Natalie Portman News

Usdan Center For the Creative and Performing Arts, one of America's largest not-for-profit summer arts camps, whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Seth Rudetsky, Mariah Carey, Jordan Leeds, Lisa Gay Hamilton, jazz singer Jane Monheit and other performers, and which was named a "Best Of Classes and Camps for 2010" by TimeOutNY/Kids, is now preparing an array of new programs and calendar options for the summer of 2011, Usdan's 44th season.

Bay Area Cabaret audiences will get a first look at the national tour concert ADAM & ANTHONY LIVE starring Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. After 15 years of friendship and co-starring roles in Jonathan Larsen's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent, these two iconic Broadway stars are coming together to bring fans what they've been waiting for: an up-close-and-personal concert featuring their individual work as well as fan-favorite numbers from the production that rocketed them to international stardom. The concert plays one night only 7pm, Sunday, November 21, 2010 in the Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco. For tickets ($20 students under 21/ $35 subscribers / $40 general) call City Box Office (415) 392-4400 or visit www.bayareacabaret.org. A limited number of attendees will be treated to a post-show party with the artists. For reservations ($75) to the post-show party, call Bay Area Cabaret at 415-927-4636.

According to EW.com, Meryl Streep is set to guest star again on Web Therapy, an online series by Lisa Kudrow.

Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts in America, announces its annual National Arts Awards honorees. The awards recognize those artists and arts leaders who exhibit exemplary national leadership and whose work demonstrates extraordinary artistic achievement. They are individuals-artists, business leaders and patrons-who understand the arts enrich people and communities alike.

Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts in America, announces its annual National Arts Awards honorees. The awards recognize those artists and arts leaders who exhibit exemplary national leadership and whose work demonstrates extraordinary artistic achievement. They are individuals-artists, business leaders and patrons-who understand the arts enrich people and communities alike. The National Arts Awards were presented on October 18th in New York City as part of National Arts and Humanities Month.

Livejournal.com reports today that Leonardo DiCaprio, Toby McGuire and Rebecca Hall led a workshop of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby remake in the roles of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and Daisy Buchanan, respectively. The roles were last made famous on screen by Robert Redford, Sam Waterston and Mia Farrow in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation, directed by Jack Clayton. Luhrmann is co-writing this new adaptation alongside Craig Pearce. Luhrmann, of course, will also direct.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival, HOWMusical Inc., and DiStar Productions/Diana Glazer are pleased to announce the world premiere production of Deborah Abramson, Amanda Yesnowitz and Chip Zien's THE HISTORY OF WAR, with Brian Usifer as musical director, Darren Lee as choreographer, and directed by Nick Corley.

Morgan Freeman has been selected by the American Film Institute's (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film, it was announced today by Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival, HOWMusical Inc., and DiStar Productions/Diana Glazer are pleased to announce the world premiere production of Deborah Abramson, Amanda Yesnowitz and Chip Zien's THE HISTORY OF WAR, with Brian Usifer as musical director, Darren Lee as choreographer, and directed by Nick Corley.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival, HOWMusical Inc., and DiStar Productions/Diana Glazer are pleased to announce the world premiere production of Deborah Abramson, Amanda Yesnowitz and Chip Zien's THE HISTORY OF WAR, with Brian Usifer as musical director, Darren Lee as choreographer, and directed by Nick Corley.

Usdan Center For the Creative and Performing Arts, one of America's largest not-for-profit summer arts camps, whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Seth Rudetsky, Mariah Carey, Jordan Leeds, Lisa Gay Hamilton, jazz singer Jane Monheit and other performers, and which was named a "Best Of Classes and Camps for 2010" by TimeOutNY/Kids, is now preparing an array of new programs and calendar options for the summer of 2011, Usdan's 44th season.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival, HOWMusical Inc., and DiStar Productions/Diana Glazer are pleased to announce the world premiere production of Deborah Abramson, Amanda Yesnowitz and Chip Zien's THE HISTORY OF WAR, with Brian Usifer as musical director, Darren Lee as choreographer, and directed by Nick Corley.

BroadwayWorld.com has learned from a Broadway insider that in talks to join the film alongside Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are none other than Jack Nicholson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Mary Louise Parker. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), The Players Theatre and Back Stage present the industry panel From Table Reading to Tony Award: A Long Way to Memphis on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 3rd Floor Loft Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.

Arrogant, washed-up big league pitcher Kenny Powers thought he'd scored a shot at a comeback in the majors, but the offer turned out to be bogus. Now, having left his North Carolina life behind, he's making a fresh start in a small Mexican town, where he can both nurse his wounds and bless the locals with his awesomeness. EASTBOUND & DOWN kicks off its seven-episode second season SUNDAY, SEPT. 26 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), with other new episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time.

Puppetmongers' winter holiday performances have been a tradition for families and theatre-goers in Toronto since 1990.

Actresses Indira Varma and Janet Montgomery are joining the cast of HUMAN TARGET when the series begins its second season Friday, Sept. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Writer Mark Heyman, actress Winona Ryder, actress Barbara Hershey, actor Vincent Cassel, actress Natalie Portman and director Darren Aronofsky attended the 35th Toronto International Film Festival Press Conference for BLACK SWAN at the Hyatt Hotel on September 14, 2010 in Toronto, Canada.

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced fifteen galas and thirty-five special presentations (twenty-five of them world premieres) for this year's festival. Performers in the films include Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Aamir Khan, Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, Colin Firth, Juliette Lewis, James McAvoy, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Edward Norton, Christopher Plummer, Natalie Portman, Om Puri, Ryan Reynolds, Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan and Hilary Swank, while filmmakers include Robert Redford, Michael Winterbottom, Guillaume Canet, John Cameron Mitchell, Kiran Rao, Mike Mills, Andrucha Waddington, Woody Allen, Sylvain Chomet, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Tran Anh Hung, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mike Leigh, Julian Schnabel and Im Sang-Soo.

BroadwayWorld.com first reported back on August 20th that Ruthless! - The Musical may possibly be headed back to the stage in a new production, if a reading scheduled for September goes well as directed by Jason Moore and produced by Darren Bagert. A casting call had been issued for the lead role of the 'bad seed' child-showbiz terror - Tina. We've now learned that set for the reading are Betty Buckley as Sylvia St. Croix/Ruth DelMarco, Tovah Feldshuh as Lita Encore and Leslie Kritzer as Judy Denmark/Ginger Del Marco.