Christine Baranski News

On Sunday, December 5, the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honored celebrated the talents and contributions of singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey. In case you missed the broadcast on CBS last night, check out this clip of Broadway's Kelli O'Hara and screen star Matthew Bomer singing 'It Only Takes A Moment' as a part of the tribute to Jerry Herman!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The Broady Awards Celebration at The Call, the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast, 'Spiderman' rumors, January show closings, 'Spamalot,' 'Les Miserables,' 'White Noise,' more....

On Sunday, December 5, the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honored celebrated the talents and contributions of singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey. BroadwayWorld reminds you to tune in tonight, December 28, to CBS at 9pm to watch the broadcast of the tribute. But for now, check out this sneak peek of the event!

On Sunday, December 5, the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honored celebrated the talents and contributions of singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey.

According to EW.com, F. Murray Abraham and Rita Wilson are both set for guest starring roles on CBS' THE GOOD WIFE. Both will star as lawyers in an episode in February.

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, the only televised awards show honoring performers in film and television, announced nominees at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood on Thursday, December 16.

On Sunday, December 5, the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honored celebrated the talents and contributions of singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey.

Yesterday, December 5, the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honored celebrated the talents and contributions of singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey.

Jennifer Nettles, of reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Sugarland, hosts 'CMA Country Christmas' with music, memories and stories of the season from some of the format's biggest stars. Artists who perform in the special and share with fans their favorite holiday traditions include Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Reba, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and Sugarland.

Reprise Theatre Company has just announced additional casting for A Party With Marty, an evening of comedy and song with Martin Short and featuring Jason Alexander.

Calvin Remsberg is directing a unique production of Sondheim's Into The Woods for Lucid by Proxy's tenth anniversary. His darker take on the fairy tale mash-up is being staged in a unique performance space and opens October 22, 2010.

The first major revival of David Hirson's Olivier Award-winning comedy LA BÊTE starring Tony and Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance, Tony and Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce, and BAFTA Award winner (and star of 'Absolutely Fabulous') Joanna Lumley began previews at Broadway's Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) on September 23, 2010. This new production, helmed by acclaimed director Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, Boeing-Boeing, The Norman Conquests), opened last night, October 14. This immediately follows a limited summer engagement at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End from June 26-September 4, 2010 with opening night of July 7. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the opening night arrivals and brings you photo coverage below.

Last night, October 13, Tony Award winning director & choreographer Matthew Bourne, Broadway's Original Tony Award winning Billy Elliot Trio David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish & Trent Kowalik; Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock), film & TV star Christine Baranski (Mamma Mia! movie), Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line), directing royalty Sir Richard Eyre, Tony Award winning stage & film star Alan Cumming (Cabaret), Academy Award & Tony Award winning stage and film director Sam Mendes (Cabaret, American Beauty), Emily Mortimer (Pink Panther, '30 Rock'), downtown performance artist Joey Arias, renowned puppeteer Basil Twist, screenwriter Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands), Broadway choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), and Jack Noseworthy (Sweet Smell of Success) were among the stars who came out to celebrate the opening night of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at the New York City Center. BroadwayWorld was also on hand and brings you photo coverage below.

Calvin Remsberg is directing a unique production of Sondheim's Into The Woods for Lucid by Proxy's tenth anniversary. His darker take on the fairy tale mash-up is being staged in a unique performance space and opens October 22, 2010.

Stephanie J. Block, Broadway star of '9 to 5: The Musical,' 'Wicked,' 'The Pirate Queen,' and 'The Boy From Oz,' will star opposite Jason Alexander, Artistic Director of Reprise Theatre Company, in 'They're Playing Our Song,' the opening production of the company's 2010-2011 season, playing September 28 to October 10 (press opening September 29) at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.

