Forest Whitaker News

Colman Domingo will play a White House butler at the First Family's executive mansion in the upcoming Lee Daniels film The Butler, according to Deadline.com. Danny Strong wrote the script with Daniels.

Middle Collegiate Church launches its album, Welcome, composed and produced by Broadway and television actor Tituss Burgess (Jersey Boys, The Little Mermaid, Guys and Dolls, and 30 Rock) on Sunday, July 1 at 6 PM.

The Jewish Plays Project, LABA and Highbrow are co-producers of SIX by Zohar Tirosh-Polk, a fully staged work featured in OPEN: The New Jewish Theater Residency at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street). SIX will perform tonight, June 23rd at 8:00 pm, June 24th at 3 pm and June 25th at 7 pm. Tickets are free by reservation at www.jewishplaysproject.org/tickets.

The Jewish Plays Project, LABA and Highbrow are co-producers of SIX by Zohar Tirosh-Polk, a fully staged work featured in OPEN: The New Jewish Theater Residency at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street). SIX will perform on June 23rd at 8:00 pm, June 24th at 3 pm and June 25th at 7 pm. Tickets are free by reservation at www.jewishplaysproject.org/tickets.

Deadline.com reports that Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of OUT OF THE FURNACE, the action thriller from Relativity Media.

Today the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities announced the launch of a new artseducation initiative to help turn around low-performing schools, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Turnaround Arts initiative is a new public-private partnership designed to narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement through the arts. Working in some of the nation's lowest-performing elementary and middle schools, this program will test the hypothesis that high-quality and integrated arts education boosts academic achievement, motivates student learning and improves school culture in the context of overall school reform, announced the committee's co-chairs, George Stevens Jr. and Margo Lion. Presidentially-appointed artists Chuck Close, Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker, Damian Woetzel and Alfre Woodard to work with schools in eight states as part of the program.

As first reported on The Hollywood Reporter, Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer will star in FRUITVALE, an upcoming movie about a 2009 controversial police killling. 'Friday Night Lights' star Michael B. Jordan is currently in negotiations to join the actress in the story of a man shot and killed by San Francisco police.

According to The Huffington Post, Jane Fonda is currently in talks to portray former first lady Nancy Reagan in the upcoming film THE BUTLER. The film will be directed by Lee Daniels.

Whitney Houston - GRAMMY(R) Award-winning artist, Emmy(R) Award-winning actress, philanthropist and global icon - will be remembered on ENCORE, Friday, February 17 beginning at 8:00 p.m. (et/pt).

Miles College Presents An Evening With Bill Cosby Two Comedy Shows, One Night Only Hosted by Robin Givens on Friday, February 17, 2012 at The Historic Alabama Theatre located 1817 3rd Avenue North Birmingham, Alabama 35203, with the first comedy show starting at 6:00pm and the second comedy show starting at 8:30pm.

Whitney Houston - GRAMMY(R) Award-winning artist, Emmy(R) Award-winning actress, philanthropist and global icon - will be remembered on ENCORE, Friday, February 17 beginning at 8:00 p.m. (et/pt).

Miles College Presents An Evening With Bill Cosby Two Comedy Shows, One Night Only Hosted by Robin Givens on Friday, February 17, 2012 at The Historic Alabama Theatre located 1817 3rd Avenue North Birmingham, Alabama 35203, with the first comedy show starting at 6:00pm and the second comedy show starting at 8:30pm.

As first reported on Deadline.com, stage and screen actor Liev Schreiber is set to star in a pilot for the Showtime network entitled RAY DONOVAN. However, Deadline also reports that HBO has not renewed Schreiber's long time contract to continue to be the voice of the sports division of the HBO network.

CATCH .44 is coming to theaters on December 9th. The suspense thriller is written and directed by Aaron Harvey and stars Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll, Brad Dourif, Michael Rosenbaum and Shea Whigham.

CATCH .44 is coming to theaters on December 9th. The suspense thriller from Aaron Harvey has an all-star cast which includes Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood).

92nd Street Y feautred Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, in his popular multi-evening 92nd Street Y conversation series, 'Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth' with Golden Globe Award-winning stage and screen star Angela Bassett. Roth and Bassett discussed her upcoming role opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the Broadway premiere of Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, as well as her remarkable career on the silver screen, at 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) yesterday. Check out photos from the event below!

92nd Street Y has announced that Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, will continue his popular multi-evening 92nd Street Y conversation series, 'Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth' with Golden Globe Award-winning stage and screen star Angela Bassett. Roth and Bassett will discuss her upcoming role opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the Broadway premiere of Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, as well as her remarkable career on the silver screen, at 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) on Sunday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29 and are available at www.92Y.org/BroadwayTalks or by calling 212.415.5500.

Adult Swim announced the addition of Emmy nominated actress and comedian Janeane Garofalo to the cast of Delocated. Currently in production for its third season, the 30-minute live-action comedy series airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Adult Swim. Season three of Delocated will premiere in early 2012.

The Pasadena Playhouse has announced the full cast and creative team for BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY at The Pasadena Playhouse. BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, by Pearl Cleage, which begins rehearsals this week will be directed by Artistic Director Sheldon Epps and performs November 1 - 27, with the official press opening on November 6, 2011.