Phyllis Newman News

Broadway's cuddliest friends kicked off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. BroadwayWorld's cameras joined the fun and the caught bidding of the bears!

Broadway lovers and teddy bear collectors came together on Sunday, February 15, at the BROADWAY BEARS XII auction, which raised a grand total of $152,116! The event was hosted by Bryan Batt with Lorna Kelly reprising her role as auctioneer. Forty specially made BROADWAY BEARS ? each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing the theater?s most legendary characters - were auctioned to the highest bidder in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Last year?s BROADWAY BEARS raised $130,878 and the grand total for all 12 Broadway Bears auctions is $1,644,077.18 with over 500 bears auctioned.

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st Street). Featured in the star-studded evening are performers from stage & screen - all to benefit equal right organizations including: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality, and The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force.

Broadway's cuddliest friends kicked off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater?s most legendary performers and/or performances ? will be put up for auction. Once again this year's BROADWAY BEARS will be hosted by Bryan Batt ('Mad Men,' La Cage Aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast, Jeffrey) with long-time Sotheby's auctioneer, Lorna Kelly.

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, today its time to go 'Ogre' the moon with the SHREK bear!

The 92nd Street Y continues its 2009 season of Lyrics & Lyricists, the Y's legendary American Songbook series, with It Started with a Dream, an evening with David Zippel (Shows: City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl, The Woman in White, Pamela's First Musical. Films: Mulan, Hercules). The 92nd Street Y has made a block of tickets available for BC/EFA supporters. Each ticket purchased through BC/EFA will include an exclusive and intimate post-performance wine and cheese reception with Mr. Zippel and the evening's performers.

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, today we take you 'under the sea' with the 'Broadway Bear' from THE LITTLE MERMAID

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st Street).

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, today we introduce you to the freestylin' 'Broadway Bear' from IN THE HEIGHTS!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, you 'can't stop the beat' with the 'Broadway Bear' from HAIRSPRAY!

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, so it is time to 'sing out' with the 'Broadway Bear' from GYPSY!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, so prepare to 'take flight' with the 'Broadway Bear' from BOEING-BOEING!

Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, get ready to go 'all over the world' with the 'Broadway Bear' from XANADU!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction.

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the Gershwin Theatre

Will Ferrell's new one-man show You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush opened on Broadway last night, Thursday February 5th, 2009. BroadwayWorld was there as the big screen comic made his mark on the Great White Way!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater?s most legendary performers and/or performances ? will be put up for auction. Once again this year's BROADWAY BEARS will be hosted by Bryan Batt ('Mad Men,' La Cage Aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast, Jeffrey) with long-time Sotheby's auctioneer, Lorna Kelly.

The 92nd Street Y continues the 2009 season of Lyrics & Lyricists with DAVID ZIPPEL as host and artistic director of It Started with a Dream, February 21-23. Subtitled David Zippel - Lyrics He Wrote, Lyrics He Wishes He Wrote, the Tony award-winning, Oscar-nominated lyricist of City of Angels and Disney's animated Hercules and Mulan, presents highlights from his own scores and shares his inspirations and personal favorites from the American Songbook. The show features an all-Broadway cast, including vocalists KATE BALDWIN (Wonderful Town, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Full Monty), KEVIN EARLEY (A Tale of Two Cities, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Les Mis?rables), Tony Award-winner DEBBIE GRAVITTE (Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Chicago, Les Mis?rables), DANNY GURWIN (Little Women, Urinetown, The Full Monty), and Tony Award-winner LILLIAS WHITE (The Life, Dreamgirls, and. the voice of 'Calliope' in Hercules). One of the most acclaimed and sought-after lyricists working today, David Zippel's other credits include the Broadway musical The Goodbye Girl (written with Marvin Hamlisch and Neil Simon), The Woman in White (with Andrew Lloyd Webber, for which Zippel won another Tony nomination) and the musical stage version of Wendy Wasserstein's bestselling children's book, Pamela's First Musical, written with Wasserstein and City of Angels collaborator Cy Coleman. Series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer, in her first season at the helm, notes that this is the first time in over 25 years that L&L will devote an entire show to a contemporary Broadway songwriter at the height of his career--a return to the spirit in which L&L was founded, with the living lyricist as an active participant.

In celebration of the 5th anniversary of their annual 'ABC and SOAPnet Salute Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS' event, the producers of this popular benefit are offering a special gift to thank fans for their loyal support of this event over the past five years. For the month of January, the first 50 ticket buyers for this year's event will receive the '2009 ABC Hot Guys of Daytime' calendar free. The show, which is part of The Soap Nation Tour, will be held on Monday, March 9th at Town Hall in New York City at 8:00p.m. Tickets, sponsorship opportunities and new online contests are available by visiting www.broadwaycares.org. The annual 'ABC Hot Guys of Daytime Calendar' features 16 months of the hottest hunks from ALL MY CHILDREN, ONE LIFE TO LIFE, and GENERAL HOSPITAL and is a 'must have' for all ABC soap fans. The hunks on display in this year's calendar are: AMC's Cameron Mathison (Ryan), Thorsten Kaye (Zach), and Aiden Turner (Aidan), GH's Maurice Benard (Sonny), Bradford Andersen (Spinelli), Steve Burton (Jason), Jason Thompson (Patrick), Brandon Barash (Johnny), and Greg Vaughan (Lucky), and OLTL's Kamar De Los Reyes (Antonio), John Brotherton (Jared), and Trevor St. John (Todd)! Susan Lucci will headline the 5th annual 'ABC and SOAPnet Salute Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS'with previously announced co-star and host Cameron Mathison. Talent confirmed to participate, include: Melissa Claire Egan, Bobbie Eakes, Ricky Paull Goldin, Vincent Irizarry, Chrishell Stause, Aiden Turner, Darnell Williams, Walt Willey and Jacob Young from 'All My Children.' Kristen Alderson, BethAnn Bonner, Kathy Brier, Scott Clifton, Kassie DePaiva, Mark Lawson, Hillary B. Smith, Jason Tam and Brittany Underwood from 'One Life to Live' and Bradford Anderson, Anthony Geary and Kimberly McCullough from 'General Hospital.' Additional cast and special guest stars to be announced at a later date. Talent participation is subject to change.