Al Jackson News

Bayou City Theatrics is continuing their inaugural season with Houston's first locally produced professional staging of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. The musical, with a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, was originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions, and ran on there from March 23, 2000 to September 5, 2004 for a total of 1,852 performances. The successes of the Broadway production lead to two national tours. The 2002-2003 equity tour served as a duplicate of the Broadway staging; however, David Henry Hwang revised the book for the 2006-2007 non-equity second national tour, creating a show that was a bit darker by removing some of the campy comedy from the character of Amneris. Having seen both tours, it seems that the version licensed by Music Theatre International is the same book used by the Broadway version.

Acclaimed cowboy artist Jason Rich has been chosen as featured artist for the 2013 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, September 5 - 15, 2013, announced Maureen Murphy, Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce Events Director. Each year the Jackson, Wyoming, arts event selects a featured artist, whose work graces the annual festival poster - which then becomes a collectible in its own right. Rich credits his Western roots as the inspiration behind his work, which draws on his experiences from riding beside cowboys in a corral to packing through the mountains to create paintings, that reflect the authenticity of the cowboy way.

Yoshi's San Francisco announces updated calendar for club and restaurant February 12 - March 11, 2013. For more information on these shows, go to yoshis.com/sanfrancisco.

Shaquille O'Neal is about to put his own hilarious spin on online videos when truTV's brand new series Upload with Shaquille O'Neal premieres Thursday, Feb. 21, at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Each week on the show, Shaq and his comic friends - co-hosts Gary Owen (Think Like a Man) and Godfrey (The Mr. Men Show) - will scour the internet looking for the funniest online videos and comment on them. They will also make their own viral videos, pull pranks and create parodies of current pop culture stories.

Classic Media to release THE JACKSON 5IVE COMPLETED ANIMATED SERIES on Blu-ray Disc, DVD in mid-January.

NYC shows its love for John Oliver and his friends when the third season of JOHN OLIVER'S NEW YORK STAND UP SHOW premieres tonight, July 27.

John Oliver is back, and he's brought some new friends for the third season of JOHN OLIVER'S NEW YORK STAND-UP SHOW, premiering on COMEDY CENTRAL tonight, July 20 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

On Thursday, July 19, 2012, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg kicks off the 38th anniversary of HARLEM WEEK with an official Gala Reception at Gracie Mansion. The afternoon affair will include an excerpt performance by the 2012 Tony award winning cast of Porgy & Bess. In addition to the performance, HARLEM WEEK will honor Carib News on its 30th Anniversary; Sylvia Woods in honor of Sylvia's Restaurants 50th Anniversary; and Jackie Rowe Adams in honor of her tireless community activism and commitment to antiviolence.

In honor of the untimely passing of music icon Whitney Houston, the 2012 BET AWARDS pulled together an unprecedented pairing of today's divas, family members, friends, and cast mates for an emotional tribute that even brought BET AWARDS 12 double-winner Beyonce to tears. View the moving tribute to Whitney Houston below!

The New York Empire Comedy Arts Festival brings comedic acts from across several disciplines together for one week in June to celebrate the variety and diversity of comedy.

John Oliver is back, and he's brought some new friends for the third season of JOHN OLIVER'S NEW YORK STAND-UP SHOW, premiering on COMEDY CENTRAL on Friday, July 20 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

NYC shows its love for John Oliver and his friends when the third season of JOHN OLIVER'S NEW YORK STAND UP SHOW premieres on Friday, July 27.

Syfy's newest reality series Insane or Inspired? premieres tonight, May 25 at 10PM (ET/PT). Each hour-long episode will count down the craziest, most hilarious and exciting videos from the internet that lean into the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences.Actors Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks), Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman, as well as television personality Josh Gates, host of Syfy's Destination Truth, join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Al Jackson, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christina Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips.

Syfy's newest reality series Insane or Inspired? will premiere Friday, May 25 at 10PM (ET/PT). Each hour-long episode will count down the craziest, most hilarious and exciting videos from the internet that lean into the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences.Actors Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks), Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman, as well as television personality Josh Gates, host of Syfy's Destination Truth, join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Al Jackson, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christina Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips.

Winner of 7 Tony awards, this beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel, and soul. The Wiz first appeared on Broadway in 1974 and was written by William F. Brown with Music and Lyrics by Charles Smalls featuring such classic songs as "Ease On Down the Road", "Home", and "Everybody Rejoice."

Winner of 7 Tony awards, this beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel, and soul. The Wiz first appeared on Broadway in 1974 and was written by William F. Brown with Music and Lyrics by Charles Smalls featuring such classic songs as "Ease On Down the Road", "Home", and "Everybody Rejoice."

Winner of 7 Tony awards, this beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel, and soul. The Wiz first appeared on Broadway in 1974 and was written by William F. Brown with Music and Lyrics by Charles Smalls featuring such classic songs as "Ease On Down the Road", "Home", and "Everybody Rejoice."

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's production of the 2010 Best Play Tony Award Winner, Red.

Eddie Edwards has been mimicking and impersonating celebrity actors with uncanny precision ever since the 1970s. His skill as a vocalist and makeup artist eventually landed him a spot in La Cage aux Folles, where he performed and sang for many years as Ms Midler, Barbra Streisand, and Cher. For Legendary Divas, Edwards brings five members of the cast of La Cage to Stoneham, along with six Las Vegas dancers. The show runs from Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25.

In recognition of The Barn's 45 years of bringing the magic of live theater to the stage, we continue our special series of Onstage at The Barn: Memories from The First 45 Years, with actror Daron Bruce, who is one of the most accomplished thespians to be found in Nashville, taking on a wide range of roles that have showcased his talents to perfection, while helping to prepare actors of future generations as head of the theater department at Nashville's historic Hume-Fogg Academic High School, considered one of the top providers of secondary education in the nation. Today, Daron adds his memories of his Barn experiences to the ones that we've been sharing for two weeks to celebrate the 45th anniversary…