Leslie Fazin - Page 2

GLEE fans who love comic books will be in luck just in time for the holidays -- the stars of Fox's hit television show have now been made into characters in the 32-page comic biography, Fame: The Cast of Glee, released today by Bluewater Productions.

Music icons Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, Dr. John and Alice Cooper, as well as Broadway veteran Darlene Love, will be the new inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2011. They will be honored at a ceremony at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, March 14. Leon Russell will also be awarded for musical excellence. Nonperformer honors will go to Specialty label's Art Rupe and Elektra Records founder, Jac Holzman.

Stage and screen actress Nicole Kidman, who made her Broadway debut in the 1998 production of THE BLUE ROOM, will join her husband Keith Urban on the November 30 episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Their appearance will be among other celebrity Aussies -- who have yet to be confirmed -- who will help whisk Oprah and 300 of her audience members off on an eight-day trip to Australia, 'Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure,' one week later. Kidman and Urban will discuss what audience members venturing on the trip can expect in the 'land down under.' The couple will reconvene with Oprah on the show's taping in Sydney on December 14.Theatre-enthusiasts can expect to see Kidman back on the Broadway stage next fall, when she stars in the revival of Tennessee Williams' SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH.

The Theatre School at DePaul University proudly presents the U.S. premiere of The Monster Under the Bed, by Kevin Dyer, directed by David Catlin, as the second installment of the 2010-2011 Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences Series. This production opens Tuesday, January 11, and runs through Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre. Performances are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 AM and Saturdays at 2 PM. There will be no performances on January 22, 25, 27, or 29.

Christoph von Dohnányi will lead the New York Philharmonic in seven concerts in January that will feature works by Dvorák, Schumann, Jörg Widmann, and both Brahms piano concertos, with pianists Yefim Bronfman and Radu Lupu as soloists. The first concerts, Thursday, January 13, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, January 14-15, at 8:00 p.m., will comprise Widmann's Con brio, Concert Overture for Orchestra, Schumann's Symphony No. 4, and Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist. Mr. Dohnányi will conduct the Orchestra in the Rush Hour Concert on Wednesday, January 19, at 6:45 p.m., with a program comprising Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Radu Lupu at the keyboard. The concert on Thursday, January 20, at 7:30 p.m., will feature Widmann's Con brio, Concert Overture for Orchestra, Schumann's Symphony No. 4, and Dvorák's Symphony No. 8. Mr. Dohnányi will conclude his visit with the Philharmonic on Friday and Saturday, January 21-22, at 8:00 p.m., conducting Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Mr. Lupu, and Dvorák's Symphony No. 8.

According to Showbizspy.com, actress Amy Adams would love to follow in Gwyneth Paltrow's footsteps and guest star on an episode of GLEE.

Broadway veteran Kevin Anderson leads the cast in the Los Angeles run of world premiere production of Neil LaBute's The Break of Noon. The Break of Noon, which is a co-production with MCC in New York, will feature Catherine Dent as well as Tracee Chimo and John Earl Jelks, who performed their roles in the New York portion of the run. Helmed by director Jo Bonney, The Break of Noon begins in previews on January 25, 2011 and officially opens February 2, 2011.

A trailor for the new musical adaption of MATILDA, A Musical, running at the Courtyard Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, has been released. Click to watch it below!

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that Renée Fleming, internationally known soprano singer, will join the company's board of directors as the creative consultant -- a first in the company's history. She will commit to the role immediately and has signed on for a term of five years. She, along with Sir Andrew Davis, Lyric's music director, have also been elected to the Board of Directors as Vice Presidents.

Dee Snider chats about his experience with ROCK of AGES and schools Jimmy Fallon about the proper use of 'metal horns.' Check out the video clip below!

Two Boots Pizza and MJS LIVE, Inc. are pleased to announce this month's A SLICE OF BROADWAY, a celebration of Broadway's finest at NY's Pizza Pioneers Two Boots Pizza devoted especially to Broadway's hit musical AMERICAN IDIOT. The 'tastiest pizza in Manhattan' (yelp.com) will honor the amazing cast of AMERICAN IDIOT with a specialty pizza offered this month at its Hell's Kitchen location. Cast members from AMERICAN IDIOT, now playing at The ST. JAMES THEATRE, will appear at Two Boots in their Theater District Neighborhood location to sample the new pizza. The new slice is called The St. Jimmy and features capicola, crawfish, roasted garlic, and a swirl of jalapeno pesto.