Reprise Theatre Company presents two one-night only special events: An Evening with Sutton Foster for one performance only on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 8:00 pm, and Betty Buckley in Concert with Seth Rudetsky on Monday, February 21,2011 at 8:00pm. Both events will be presented at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. An Evening with Sutton Foster Betty Buckley in Concert with Seth Rudetsky are the latest in Reprise Theatre Company's tradition of presenting Broadway stars in concert, which have included Patti LuPone, Carol Burnett, Ben Vereen, Kristin Chenoweth, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Reprise Theatre Company presents A Party With Marty, an evening of comedy and song with Martin Short and featuring Jason Alexander for one performance only on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 8:00 pm, at the Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills (formerly the Wilshire Theatre). This world premiere event features old friends, and former cast mates from "The Producers," Martin Short and Reprise Theatre Company Artistic Director Jason Alexander doing what they do best - making people laugh! Ticket sales for this event support Reprise Theatre Company and their mission to produce great musical theatre as well as arts education programs that bring the magic of theatre to underserved members of our community. Reprise Theatre Company is headed by Artistic Director Jason Alexander, who is best known for his 9-year stint as George Costanza on "Seinfeld." Christine Bernardi is Managing Director and Gilles Chiasson is Producing Director of Reprise Theatre Company. Tickets are available for "A Party With Marty" and go on sale to the public on October 4 and are available online at www.reprise.org , ticketmaster.com, by calling the Saban Theatre box office at (323) 655-0111, and at all Ticketmaster Outlets. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Martin Short began his career in Canada's "SCTV Comedy Network" for which he received an Emmy Award. Short's proven ability as a comedic chameleon and his host of hilarious impressions brought him to the attention of "Saturday Night Live." From there, he made his big screen debut in "Three Amigos," Other films include "Inner Space", "Three Fugitives", "Clifford", "Mars Attacks", "The Big Picture", Father of the Bride 1 & 2 and "Jiminy Glick in LALAWOOD, among others Short has received 15 Emmy nominations for his work in television which includes "Merlin", "Alice in Wonderland," "The Martin Short Show", "Primetime Glick" and this season's "Damages", for which he was most recently nominated. A veteran of the theater in Canada and on Broadway, Short has received accolades for his varied work on stage including "The Goodbye Girl" (Tony nomination, Theatre World Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), "Little Me" (Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), and "The Producers" (with Jason Alexander) and in 2006, his musical-comedy Broadway hit "Fame Becomes Me." In 1994, Short was awarded the "Order of Canada" and in 2000 was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame. However, all of the above is a distant second to his love and respect for his wife Nancy and their three children Katherine, Oliver and Henry. About Reprise Theatre Company Since its inception in 1997, Reprise Theatre Company has been a focus of the Los Angeles musical theatre community, producing productions of great American musicals, and a wide variety of concerts, staged-readings, special events and outreach programs. In May 2007, Jason Alexander became Artistic Director. Christine Bernardi is Managing Director and Gilles Chiasson is Producing Director of Reprise. Since its inaugural production of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Promises, Promises," which starred Mr. Alexander, Reprise has brought to the stage vibrant productions from all eras of American musical theatre including the Gershwins' "Of Thee I Sing" and "Strike Up the Band," Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," and Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse" and "Babes in Arms," Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel," as well as Richard Rodgers' later "No Strings." The "Golden Era" has been well represented - Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg with "Finian's Rainbow," Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe with "Brigadoon," Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green with "On the Town" and "Wonderful Town," Irving Berlin with "Call Me Madam," Robert Wright and George Forrest with "Kismet," both of the Richard Adler and Jerry Ross musicals "The Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees," Johnny Mercer and Gene dePaul with "Li'l Abner," Jule Styne with "Bells are Ringing," and Frank Loesser with "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Musical theatre reached a new peak of popularity in the sixties, along with new creative talents, and Reprise has presented shows by many of them including Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt with "The Fantasticks," Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with "She Loves Me," Gerome Ragni, James Rado and Galt MacDermot's "Hair," Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone with "1776," Charles Adams and Lee Strouse with "Applause," Stephen Schwartz with "Pippin," Cy Coleman with "On the Twentieth Century" (libretto by Betty Comden and Adolph Green), "City of Angels" (lyrics by David Zippel), and "I Love My Wife" (libretto by Michael Stewart), Jerry Herman with "Mack and Mabel," Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's "Once on This Island," and four Stephen Sondheim musicals - "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Company," "Sweeney Todd," and "Sunday in the Park with George." Many of the great stage performers working today, as well as those who make their residence primarily in Los Angeles, have appeared in Reprise shows including Scott Bakula, Christine Baranski, Brent Barrett, Orson Bean, Jodi Benson, Stephen Bogardus, Dan Butler, Len Cariou, Carolee Carmello, Vicki Carr, Patrick Cassidy, Anthony Crivello, Jason Danieley, Lea DeLaria, Cleavant Derricks, Manoel Feliciano, Rodney Gilfry, Kelsey Grammer, Josh Grisetti, Harry Groener, Bob Gunton, Sam Harris, Gregory Harrison, Simon Helberg, Mimi Hines, Judy Kaye, Jane Krakowski, Marc Kudish, Ledisi, Vicki Lewis, Judith Light, Rebecca Luker, Eric McCormack, Maureen McGovern, Joey McIntyre, Donna McKechnie, Andrea Marcovicci, Marin Mazzie, Julie Migenes, Karen Morrow, Burke Moses, Kelli O'Hara, John O'Hurley, Ken Page, Robert Picardo, David Hyde Pierce, Larry Raben, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Roger Rees, Charles Nelson Reilly, Cathy Rigby, Alexandra Silber, Douglas Sills, Rex Smith, Brent Spiner, Lea Thompson, Steven Weber, Lee Wilkof, Ruth Williamson, Marisa Jaret Winokur, Lillias White, Fred Willard, and Rachel York.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced back in August that Bernadette Peters will star as Sally Durant Plummer in the Kennedy Center production of Follies in the Eisenhower Theater May 7 to June 5, 2011. Additionally, BroadwayWorld.com had heard that starring alongside Peters could be Sex and the City star and Golden Globe winner Kim Cattrall as Phyllis, Danny Burstein as Buddy and John Dossett as Ben, all of whom were cast and were then in contract negotiations. We've now heard from reliable sources that neither Cattrall or Dossett were able to work out their contract deals for the production and that both sides have moved in. Now said to be in talks? First lady of the British Musical Theatre Elaine Paige and Linda Lavin, who was most recently a 2010 Tony nominee for Collected Stories. More information to come soon...

Matt Czuchry attends 'The Good Wife' 2nd Season premiere and Season 1 DVD launch party at Gotham Hall on September 20, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)

Al Pacino is this year's recipient of the 2010 Primetime Emmy for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or a Movie for HBO's You Don't Know Jack. Theater vet Pacino has appeared on Broadway in Salome, American Buffalo, Hughie, and King Richard III, among others. He will next appear on Broadway in The Merchant of Venice, which opens at the Broadhurst Theatre this fall.