California, celebrities attended the launch party for the Blackberry Torch. BroadwayWorld brings you full coverage below.

As BroadwayWorld has reported, Ira Levin's thriller DEATHTRAP will open at the Noël Coward Theatre in London on Tuesday 7 September. Simon Russell Beale will star as ‘Sydney Bruhl', Estelle Parsons as ‘Helga ten Dorp,' Jonathan Groff as ‘Clifford Anderson' and Claire Skinner as ‘Myra Bruhl'; the cast also includes Terry Beaver. The trailer for the West End production has been released and BroadwayWorld brings you a first look below!

MTV exclusively reports that GLEE creator and Eat Pray Love director Ryan Murphy will next helm The Normal Heart film starring Mark Ruffalo, and may have his sights set on directing the screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, Wicked.

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Christina Aguilera will make her big screen debut with Screen Gems' movie musical, 'Burlesque,' due out on November 24, 2010. She headlines the film alongside Cher and Stanley Tucci, who are additionally joined by Alan Cumming, Eric Dane, Dianna Agron, and Kristen Bell. Today, the clip of Aguilera singing Etta James' 'Something's Got A Hold On Me' has been released!

As previously reported and confirmed today by Whatsonstage.com, West End's 'Elle Woods' and 'Paulette,' Sheridan Smith and Jill Halfpenny, respectively, will be departing LEGALLY BLONDE on October 23, 2010. It has been rumored that Jennifer Ellison was in talks to take over the role of Elle, in addition to Broadway's original Elle Woods, Laura Bell Bundy.

92nd Street Y has announced that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Michael Caine will be joining the lin-up of guests in conversation this fall.

New York metro area public television station WLIW21 will air a special premiere presentation of the acclaimed Beatles concert RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles on Saturday, August 14 at 9:30PM with an encore on Sunday, August 15 at 1:30PM. The 90-minute program will also feature in-studio interviews with two original band members of RAIN - Joey Curatolo (‘Paul McCartney') and Steve Landes (‘John Lennon'). This special airs prior to the Broadway engagement of RAIN- A Tribute To the Beatles On Broadway which begins previews October 19 at the Neil Simon Theatre for a limited 11-week run. During WLIW21's broadcasts, viewers who support the station with a suggested donation can receive tickets to the October 22 performance of RAIN live on Broadway and attend a post-show meet & greet!

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Tony Award nominee JAN MAXWELL will star in Arthur Kopit's acclaimed play WINGS this fall. Directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd, Company), WINGS will begin previews at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street) on Tuesday, October 5. The production will officially open on Sunday, October 24.

TV Guide exclusively reports today that Marcia Gay Harden will be returning to NBC's 'Law & Order: SVU' as Federal Agent Dana Lewis in the eighth episode of the show's 12th season. Harden debuted the character in 2005 under her alias 'Star Morrison' in a case centering on a white supremacist group's involvement with a school murder. Harden reprised the character in 2007 in a guest stint, for which she earned an Emmy nomination.

Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, The Temperamentals) has signed on to LogoTV-sponsored, BUNKED!: A New Musical, where he will provide his voice as the Camp Loudspeaker.

ABC News reports that American Idol and The Color Purple alumna Fantasia Barrino is being hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose. The performer went into the hospital on Monday, August 9 in North Carolina. The overdose is allegedly due to an abuse of asprin and sleeping pills in conjunction with dehydration.

Tom O'Neil, author of the LA Times Gold Derby column, has revealed that fan favorite, Neil Patrick Harris, has just been granted a third 2010 Primetime Emmy nomination for his performance as the 2009 Tony Awards host in the category of Special-Class Program. Why the delay, as nominees were announced on July 8? An oversight, according to O'Neil.

Fancy yourself as the as the new lead singer in timeless West End shows such as 'Cats' or the 'Phantom of the Opera', wowing crowds and being a part of some of the greatest shows on earth?

When 34-year-old JoAnne Fluke was born premature, doctors thought she would only live for 72 hours. But she defied the doctor's prognoses and two weeks later, was home. Born with a rare birth defect in which the bottom half of the spine is missing, JoAnne has tiny webbed legs that she can't use or control and is shorter than a ten-month-old child. A tremendous obstacle to some, JoAnne has a ferociously independent spirit with a full-time career and a passion for dance. On Sunday, August 22, TLC invites viewers to witness the inspiring story of JoAnne Fluke with the premiere of the one-hour special, DANCER WITH TINY LEGS at 10 PM ET/PT.

A rebroadcast of THE BIG BANG THEORY was Monday's top-rated program in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, while a rebroadcast of TWO AND A HALF MEN led the night in viewers, all against first-run programming on the competition, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Aug. 9.

The ABC Television Network has ordered eight additional episodes of the critically-acclaimed series 'Shark Tank,' the reality series that gives budding entrepreneurs a chance to make their dreams come true and become successful -- and possibly wealthy -- business people. The aspiring entrepreneurs must first try to convince five tough, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jumpstart their business ideas.

Despite ABC's strong summer fueled by NBA basketball, FOX has successfully closed the gap to tie as the No. 1 broadcast network of the summer season. With gains by LIE TO ME and THE GOOD GUYS, another strong serving of MASTERCHEF, and a sizzling SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 4 performance show, FOX placed a very close second among Adults 18-49 last week and won the week among Adults 18-34 and Teens.

Last season's winner of BIG BROTHER, Jordan Lloyd, and her fellow Houseguest Jeff Schroeder will make a surprise appearance on BIG BROTHER this Wednesday, August 11 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Jordan and Jeff met inside the house last season and dated throughout the summer, establishing themselves as the house's official 'showmance.' Both are returning to the BIG BROTHER house to host this week's Power of Veto competition, titled 'Lovers' Lane.' In the competition, seven Houseguests will have 45-seconds to roll 16 bowling balls, hoping to strike down ten bowling pins that are stacked on top of each other. After each player bowled in a round, they will then challenge one of the other eligible Houseguests to knock down more pins. Whoever knocks down the most pins, and stays in the game until the final bowler remains is crowned this week's Veto holder.

Continuing to grow its primetime numbers year to year (on each week of Summer 2010), ABC turned in its strongest weekly performance since mid-June (with coverage of the NBA Finals) in both Total Viewers (5.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.6/5) - since w/o 6/14/10. In fact, the Net posted its top non-NBA summertime week in more than 2 years - since w/o 7/7/08.