Karen Akers News

Media titan Harvey Weinstein is eyeing Oscar success for his latest project, the big screen version of the muiscal NINE.

Celebrity news website Showbizspy.com has a brief chat with Oscar nominated screen siren Penelope Cruz on her role in the upcoming film adaptation of NINE. Cruz remarked that singing for the first time for the big screen was something she found to be a creative challenge.

The American Ballroom Theater Company (ABrT) is proud to announce its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance to benefit Dancing Classrooms, a not-for profit, arts-in-education program set up in 1994 to teach ballroom dancing in inner-city schools. By June 2008, under the leadership of ABrT's director, Pierre Dulaine, the program had been expanded to 230 New York City Public schools, teaching ballroom dancing to 30,000 students. The program has now also been replicated and is being implemented in 12 other national cities. Despite the economic climate and lower levels of participation in schools than originally projected due to shortage of education funding, ABrT is pushing forward with its mission and plans to roll out the program in Europe in 2009, starting in Geneva, Switzerland and Birmingham, England.

The American Ballroom Theater Company (ABrT) is proud to announce its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance to benefit Dancing Classrooms, a not-for profit, arts-in-education program set up in 1994 to teach ballroom dancing in inner-city schools. By June 2008, under the leadership of ABrT's director, Pierre Dulaine, the program had been expanded to 230 New York City Public schools, teaching ballroom dancing to 30,000 students. The program has now also been replicated and is being implemented in 12 other national cities. Despite the economic climate and lower levels of participation in schools than originally projected due to shortage of education funding, ABrT is pushing forward with its mission and plans to roll out the program in Europe in 2009, starting in Geneva, Switzerland and Birmingham, England.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, February 2, 2009.

Celebrity news website Putu.Us is featuring some new images of Nicole Kidman from the set of the film Nine, Kidman plays 'Claudia Graham' in the upcoming motion picture musical.

Celebrity news website Putu.Us is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show a new glimpse of sultry star Penelope Cruz as 'Carla' and new images of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. To see the Nine images click here.

The Siegels brought their acceptance-speechless awards ceremony back to Town Hall for a delightful sampling of the best nightlife New York has to offer.

Just Jared the celebrity news website is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show the first glimpse of Nicole Kidman as 'Claudia Graham' and new images of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. Daniel Day-Lewis replaced the previously attached Javier Bardem in the leading role of Guido Contini, Bardem left the project citing exhaustion. Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench star in the film as well.

On Monday, January 26 at 7 PM, the 7th Annual Nightlife Awards Concert took place at Town Hall. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were everywhere to bring you the excitement of the night! The Nightlife Awards are sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Thoroughbred Records, Jill & Irwin Cohen, The Edythe Kenner Foundation, Trattoria Dopo Teatro, Edith & Ervin Drake, Barbara & Peter Leavy, Ghostlight Records, Steve Ernst, Lynn DiMenna, Jamie DeRoy & Friends, Fred Landau, Stuart E. Bloom & Robert L. Aaron: Lightstyles, LLC.

On Monday, January 26 at 7 PM, the 7th Annual Nightlife Awards Concert took place at Town Hall. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there for the starry event! The Nightlife Awards are sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Thoroughbred Records, Jill & Irwin Cohen, The Edythe Kenner Foundation, Trattoria Dopo Teatro, Edith & Ervin Drake, Barbara & Peter Leavy, Ghostlight Records, Steve Ernst, Lynn DiMenna, Jamie DeRoy & Friends, Fred Landau, Stuart E. Bloom & Robert L. Aaron: Lightstyles, LLC.

Celebrity news website is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show the first glimpse of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. To see the Nine images click here. Daniel Day-Lewis replaced the previously attached Javier Bardem in the leading role of Guido Contini, Bardem left the project citing exhaustion. Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench star in the film as well. Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and is based off of Fredrico Fellini's movie 8 1/2. The play tells the story of a young film maker living in Venice trying to juggle all of the women in his life.

