Gerard Butler News

The Festival de Cannes celebrated Haiti: Carnival in Cannes last night, a benefit event on Thierry Fremaux's initiative presented by Giorgio Armani in support of Sean Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization

In honor of this week's US release of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL on DVD/Blu-ray - PHANTOM 25 for short - today we are focusing on the multitude of attributes that have made Andrew Lloyd Webber's unforgettable gothic musical the most successful entertainment of all time, now in its 25th year onstage and about to reach 10,000 performances on Broadway, where it is the reigning longest running show of all time. The gargantuan excitement generated by and the enthusiastic reception enjoyed by PHANTOM for audiences worldwide is unprecedented, yet, the new ultimate presentation of the show - PHANTOM 25 - is even more spectacular and thrilling than any iteration of PHANTOM on any stage or screen thus far. Bringing together the cast of a lifetime with the electricity of a live audience, the HD preservation of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL is positively peerless in its sleekness, precision and polish of presentation. Never before - not even in the vaunted hands and cords of original show stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford - has the show been this contemporary, sexual and hypnotizing. Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom brings a rawness and austerity to the role that commands attention and Sierra Boggess is, in a word, supreme, as the young ingenue under the Phantom's watchful musical tutelage. So, too, does Hadley Fraser's perfectly painted Raoul hit the right mark, as do the rest of the exceptional cast in their commitment to making clear-cut, strong and colorful impressions in their roles. The LED-enhanced set is an imaginative reworking of the designs by Maria Bjornson and the musical staging is smooth and assured thanks to original show choreographer Gillian Lynne. Yet, the star of PHANTOM 25 is, unquestionably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's rapturous, rich and enveloping score. Bringing together an impressive and inspired assortment of genres in creating the quintessential pop opera, Lloyd Webber employs elements of grand opera, opera bouffe, operetta and musical theatre, as well as incorporates a diverse range of musical styles - even a little heavy metal guitar in the title song, as we shall see (and hear). The score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's finest achievements and stands tall alongside his other classic scores for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, EVITA, CATS, SUNSET BOULEVARD among many other international hit shows. Indeed, the story and score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is so very complex and decadent as to allow for a continuation of the story, score, characters and overall themes in the form of the new musical, LOVE NEVER DIES, which premiered in a new version in Australia last year and whose story traces the relationship of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul from the end of the original show all the way from Paris to Coney Island ten years later where PHANTASMA is the show everyone must experience thanks to a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows beyond the carousel. In today's celebration of PHANTOM 25, we will take a look at the original music videos, the legendary Hal Prince production on Broadway and in the West End, the forthcoming LOVE NEVER DIES - coming to Fathom-equipped theaters nationwide later this month - all with a special spotlight on the most phantastic anniversary concert of all time, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.

Following the partnership on Ron Howard's RUSH, also to be released through Cross Creek's distribution deal with Universal Pictures, the first film being produced and financed under this new far reaching arrangement is the thriller A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES starring Liam Neeson (TAKEN).

BBC's THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW and THE THICK OF IT will return for American audiences this year. The eleventh season of THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW premieres tonight, April 28, 11:00pm ET/PT. THE THICK OF IT is set to premiere Saturday, April 29, 12:00am ET/PT. Both shows are featured as part of The Ministry of Laughs.

Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner David Strathairn (Dr. Austin Sloper) will join Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (Catherine Sloper) in the Tony Award®-winning play The Heiress. Written by Ruth Goetz & Augustus Goetz, The Heiress will be directed by Tony Award® nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman and will open in the Fall of 2012 at a theatre to be announced.

BBC America announced new seasons of shows set to air in April:

BBC has announced that THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW and THE THICK OF IT will return for American audiences this year. The eleventh season of THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW premieres Saturday, April 28, 11:00pm ET/PT. THE THICK OF IT is set to premiere Saturday, April 29, 12:00am ET/PT. Both shows are featured as part of The Ministry of Laughs.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will honor Jennifer Aniston with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 2012 in front of the W Hollywood Hotel at the famous corner of Hollywood and Vine.

Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue will join the cast of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, as a series regular, on the CBS Television Network. Her character will be introduced in an upcoming episode entitled 'Seeing Red', scheduled to air on Wednesday, February 15th.

Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue will join the cast of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, as a series regular, on the CBS Television Network. Her character will be introduced in the episode scheduled to air on Feb. 15, 2012.

Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue will join the cast of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, as a series regular, on the CBS Television Network. Her character will be introduced in the episode scheduled to air on Feb. 15, 2012.

Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue will join the cast of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, as a series regular, on the CBS Television Network. Her character will be introduced in tomorrow night's episode entitled 'Seeing Red'. Shue replaces CSI actress Marg Helgenberger who left the show after 12 years.

First time Actor(R) nominees Kyle Chandler, Judy Greer, Maya Rudolph and Octavia Spencer will be presenters at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R), Executive Producer Jeff Margolis announced today.

Tonight, January 15, the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be held in Beverly Hills. Presenters include a 'Who's Who' of the A-List, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Jane Lynch, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Downey Jr., Reese Witherspoon, Rob Lowe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Salma Hayek, Melissa McCarthy and Nicole Kidman.

NBC has released the schedule of upcoming guests on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO for the week of January 11th - 20th.

Acclaimed actress Jessica Chastain, winner of 2011 New York, Los Angeles and Chicago Film Critics and National Board of Review Awards and recently nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, will make her Broadway debut starring in the Tony Award®-winning play The Heiress.

Gerard Butler, Woody Harrelson, Rashida Jones, and Sofia Vergara were on hand to announce the nominees for the 2012 Golden Globes Awards this morning. The award ceremony will be held in Beverly Hills on January 15, 2012.

Judy Greer, currently starring opposite George Clooney in 'The Descendants,' and Regina King, star of TNT's critically acclaimed drama series 'Southland,' will announce the nominees for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R), Executive Producer Jeff Margolis announced today. SAG President Ken Howard will introduce Greer and King.

If only for originating the title role in the longest-running and most successful musical in world history - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - which is merely one of the many impossibly impressive moments in a fifty-year career that truly defies description - Michael Crawford is known and loved the world over. From the Broadway and West End stage to the concert stage; the recording studio to the movie studio; performing everywhere imaginable - he has conquered it all. In a resume-spanning conversation that takes us from Broadway to Hollywood and to the stage of the London Palladium where he is now starring as the eponymous WIZARD OF OZ in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new theatrical adaptation of the classic film, Crawford and I take a look back at his many notable stage roles - among them, BILLY, BARNUM, DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and, most recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE WOMAN IN WHITE - and he also generously shares stories and recollections of the esteemed figures he has collaborated with over the years, including Barbra Streisand, John Lennon, Oliver Reed, David Foster, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Sarah Brightman and many more! Additionally, Crawford shares his insightful opinions on the state of theatre today and how it has changed over the course of his decades spent in show business, as well as looks ahead to returning to the concert stage following his departure from THE WIZARD OF OZ in the West End in February. So, catch Crawford while you can - and your little dog, too!

Judy Greer, currently starring opposite George Clooney in 'The Descendants,' and Regina King, star of TNT's critically acclaimed drama series 'Southland,' will announce the nominees for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R), Executive Producer Jeff Margolis announced today. SAG President Ken Howard will introduce Greer and King.