Norman Lear News

The documentary John Leguizamo's Road To Broadway is among this year's Imagen Awards nominees. The NGL Studios documentary was produced by Bradley Kaplan and Jill Krikorian and directed by Ben DeJesus.

With The 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals taking place this upcoming weekend, Village Theatre is excited to announce the casting for XY, an uplifting musical about identity and coming to terms with your past; Cold Turkey, a wild and funny satire; Modern, an inspiring tale about a group of Amish teenagers; Eastbound, an poignant story about Chinese brothers in search of a home they've never known; and Cowboy Bob, an adventurous rock musical about a bank-robbing woman. The Festival will take place in Issaquah August 9-11, 2019 and provides an essential platform for writers to develop new works. Past Festival shows include Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning shows such as Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet, as well as Broadway and Off-Broadway hits: It Shoulda Been You, Desperate Measures, Lizzie, and many more.

ABC announced a dynamic upcoming lineup from the network's late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, today at the Television Critics Association event.  

 Today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS and THIRTEEN announced a new documentary about the EGOT-winning entertainer Rita Moreno, slated to premiere in 2020. AMERICAN MASTERS a?oeRita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided to Go For Ita?? (w.t.) is a partnership between THIRTEEN's AMERICAN MASTERS series and Norman Lear's Act III Productions in association with Maramara and executive producer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The 22nd Anniversary of the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) took place between July 12th – 18th, and included some of the best new short and feature-length independent movies anywhere, made by filmmakers from around the world - with a strong contingent of local Long Islanders showcased as well - all shown at the historic Bellmore Movies (222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore, NY  11710)

Kristen Schaal and Holland Taylor have joined the cast of Bill & Ted Face The Music. Schaal will play Kelly, a messenger from the future. Taylor is set to take on the role of The Great Leader, the most powerful person in the universe - the center of which is San Dimas, California, 700 years in the future. They join previously announced cast including Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, William Sadler, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, ("Kid Cudi"), Anthony Carrigan, Beck Bennett, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Amy Stoch, Hal Landon Jr. and Jillian Bell.

Village Theatre has announced the lineup for The 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals, a series of five staged readings of musicals currently in development. The Festival will take place in Issaquah August 9-11, 2019. Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals is the birthplace of Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning shows such as Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet, as well as Broadway and Off-Broadway hits: It Shoulda Been You, Desperate Measures, Lizzie, and many more.

With two nights of Democratic debate coverage and “America's Got Talent” ranking #1-2-3 in adults 18-49 and total viewers, NBC has won the primetime ratings week of June 24-30 in 18-49, viewers and every other key measure, according to “live plus same day” viewership figures from Nielsen Media Research.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 842 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. The 2019 class is 50% women, 29% people of color, and represents 59 countries. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2019.

Pop TV, now fully owned by CBS Corporation, announced today that the critically-acclaimed series ONE DAY AT A TIME will continue with a new 13-episode fourth season premiering in 2020. The Network shared the news amid fan campaigns rallying behind the series. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the fourth season of ONE DAY AT A TIME will air exclusively on Pop.

With the 22nd Anniversary of the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) happening July 12th – 18th, this year's schedule includes some of the best short and feature-length independent films from around the world, which will be shown at the historic Bellmore Movies (222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore, NY  11710)!

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, President and Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced that JESSE WILLIAMS will make his Broadway debut as Darren Lemming in the Broadway production ofRichard Greenberg's Tony Award-winning play, TAKE ME OUT. Directed by Scott Ellis, the production will begin previews April 2, 2020 and officially open on April 23, 2020 at Second Stage's Hayes Theater (240 West 44th street).

ABC (7.768 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1) got a boost on the final night of the May sweeps period with 'Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'' (10.360 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) followed by 'All About 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'' (7.928 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) and the season finale of 'Whiskey Cavalier' (3.799 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7).

ABC President Karey Burke announced today at the network's Upfront press conference that Jimmy Kimmel has agreed to a three-year contract extension, which will keep him on the network through a historic 20th season as host and executive producer of ABC's late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” One of the most respected voices in television, Kimmel has become a staple for the network not only for his work on the Emmy®-winning “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” but also for hosting “The Oscars®” twice, as well as “The Primetime Emmy Awards.” His annual appearance at the ABC Upfront presentation is a yearly highlight.

Kerry Washington joins “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons,'” the live sitcom special coming from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and television icon Norman Lear. Full cast and more info!

In advance of the 90-minute prime-time event “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons','' airing Wednesday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET on The ABC Television Network, getTV will air 30 all-time favorite episodes of the original groundbreaking 1970s comedy series every night May 13-17 beginning at 7 ET.  One of television's most popular and acclaimed series, “All in the Family” starred Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton as Archie and Edith Bunker, with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers as Mike and Gloria Stivic. The show originally aired from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979 and won 22 Emmy Awards out of 56 total nominations.

“Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'” adds even more star power to the highly anticipated live sitcom special coming from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and television icon Norman Lear. In this one-night-only event, Ike Barinholtz will recreate the role of Meathead; Sean Hayes will play Mr. Lorenzo; Amber Stevens West is set to play Jenny Willis Jefferson; Jovan Adepo will reenact the role of Lionel Jefferson; Anthony Anderson joins the cast as Uncle Henry; Stephen Tobolowsky is set to play Mr. Bentley; and Jackée Harry will play Diane Stockwell. The special, airing live WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-9:31 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, will take viewers down memory lane, recreating an original episode from each of the Emmy® Award-winning series “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.” This legendary night of television will be hosted by Lear and Kimmel, directed by 10-time Emmy winner James Burrows and produced by Sony Pictures Television.

The Juilliard School today announced that choreographer Alonzo King, actress Rita Moreno, and composer Kaija Saariaho will receive honorary doctorates during the school's 114th commencement ceremony

Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference, the premier film festival that champions the writers' contribution to film, television, and new media, is thrilled to announce David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as the recipients of the “Outstanding Television Writer” Award at the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival, October 24-31, 2019.

ABC's late-night host Jimmy Kimmel presents a live, 90-minute prime-time event in tribute to classic television sitcoms. “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'” teams Kimmel with television icon Norman Lear and executive producers Brent Miller, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Justin Theroux. This special, airing live WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-9:31 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, will take viewers down memory lane, recreating an original episode from each of the Emmy® Award-winning series “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.” This legendary night of television will be hosted by Lear and Kimmel, and directed by 10-time Emmy winner James Burrows.