Harry Connick, Jr. News

First Stage's 2011 Wine Dinner, featuring the wines, culture and cuisine of Argentina, will be held Friday, May 6, 2011 from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. at Westmoor Country Club located at 400 South Moorland Road in Brookfield.

First Stage Theater Academy's Young Company presents AN EVENING OF YOUNG COMPANY SHORTS with performances on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 and 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. in Milwaukee.

Two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank will induct Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer/musician/actor Harry Connick, Jr. into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame at this year's Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl, Friday, June 17, at 8:30 p.m.

From her creation of the pivotal roles of Susan in Marvin Hamlisch & Craig Carnelia's simply smashing (if underappreciated) SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and Clara in Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas's five-time Tony-winning THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, to her effortless essaying of two of the most beloved female roles in the musical theater canon, opposite two of the biggest leading men on Broadway - THE PAJAMA GAME with Harry Connick, Jr. and SOUTH PACIFIC with Matthew Morrison (and Paulo Szot) - in addition to her work in Frank Wildhorn's JEKYLL & HYDE and DRACULA, Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, along with her stunning studio albums - all of these are just some of the reasons why Kelli O'Hara is in a very special class of performers. In this all-encompassing conversation we discuss all of the aforementioned shows, as well as working with all of her fabulous co-stars and collaborators, and we also take a look at her recording studio work with Harry Connick, Jr. and take a look ahead to her sophomore solo album, ALWAYS which will be released on June 3. Plus, we have first news on her new roles in the musical versions of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, written by Jason Robert Brown, and FINDING NEVERLAND by Scott Frankel. We even have dish on working with Liza Minnelli and shooting SEX & THE CITY 2! This is all coming in anticipation of the tribute to Bob Hope at the NY Pops gala on May 2, which will also feature performances by Tom Wopat and Aaron Lazar - both of whom we will continue our SPOTLIGHT ON NY POPS series with later on this weekend. Don't miss them or a special presentation by theatre legend Angela Lansbury! Further information about the NY POPS event - including tickets - is available here.

Sadly, Reno Sweeney sent her regrets to William & Kate since she is unable to attend the Royal Wedding on Friday, April 29th. View her RSVP card!

First Stage's 2011 Wine Dinner, featuring the wines, culture and cuisine of Argentina, will be held Friday, May 6, 2011 from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. at Westmoor Country Club located at 400 South Moorland Road in Brookfield.

Two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank will induct Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer/musician/actor Harry Connick, Jr. into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame at this year's Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl, Friday, June 17, at 8:30 p.m. The evening also features an exclusive sneak preview of Cirque du Soleil's first resident production in Los Angeles, 'IRIS - A Journey Through the World of Cinema.' Seven-time Grammy-winning pop music superstar Gloria Estefan will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Both Connick, who made his Bowl debut in 1994, and Estefan, who first appeared at the Bowl in 1988*, are to perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins. Additional presenters and other special guests are to be announced.

Today we are talking to the internationally renowned recording superstar who is also known to theatre fans for her stint onstage in JEKYLL & HYDE - and for her brilliantly big Broadway belt - with a fantastic new album out now on Sony re-teaming with her frequent collaborator/composer/producer, Frank Wildhorn - the talented and alluring Ms. Linda Eder. In this all-encompassing conversation we discuss her many studio albums recorded over the last two decades, as well as her demo work on the countless Wildhorn musicals over the years and the future of those shows (HAVANA is coming!). We also look ahead to her own future and discuss what can be expected in her upcoming concert series promoting the new album NOW, which she will be performing songs from in her upcoming concert at Town Hall. A truly theatrical album featuring a spellbinding title song with lyrics by Tony-winner Maury Yeston, NOW is Eder at her best. Linda also shares the inspiration behind the new album and what the music of Wildhorn means to her - plus, of course, her favorite tracks and recollections of the studio sessions - plus, her equestrian endeavors and much, much more. NOW is available in stories, on Amazon and on iTunes, and further information about Linda's concert appearances - including her Town Hall concert - can be found at her official site here.