CBS is currently developing an hour-long television series set to star stage and screen actor Jason Alexander, according to Variety. Alexander is best-known for his Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG and Jerome Robbins' BROADWAY, to which he earned a 1989 Tony Award. He also starred opposite Martin Short in 'The Producers,' and was featured on the popular Emmy-Award winning television sitcom, 'Seinfeld.' He is set to star and executive produce the in-development CBS series, which will be written by Simon Barry. He will play a former TV-star-turned-investigator who has an interest in the act of disguise.

Director Baz Luhrmann, best-known for Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge, confirmed today that he would 'probably not' direct a future episode of the Fox hit show GLEE, Entertainment Weekly reports. GLEE's creator offered Luhrmann a guest directorial debut for the show, but according to Luhrmann, his busy schedule would not allow for the time. He is currently working on a live stage production of Strictly Ballroom and is casting for Jordan, his film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Stage and screen star Alan Cumming will join James Franco (127 Hours), Claire Danes and Catherine Keener in the film-in-the-making, Maladies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Maladies, directed by Carter, will portray a successful actor plagued by a mental illness and therefore forced to retire at a young age.

The cast of RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles received a special visit from Donald Trump this week. RAIN is currently performing to packed houses at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52 Street now through January 9th. Together longer than The Beatles themselves, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that's as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics that The Beatles never got the chance to play live, this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends! For tickets go to www.ticketmaster.com or call 877-250-2929.

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in the New York Premiere of Thomas Adès's multimedia In Seven Days (Concerto for Piano with Moving Image), Thursday, January 6, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, January 7, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, January 8, at 8:00 p.m. The score, which the composer will perform at the piano in his Philharmonic debut, is synchronized with Israeli artist and filmmaker Tal Rosner's kaleidoscopic imagery, projected onto six large screens. Mr. Adès calls it a 'video-ballet in seven movements' that follows the story of creation. The program will also include Mozart's Symphony No. 40, and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, with baritone Thomas Hampson.

The Off Broadway production of The Fantasticks and the advocacy organization Women In Need have partnered to create a very special Christmas for New York City's homeless and disadvantaged women and children. From now through Christmas day, audience members who bring a donation of one of Women In Need's most requested items (see list below) to The Snapple Theater Center will have the opportunity to purchase a ticket to The Fantasticks for just $20, a savings of $55. For each item donated, The Fantasticks will donate 2 tickets to a special Christmastime performance of The Fantasticks for New York's homeless and disadvantaged women and children featuring a Christmas party with the cast of The Fantasticks - up to 200 tickets.

Broadway Star Tituss Burgess will join Daniel Reichard for Reichard's annual Christmas show. Burgess was the star of such shows as The Little Mermaid, Guys and Dolls, Jersey Boys and Good Vibrations. The two actors have a long-term professional association and frequently appear in concert together. Daniel Reichard, original star of Broadway's 'Jersey Boys' and the recent New York City Opera revival of 'Candide,' will return to the New York stage on December 10th at 9 P.M. at the Triad Theater for his annual Christmas concert.

The world premiere of Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales, based on the best loved author's renowned short stories for adults, opens at the Lyric Hammersmith for previews on 14 January 2011, with a press night on 24 January. Adapted by The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson and directed by the exciting young talent Polly Findlay, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales will continue to Northern Stage and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse following its London run.

Join Mark Twain and his animal friends on a fun journey of self-discovery and magic. With puppets, dance, music, and interactive video projections, kids ages 3 & up will be delighted by this visual feast. Based on Mark Twain's short story, A Fable, our talented cast discovers a mysterious 'flat thing,' a mirror, and each sees something different. Is it magic? Only Mark Twain has the answer! A WONDERFULLY FLAT THING is an innovative children's theater production your kids will love. A WONDERFULLY FLAT THING is one of the first productions to be mounted in The 14th Street Y's newly renovated LABA Theatre. It is the result of a collaboration between artist fellows from the 14th Street Y's LABA: The National Laboratory for New Jewish Culture.