Elizabeth Taylor News

Legendary actress Carroll Baker will be awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor at a dinner held in her honor at The National Arts Club in New York City. Baker, whose most notable film, Baby Doll (1956), garnered her a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, will join the esteemed ranks of previous honorees including Arthur Penn, Cliff Robertson, Sylvia Sydney, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Aiello, Lynn Redgrave, Olympia Dukakis and Norman Jewison.

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words, the hit show that just won the coveted 2009 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, returns to Los Angeles for a one-night-only show Monday, June 15 at 8pm at Largo at the Coronet, 366 North La Cienega Boulevard. The evening benefits Loma Linda University Children's Hospital with a cast that includes Craig Bierko, Jennifer Coolidge, Laraine Newman, Eugene Pack, Matthew Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dayle Reyfel, Ryan Reynolds, Bruce Vilanch, Lesley Ann Warren, and Fred Willard. The show also continues its sit-down, open-ended run at New York?s Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, Monday, June 22, at 7:30pm with a cast that includes Rachel Dratch, Jackie Hoffman, Kristen Johnston, Bobby Moynihan, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Steve Schirripa, Sherri Shepherd, and Alan Zweibel.

Susan Claassen, who stars as legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head in ?A Conversation With Edith Head? will be appearing in California in June. Following her engagement in London last summer, Ms. Claassen began her US tour by opening the 16th season at Houston?s Theater LaB with a sold out 5-performance engagement. Her US tour also included appearances in Tucson at the Invisible Theatre, at Arizona?s Tubac Center of the Arts, and, most recently, at the 35th Annual Symposium of the Costume Society of America in Tempe and Phoenix, AZ where she, once again, received rave review's. Symposium attendee Nena Ivon, Manager, Special Events, Saks Fifth Avenue, Chicago, said: ?A Conversation With Edith Head was outstanding and a fitting finale to the symposium?.

Legendary actress Carroll Baker will be awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor at a dinner held in her honor at The National Arts Club in New York City. Baker, whose most notable film, Baby Doll (1956), garnered her a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, will join the esteemed ranks of previous honorees including Arthur Penn, Cliff Robertson, Sylvia Sydney, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Aiello, Lynn Redgrave, Olympia Dukakis and Norman Jewison.

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words, the hit show that just won the coveted 2009 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, returns to Los Angeles for a one-night-only show Monday, June 15 at 8pm at Largo at the Coronet, 366 North La Cienega Boulevard. The evening benefits Loma Linda University Children's Hospital with a cast that includes Craig Bierko, Jennifer Coolidge, Laraine Newman, Eugene Pack, Matthew Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dayle Reyfel, Ryan Reynolds, Bruce Vilanch, Lesley Ann Warren, and Fred Willard. The show also continues its sit-down, open-ended run at New York?s Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, Monday, June 22, at 7:30pm with a cast that includes Rachel Dratch, Jackie Hoffman, Kristen Johnston, Bobby Moynihan, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Steve Schirripa, Sherri Shepherd, and Alan Zweibel.

Ten actors, 24 performances, five sets of personalities and creative interpretations. It's almost as if the Willows Theatre Company were bringing in a different cast every night.

The Neighborhood Playhouse offers a sneak peak at its revival of Tennessee Williams's CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF running July 9-26. Reserved tickets are $22-28 and are available by calling 1.800.595.4849 or online at www.neighborhoodplayhouse.net

Joan Kobin, accomplished singer on Broadway, and respected voice teacher to many Hollywood and Broadway stars, passed away in her sleep of natural causes on May 30th, 2009.

Carrie Fisher set box-office records at Berkeley Repertory Theatre with her hilarious solo show, Wishful Drinking. Then it became a New York Times bestseller and played to sold-out crowds on a six-city national tour. Now Fisher returns to Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, her last stop before the show bursts onto Broadway! This limited run - 15 performances only - begins July 9 and ends July 23.

CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY: IN THEIR OWN WORDS -- GAY PRIDE EDITION One Night Only! June 26 at The Gramercy Theater

Kathleen Early* will step into the iconic role of Maggie the Cat' Pollitt in the Los Angeles revival of Tennessee Williams's CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Neighborhood Playhouse, running July 9-26.

Village Players Performing Arts Center presents Love Letters - featuring Burt Natarus, former Chicago 42nd Ward Alderman and Radio Talk Show Host/Producer, Cathi Watson - in a special, limited run engagement, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 & Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA, has once again been named one of the top five Best Dinner Theatres in Los Angeles by MyFoxLA TV's Hot List. 'We are deeply grateful to each and every one of the almost 200,000 voters who took time to cast their ballots which kept us in the top five for two consecutive years,' said producer Michael Sterling.

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words, the hit show that just received a 2009 Drama Desk Award nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience, continues its sit-down, open-ended run at the Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street, Sunday, May 10, at 7pm with a special Mother?s Day edition, and Monday, May 11, at 7:30pm.

Over the past 18 months, the Mystery Festival has hosted such talent as Gene Hackman, Mary Higgins Clark, Josh Hutcherson (Journey to Center of the Earth), Anthony E. Zuiker (creator of C.S.I.), Rene' Balcer (creator of Law and Order :Criminal Intent), Bill Link (creator - Columbo and Murder She Wrote) Sue Grafton (The Alphabet Mysteries) and a dozen of others. All took active parts in a number of duties & activities during the Festivals.

Epic in vision and scope, Giant chronicles The Life and times of cattleman Jordan 'Bick' Benedict, his naïve young society wife, and their family in the sweeping panorama of Texas, the land that brings them together and almost splits them apart. A sensational story of power, love, lust, and bigotry among the wealthy Anglo cattle barons and oil tycoons, and the downtrodden Mexican-Americans who work for them, Giant is based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber, which also inspired the film starring James Dean, ElizaBeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson. Written by Michael John LaChiusa, considered one of today's most intelligent and innovative musical theater composers, Giant is the first work produced through Signature's multi-year American Musical Voices Project.

Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, presents the world premiere production of the musical Giant by composer Michael John LaChiusa and playwright Sybille Pearson.

The award-winning Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA, adds sizzle to its May headlining roster when regional musical theatre star Shaun Samaro, Television and Broadway star Dean Butler, and Theresa Anne Swain, winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2009, make their cabaret debuts at the trendy and immensely popular supper club.

Village Players Performing Arts Center presents Love Letters - featuring Burt Natarus, former Chicago 42nd Ward Alderman and Radio Talk Show Host/Producer, Cathi Watson - in a special, limited run engagement, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 & Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

The four-character play made its Broadway premiere in 1931, starring Noel Coward himself. It has a long history with six Broadway revivals, most recently in 2002, and a long list of well known cast members including Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Alan Rickman.