Angela Bassett News

The Style Network continues to explore the fascinating subculture of all things glam and beauty in the new docu-series CHICAGOLICIOUS which premieres tonight, June 3 at 9pm ET/PT.

On June 11, Style Networks's highest rated series TIA & TAMERA will return for its second season at 8/7c. Immediately after Tia & Tamera, Style network will debut a new docu-series called CHICAGOLICIOUS at 9/8c.

The cast for Thursday, June 7th, in the ever-changing Broadway Ballyhoo concert series, has just been announced. The four stars kicking off the Ballyhoo's seventh smash month at Feinstein's will be the star who played Tony in the Broadway revival of West Side Story, Matt Cavenaugh, the beautiful young actress who played Meg in the Broadway production of Little Women, Jenny Powers, one of Broadway's great Elphaba's in Wicked, Julia Murney, and the acclaimed nightclub star who will be holding court during the dinner show at Feinstein's, Maude Maggart.

Actor Valarie Pettiford, star of the hit sitcom Half & Half and last year's box office success Jumping the Broom, will star in the new film Battlefield America, which opens theatrically today, June 1, 2012, She will also take on a recurring guest starring role on HBO's Treme this fall. With the release of her second full-length album, a collection of original lullabies called "Velvet Sky" in September, Pettiford is turning the page and entering new chapter of her career.

Style network has announced its June 2012 programming highlights including series "EMPIRE GIRLS: Julissa & Adrienne", debuting Sunday, June 3 at 9pm ET/PT.

Earlier today at a press conference held in BET's New York studios, it was announced that actor Samuel L. Jackson, declared the highest grossing movie actor of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records, will be this year's BET AWARDS 12 host. In addition, the members of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were announced to be the prestigious recipients of the 'Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award;' and Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj were revealed as the first confirmed performers.

Berkeley's acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company has announced a call for submissions for its eighth season of the Global Age Project (GAP) festival of new works. The company will choose four new plays to be presented as staged readings with professional directors and actors during the GAP festival in February of 2013; the festival will coincide with the company's fully-staged World Premiere of Anthony Clarvoe's OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN, directed by Allen McKelvey, the third Aurora main stage production to develop from the GAP. Each of the four finalists will receive a $1,000 award and their work will be considered for further development and production during Aurora Theatre Company's regular season; out of town artists will receive travel and accommodation expenses. The submission period opens today, May 22; deadline for play submission is July 31, 2012. Finalists will be announced in early December 2012.

They are the CIA's best, trained for any situation…except one. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment plays the spy game as two best friends fight for the right of one woman's hand in THIS MEANS WAR, coming to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download today, May 22. Starring Academy Award® winner Reese Witherspoon* (Walk the Line), Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), the comedy gets three alternate, Blu-ray endings that answer the question - what if she chose the other guy?

The Drama League announced today the winners for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards: Distinguished Play, Other Desert Cities, presented by Philip Seymour Hoffman; Distinguished Revival of a Play, Death of a Salesman, presented by Christian Borle; Distinguished Production of a Musical, Once, presented by Cynthia Nixon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Follies, presented by Kelli O'Hara; and Distinguished Performance, Audra McDonald, presented by John Lithgow at a star-studded luncheon ceremony hosted by Stockard Channing (Other Desert Cities) and John Larroquette (Gore Vidal's The Best Man) at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Berkeley's acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company has announced a call for submissions for its eighth season of the Global Age Project (GAP) festival of new works. The company will choose four new plays to be presented as staged readings with professional directors and actors during the GAP festival in February of 2013; the festival will coincide with the company's fully-staged World Premiere of Anthony Clarvoe's OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN, directed by Allen McKelvey, the third Aurora main stage production to develop from the GAP. Each of the four finalists will receive a $1,000 award and their work will be considered for further development and production during Aurora Theatre Company's regular season; out of town artists will receive travel and accommodation expenses. The submission period opens May 22; deadline for play submission is July 31, 2012. Finalists will be announced in early December 2012.

James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's Follies, which was just nominated for eight Tony Awards, opened on May 9 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. Performances of the exclusive Los Angeles engagement of the Kennedy Center's critically acclaimed Broadway production of Follies will continue through June 9, 2012. Check out the video below for footage from the production, FOLLIES' opening night red carpet, and interviews with stars Matthew Morrison, Robert Wuhl, Kevin Chamberlin, Angela Bassett, Annie Potts, Elaine Paige, Jan Maxwell, Victoria Clark, Danny Burstein, Ron Raines and Jo Anne Worley!

Deadline.com reports that Alec Baldwin will join forces once again with 'To Rome With Love' director Woody Allen in the upcoming film MAN THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. Baldwin will join his 'Rock of Ages' co-star Russell Brand in the film from New Line.

James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's Follies, which was just nominated for eight Tony Awards, opened last night, May 9 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. Performances of the exclusive Los Angeles engagement of the Kennedy Center's critically acclaimed Broadway production of Follies will continue through June 9, 2012. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the opening night festivities below!

Central Square Theater announces that Underground Railway Theater, one of the resident companies, has been awarded the rights to Katori Hall's The Mountaintop which finished an extended Broadway run in January. This production will now replace Tanya Barfield's Blue Door in the previously announced 2012-2013 Season.

Earlier this morning, stage and screen stars Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons announced this year's Tony nominees from the New York Public Library. In a season as rich as this past theatrical season though, there are only so many spots for nominees and some very talented shows and performers were not nominated. Below are the eligible performers and shows who were not nominatined in the major categories.

Stage and screen stars Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons will announce this year's Tony nominees tomorrow morning, May 1, 8:30am EST at New York Public Library. The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012. In preparation for the big announcement, TonyAwards.com has released a Cheat Sheet that reminds you of the eligible shows/people of this season. The full Cheat Sheet is as follows:

San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) has finalized the scheduled for an ambitious 37th season that opens with the most significant work of Latino drama in American theatre history continues with six more provocative and eye-opening new American productions.

The 78th Annual Drama League Awards will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on Friday, May 18, 2012 at noon. Check out the 2012 Drama League Nominees for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and the much coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

Tonight, April 23, 2012, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) will celebrate its 50th anniversary at a gala honoring Kenny Leon, Judith O. Rubin, and The Shubert Foundation, at Espace (635 West 42nd Street between 11th and 12th avenues).

The Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director and Charles Dillingham, interim Executive Director) and South Coast Repertory, announced today the full casting and creative team for JITNEY. Single tickets are also now on sale to the public. South Coast Repertory's (SCR) production of August Wilson's JITNEY, directed by Ron OJ Parson with an all-star cast led by Charlie Robinson, will transfer to The Pasadena Playhouse immediately following its SCR engagement. Performances will begin June 21 through July 15, with an official press opening on Sunday, June 24, 2012, at 5:00 p.m at The Pasadena Playhouse.