First Stage Theater Academy's Young Company presents AN EVENING OF YOUNG COMPANY SHORTS with performances on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 and 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. in Milwaukee.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced today that the legendary Chicago Theatre will celebrate its 90th anniversary this year. Constructed in October of 1921 as the flagship in a series of opulent movie houses, the famed venue's six-story high marquee remains one of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks today.

Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore and Film Independent Spirit Award-winner Patty Jenkins (Monster) have been signed to direct the Lifetime Original Movie Project Five, an anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people's lives.

Earlier today I had the extreme privilege of speaking to the most powerful man in the recording industry and one of the most accomplished and successful producers of the modern era, Simon Cowell, about his new reality competition show beginning in the US this September, THE X FACTOR, as well as his thoughts on Broadway in general, Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harry Connick, Jr. and much more. Though our time was expectedly limited given his impossibly busy schedule, Simon was kind enough to open up and talk about what aspects of musical theatre work in pop music and which do not and that good performances know no bounds, as well as elaborate on his past 'too Broadway' and 'too cabaret' AMERICAN IDOL criticisms and also share what his favorite movie musical is, among many other illustrative and interesting comments. Plus, will Mariah Carey be co-judging X FACTOR after all?

Today we are talking to Emmy and multi-Grammy-winning actor, musician and performer Harry Connick, Jr. about his new concert CD/DVD/Blu-Ray HARRY CONNICK, JR.: ON BROADWAY, in stores this week and premiering on PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES nationwide on Sunday. In this revealing two-part discussion encapsulating many of Harry's stage, film and concert memories - as well as anecdotes about working with friends and co-stars like Sandra Bullock, Hilary Swank and Renee Zellweger - we analyze the sights and sounds of his new concert album and DVD (which was filmed at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway last year) with central focus of the conversation being his passion for musical theatre music - as a musician, composer, performer and actor - and what the future holds for him on stages and screens large and small around the world. Of course, all of this is coming on the heels of the first news of Harry himself starring in the highly-awaited revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER on Broadway next year! All that and much, much more awaits in this extensive weekend triptych feature, so don't miss the special Harry-centric edition of FLASH FRIDAY for the full experience!

Grammy and Emmy Award winner, Tony Award nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Harry Connick, Jr. will star in a reimagined production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER opening fall 2011 on Broadway at a theatre to be announced. The delightful Tony Award nominated score by Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) is enhanced by classics from their film scores for On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and Royal Wedding (1951). With a new book by Peter Parnell based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical is reconceived and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. Further casting and creative team to be announced shortly.

Harry Connick Jr. will perform his new show, Your Songs In Concert, at the Michael & Susan Dell Hall at the Long Center on Mar. 26 at 8:00.

'Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway,' the Grammy Award-Winner's Return to Broadway Last Summer, to Air on THIRTEEN'S Great Performances Wednesday, March 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET on PBS. Check out a preview of his performnce below!

On Sunday December 12 Antony Field and Chip Smith presented a CD release party of their new Christmas CD You and Me on Christmas Eve @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. For fans of jazz and country inspired music, this one's for you! Field has a vocal sound along the lines of Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr. - a true gem of a singer with velvety smooth vocal chords - and musician Smith has an amazing versatility on keyboards, horn, sax and clarinet. Their 10 original Christmas songs have an easy-going, mellow sound perfect for a laid-back holiday evening by the fireside or sitting around a table with lots of friends and Christmas libation.

The new Christmas musical has special meaning for Timothy, who's in his second show this year directed by Casey Nicholaw.

Happy Holidays everyone! Come visit our Nation's Capital during the holiday season. It's such a beautiful time of the year here, with so many lights shimmering on the monuments, The Mall, and on The White House. As we await the first snow flakes, DC area theatres are chocked full of productions for the whole family filled with elves, reindeers, Santas, and Scrooges.

Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase will star in Bells Are Ringing, the first Encores! production of the New York City Center season, running November 18-21 at City Center. The cast also features Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Kaye, Brad Oscar and David Pittu. Bells Are Ringing, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall with music direction by Rob Berman, has music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.