It was announced today that the award-winning comedienne Judy Gold would, for the first time, host the Nightlife Awards, which takes place on Monday, January 26th at 7 PM at The Town Hall. Also announced was Nightlife Legend Honoree Karen Akers who will, as trumpeted by the Nightlife Awards, make no acceptance speech but, instead, perform! And yet another winner has been found and agreed to come to Town Hall to perform: Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra (Outstanding Jazz Combo). Also announced today were guest stars Keith Carradine and Jim Caruso. So far, eleven of the thirteen award categories will be represented with a performance by their winners! Among those previously announced winners slated to perform are Christine Ebersole & Billy Stritch, Marilyn Maye, Mike Birbiglia, Freddy Cole, Helen Baldassare, Allan Harris, Baby Jane Dexter, Brandon Cutrell, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Daryl Glenn and Jo Lynn Burks. Among the previously announced guest stars that will be performing are Stephanie J. Block, Larry Gatlin, Euan Morton, Noah Racey and The New York Tap Ensemble. And more soon to be announced!

On Monday, January 26 at 7 PM, the 7th Annual Nightlife Awards Concert, hailed as 'The Nightclub World's Equivalent of the Tony's' by Stephen Holden of the New York Times, returns once again with the most -- and the best -- entertainment of any awards show in the world. The reason is simple: there are no acceptance speeches at The Nightlife Awards.

Aussie news website LiveNews had a brief chat with NINE film star Penelope Cruz, and the sulty star admitted that performing the classic 'A Call From the Vatican' number from the show and sure to be a highlight in the film version, left her blistered and bruised-but she loved doing it!The song required the actress to perform a rope routine and the stunt left her worried she would lose her grip and fall. Cruz explained to the site 'When something like that happens, you just have to keep going and forget about any physical pain. I was dancing in the dark with one spotlight on me, so I had to be extremely alert and focused. 'There were other things to think about, so I was not in pain while dancing - I was just praying not to fall!'

It was announced today that the award-winning comedienne Judy Gold would, for the first time, host the Nightlife Awards, which takes place on Monday, January 26th at 7 PM at The Town Hall. Also announced was Nightlife Legend Honoree Karen Akers who will, as trumpeted by the Nightlife Awards, make no acceptance speech but, instead, perform! And yet another winner has been found and agreed to come to Town Hall to perform: Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra (Outstanding Jazz Combo). Also announced today were guest stars Keith Carradine and Jim Caruso. So far, eleven of the thirteen award categories will be represented with a performance by their winners! Among those previously announced winners slated to perform are Christine Ebersole & Billy Stritch, Marilyn Maye, Mike Birbiglia, Freddy Cole, Helen Baldassare, Allan Harris, Baby Jane Dexter, Brandon Cutrell, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Daryl Glenn and Jo Lynn Burks. Among the previously announced guest stars that will be performing are Stephanie J. Block, Larry Gatlin, Euan Morton, Noah Racey and The New York Tap Ensemble. And more soon to be announced!

Film and stage superstar Nicole Kidman was featured on 'The View' this morning, Friday, December 26th, at 11am on the ABC television network. Kidman discussed a number of topics, including the upcoming Rob Marshall directed big screen transfer of the stage hit NINE.

On Monday, January 26 at 7 PM, the 7th Annual Nightlife Awards Concert, hailed as 'The Nightclub World's Equivalent of the Tony's' by Stephen Holden of the New York Times, returns once again with the most -- and the best -- entertainment of any awards show in the world. The reason is simple: there are no acceptance speeches at The Nightlife Awards.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director), in association with Marc Platt, presents Stockard Channing (Vera Simpson), Matthew Risch (Joey Evans) and Martha Plimpton (Gladys Bumps) in a new Broadway production of Pal Joey with Robert Clohessy (Mike), Jenny Fellner (Linda English), Daniel Marcus (Ludlow Lowell), Steven Skybell (Ernest), Timothy J. Alex, Brian Barry, Kurt Froman, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, Lisa Gajda, Anthony Holds, Nadine Isenegger, Mark Morettini, Kathryn Mowat Murphy, Abbey O'Brien, Hayley Podschun, Krista Saab and Eric Sciotto. The Roundabout celebrated the production with a festive performance and cast party. We sent in our BroadwayWorld.com photographer to greet the starry crowd that came to cheer the company on!

The 19th Annual Cabaret Convention will be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.