Lucille Ball News

Happy Birthday, Robert Preston! best remembered for his performance as 'Professor' Harold Hill in Meredith Willson's musical The Music Man (1962). He had already won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production, in 1957. In 1965 he was the male part of a duo-lead musical, I Do! I Do! with Mary Martin, for which he won his second Tony Award. He played the title role in the musical Ben Franklin in Paris and originated the role of Henry II in the original production of The Lion in Winter. In 1974 he starred alongside Bernadette Peters in Jerry Herman's Broadway musical Mack & Mabel as Mack Sennett, the famous silent film director. That same year (1974) the film version of Mame, another famed Jerry Herman musical, was released with Preston starring, alongside Lucille Ball, in the role of Beauregard Burnside.

Center Theatre Group will host a special event featuring a screening of "Grey Gardens," the 1975 classic documentary, followed by a conversation with Betty Buckley, Rachel York and Michael Wilson - the stars and director of the upcoming Ahmanson Theatre production of the Tony Award-nominated "Grey Gardens" The Musical.

Gary DiMauro, Therese Steiner, and Showstoppers NY present a special engagement of I LOVED LUCY, Lee Tannen's loving and candid play about his friendship with Lucille Ball, on Thursday, July 21 at 8pm at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). Direct from the play's critically acclaimed London premiere at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Sandra Dickinson reprises her celebrated performance as Lucy. Jermyn Street Theatre's Artistic Director Anthony Biggs is set to direct.

In their inaugural collaboration with Clifton's Cafeteria, Creating Arts Studios has produced THE CLIFTON'S CANTEEN, a fitting and entertaining tribute to and for our servicemen and servicewomen during Memorial Weekend. Patterned after a USO show, each member of the troupe played a famous celebrity of the 1940s (save for the vocally gifted Lee Marshall and Jason Cichon as Army Guy Lee and Army Guy Jason).

Last night The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation handed out the 41st Annual Gracie Awards to a packed house at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

NEW I LOVE LUCY SUPERSTAR SPECIAL, a new one-hour special featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the 1950s series, to be broadcast tonight, May 22 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

?Shake combines Becky Lou's unique brand of burlesque, sumptuous striptease and irreverent physical comedy, with stories from her life. Having gleefully danced nude all over the world, she is incongruously shy about sharing her voice… Shake runs from June 9-19, part of the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Contains some nudity- for ages 18+.

She's a legendary comedienne. She has been given some of the most prestigious honors in the industry, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, Television Hall of Fame, and many more. And she's touring to theatres across the US for an intimate night of conversation with local audiences.

The National Comedy Center has acquired the archives of George Carlin. The acquisition was announced last night by the comedian's daughter, Kelly Carlin, at a private event in New York hosted by the Comedy Center.

NEW I LOVE LUCY SUPERSTAR SPECIAL, a new one-hour special featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the 1950s series, to be broadcast Friday, May 20 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Last night Mercedes Ellington granddaughter of Duke Ellington and president and founder of The Duke Ellington Center For The Arts along with co-producer Judi Marks hosted a Triple Threat musical celebration at the legendary Friars Club.  It was a special evening that featured performances of the music of the three giants of Jazz and BroadwayWorld was there.

NEW I LOVE LUCY SUPERSTAR SPECIAL, a new one-hour special featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the 1950s series, to be broadcast Sunday, May 22 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

When people hear the name Marie Osmond, they conjure up visions of a squeaky clean lifestyle and big teeth. But, when you look beyond the superficial aspect, you see someone who has spent her entire life in show business rubbing elbows with such greats as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Lucille Ball. In recording her new album Osmond stated on her website, marieosmond.com, “I'm singing, with all my heart and soul. That's why this album is so special for me; each song has its own story and its own personal meaning. I hope you will find your connection and meaning in each song as well.”

JAMESTOWN, N.Y., April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ National Comedy Center, Inc., the first cultural institution dedicated entirely to the celebration of comedy,announces the lineup for the 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, August 47, in Jamestown, NY. Headlining this year's festival is Comedy Central's 'Daily Show' host Trevor Noah, the king of the rant Lewis Black, and one of this country's premier comedians, Brian Regan. Festival highlights also include a moderated discussion with the Farrelly Brothers and Kliph Nesteroff, the critically-acclaimed Story Pirates kids-comedy troupe, and Comedy Late Night.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced today the winners of our country's two largest prizes for composers of vocal music: the Charles Ives Opera Prize of $50,000 and the Virgil Thomson Award of $40,000.

Tonight, April 7, 2016, MY MOTHER, MY SISTER & ME, Sherri Heller's world-class comedy about an indestructible working-class Jewish family in the Bronx, valiantly surviving the Sixties Cultural Revolution, will have its World Premiere at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum (6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ).

After a phenomenally successful London premiere last month, Lee Tannen's incredibly personal play, I LOVED LUCY, a bitter-sweet memoir that reveals the real life Lucille Ball and what it was like being her friend to the end, is to return to Jermyn Street Theatre for a further 3-week season.

The company's producing artistic director Saima Huq will take on the role of Eliza/Elijah.

Full program and tickets are on sale to subscribers from Sunday 3 April and the general public from Wednesday 6 April through BASS 131 246 or online www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au Program details are available in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival brochure, get one free by calling BASS 131 246 or log onto the Cabaret Festival website.