Fred Astaire News

Acording to published reports, Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth will pay a visit to 'Live with Regis & Kelly' on June 15, where she will perform a song from her new album, 'I Want Somebody (Bitch About).'

On Wednesday, June 8, the English National Ballet performed their 'Strictly Gershwin' performance, presented by Raymond Gubbay and The Royal Albert Hall. BroadwayWorld brings you photo coverage of the dancers in performance below.

AFI and TV Land announced today that Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Sidney Poitier, Mike Nichols, Matthew Broderick and Rita Moreno are among the luminaries in film who will pay tribute to Morgan Freeman, the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award recipient.

The Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director and Stephen Eich, Executive Director), in association with Glynis Henderson and Jonathan Reinis, announced today that ENNIO, featuring Ennio Marchetto - The Living Paper Cartoon, will play an exclusive, one week only, limited engagment from August 23 - 28, 2011, at The Pasadena Playhouse (39 S. El Molino).

Now in its 7th year, National Dance Week-NYC (NDW-NYC), a yearly festival that advocates dance conditioning and wellness, will offer more than 100 FREE dance, fitness and wellness classes over the course of 10 days, starting June 17, 2011. The festival will commence with a flash mob in Union Square followed by a kickoff event at Union Bar on Wednesday, June 15. A culminating performance to celebrate NYC arts will take place at Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance on Sunday, June 26 and will feature presentations by American Tap Dance Foundation: Tap City Youth Ensemble, Aveia, Ballet Noir, Billy Elliot the Musical, COBU, Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Flamenco con Magdalena, The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory, and Marie-Christine Giordano Dance.

The historic Franklin Theatre will reopen June 3 with a 1930s-themed celebration held in its honor in downtown Franklin. Nissan Americas, which opened its Franklin location in 2008, will sponsor the family-friendly weekend events.

The Stage Door Theatre has announced their summer shows, including a musical for their new venue in North Miami Beach. In Theatre 1 in Coral Springs will be the play 'Crossing Delancey'; in the Theatre 2, the musical 'Song Man, Dance Man', and in Miami at the at it's new location at the Byron Carlyle Theatre will be last season's long running hit, 'Suds'.

To celebrate PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT's 100th performance on Broadway, tonight, Friday, May 27th -- the smash hit new musical is counting down 100 'memorable' fun facts and backstage secrets leading up to the landmark performance.

Kristin Chenoweth is one of Broadway's biggest standout exports since Barbra Streisand. It used to be that Broadway actors would go to LA for pilot season and very often come home empty handed. Ever since her first appearance on Broadway in STEEL PIER, the Kander & Ebb musical, directed by Scott Ellis with choreography by Susan Stroman, the girl hasn't stopped. It was WICKED that threw her fully into the mainstream and she didn't even win the Tony that year.

Acording to published reports, Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth will pay a visit to 'Live with Regis & Kelly' on June 15, where she will perform a song from her new album, 'I Want Somebody (Bitch About).'

Born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, actress/songstress Kristin Chenoweth goes back to her country music roots with her new album Some Lessons Learned, to be released on SONY MASTERWORKS on Tuesday, September 13.

The 29th Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, hosted by Bebe Neuwirth and Lee Roy Reams at the magnificent Skirball Center for The Performing Arts at NYU once again honored excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film. Susan Stroman took top honors for Best Choreographer on Broadway in a field of nine nominees for her stunning work in 'The Scottsboro Boys'. It was a record breaking 5th Astaire Award for the 5 time Tony Award and 5 time Drama Desk winner. Two time Tony Award Winner Bebe Neuwirth presented the award to Ms. Stroman. Sutton Foster star of 'Anything Goes' took home her second Astaire for Best Female Dancer on Broadway for her rousing performance as 'Reno Sweeney'. Her first Astaire was for 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'. Desmond Richardson, Tony nominee for 'Fosse' and co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet presented the award to Ms. Sutton. First timer Norbert Leo Butz star of 'Catch Me if You Can' took the prize for Best Male Dancer on Broadway presented by Tony and Drama Desk winner Karen Ziemba . Australia's Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon won the Astaire for Excellence in Choreography in Film for their breathtaking dances in 'Mao's Last Dancer' presented by Tony Award winner Bill Irwin. Legendary dancer, choreographer, teacher and founder of the National Dance Institute Jacques d'Amboise received the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award named for the late drama critic and co-founder of the Award with Fred Astaire. Following a major tribute in dance including a brilliant performance by NYCB's Russell Janzen of a piece from the ballet 'Who Cares' created by George Balanchine and first danced by d'Amboise; an exuberant performance of 'Shall We Dance' by d'Amboise's students at the National Dance Institute and praiseful introductions by Len Cariou, Charlotte & Christopher d'Amboise, Brian Stokes Mitchell presented the award to Mr. d'Amboise.

Patricia Watt, Executive Producer of the 2011 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, has announced the first group of Presenters for the 29th Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, In addition to Len Cariou and Brian Stokes Mitchell who will co-present the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary, dancer, choreographer, teacher and star of stage, film and television Jacques D'Amboise, additional presenters include Bill Irwin, Maurice Hines, Christine Andreas, Charlotte D'amboise, Christopher D'amboise and Karen Ziemba.

Seventy six years after its movie release, Top Hat will receive its world stage premiere at the Milton Keynes Theatre on 16 August 2011 where it opens for the start of an initial 17 UK week tour prior to an anticipated West End transfer in spring 2012.

American film's finest have confirmed their participation on the American Film Institute (AFI) Gala Benefit Committee honoring 39th Life Achievement Award recipient, Morgan Freeman.

Bonhams & Butterfields is pleased to present the Estate of well-known collectors and autograph dealers, Charles Williamson and Tucker Fleming, on April 20, 2011.

The high energy musical comedy Crazy for You closes April 17.

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards will once again recognize excellence in dance on both stage and film. This year's Awards gala will take place May 15,2011 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, 566 LaGuardia Place) New York City 10019.

El Complejo Teatral de Buenos Aires y la Fundación Cinemateca Argentina han organizado un ciclo denominado Ginger y Fred: retrospectiva integral, que se llevará a cabo del martes 19 de abril al miércoles 4 de mayo en la Sala Leopoldo Lugones del Teatro San Martín.

On this very day in 1943, Michael DiFiglia was born in Buffalo, New York, and the world of Broadway would simply never be the same. Cutting his teeth with the accomplished choreography for A JOYFUL NOISE, PROMISES, PROMISES, SEESAW and COCO was merely the beginning of a career that would virtually rewrite and revolutionize the ways and means by which a director could yield ultimate control over a project. With COMPANY and FOLLIES, the later co-directing with Hal Prince, Bennett solidified himself as one of the most talented and brilliant choreographers of his generation and, shortly thereafter, proved with A CHORUS LINE that he was a master theatrical engineer with few, if any, peers. Worldwide success, Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize were just the gravy. Who else but Michael Bennett would then, or ever, receive - or should I say, earn - the credit "Entire Production Conceived, Produced and Directed by," besides him? While BALLROOM failed to live up to A CHORUS LINE in mostly every way, he soon after reinvented the wheel yet again with DREAMGIRLS in 1981. We never got to see his productions of CHESS and SCANDAL, both of which he was in the latter stages of developing at the time of his death in 1988. Broadway has never been the same since he's been gone. So, today, on the day following a glittering new production of COMPANY at Lincoln Center - with the complete dance sequence "Tick Tock" fully restored, now with five dancers - we take a tip of the top hat to the tops in taps, temerity and truthfulness onstage - the one and only Michael Bennett.