Robert Osborne News

Academy Award nominees and presenters will be greeted on Oscar's red carpet on Sunday, February 22, by film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne, Academy President Sid Ganis announced today. Red carpet guest arrivals are expected to begin at approximately 3 p.m. PT and conclude at the start of the Oscar telecast at 5 p.m. PT.

Academy Award nominees and presenters will be greeted on Oscar's red carpet on Sunday, February 22, by film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne, Academy President Sid Ganis announced today. Red carpet guest arrivals are expected to begin at approximately 3 p.m. PT and conclude at the start of the Oscar telecast at 5 p.m. PT.

Music director Robert Spano and principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles announce 2009-10 season of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. This season will mark Orchestra's 65th anniversary season, the Youth Orchestra's 35th anniversary season, and Mr. Spano and Mr. Runnicles's ninth season. Culminating the season, the League of American Orchestras will host the 65th National Conference in Atlanta, which will also kick off the 10th Anniversary of the Atlanta School of Composers by featuring new works by the composers. Mr. Spano and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform five world premieres during the 2009-10 65th Anniversary Season, three of which are ASO commissions. Atlanta School of Composers Jennifer Higdon and Michael Gandolfi; Wynton Marsalis's American Symphony; Angel Lam's New Cello Concerto with Soloist Yo-Yo Ma; and Dejan Lazic's New Piano Arrangement of Brahms's Violin Concerto. The 2009/10 Season's guest artists and conductors to include: Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Midori, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Jon Kimura Parker, Leila Josefowicz, Garrick Ohlsson, Olli Mustonen, Robert Levin, Angela Brown. Kelley O'Connor, Vadim Repin, Ludovic Morlot, Roberto Abbado, Kristjan Jarvi, Hannu Lintu, Lathar Zagrosek, and many more. MR. SPANO TO LEAD ORCHESTRA IN FIVE WORLD PREMIERES DURING 65TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON Atlanta School of Composers Jennifer Higdon and Michael Gandolfi; Wynton Marsalis's American Symphony; Angel Lam's New Cello Concerto With Soloist Yo-Yo Ma; And Dejan Lazic's New Piano Arrangement of Brahms's Violin Concerto NEW WORKS BY JENNIFER HIGDON AND MICHAEL GANDOLFI TO BE RECORDED MR. SPANO TO LEAD ASO THEATER OF A CONCERT PERFORMANCE OF STRAVINSKY'S THE NIGHTINGALE MR. SPANO AND THE ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM AT CARNEGIE HALL, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 Program To Feature New York Premiere of Angel Lam's New Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma And Stravinsky's The Nightingale During Carnegie Hall's China Festival MR. RUNNICLES to lead ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and chorus in BRAHMS'S A GERMAN REQUIEM Mr. Runnicles and ASO Chorus Invited To Return to Berlin Philharmonic In December 2009 For Third Visit LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS AND CHORUS AMERICA TO HOST NATIONAL CONFERENCES IN ATLANTA, JUNE 2010 LAO 65th National Conference To Launch 10th Anniversary of Atlanta School of Composers And Feature Mr. Spano Leading the Orchestra in Works By Jennifer Higdon, Michael Gandolfi, and Christopher Theofanidis

Feinstein's at Loews Regency, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, will continue its 10th Anniversary season with the return of the club's founder Michael Feinstein for an exclusive engagement from December 2 - 30. Musical Director John Oddo will lead a 17-piece band featuring Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Jim Saporito on drums, and David Finck on bass.

Legendary stage veteran Julie Andrews will host 'The Gift of Music' with conductor Ian Fraser and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as part of the inaugural season of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, the Orchestra's the new 12,000-seat state-of-the-art facility located in Alpharetta, GA (north of Atlanta) on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. The night offers the gifts of music old and new - a selection of classic Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II compositions, several of which were performed, recorded, and made popular by Andrews during her illustrious career. The second half of the evening consists of the musical adaptation of Simeon's Gift, a best-selling children's book authored by Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton and exquisitely illustrated by Gennady Spirin. The show is performed by a cast including tenors Stephen R. Buntrock and Kevin Odekirk; sopranos Christiane Noll and Anne Runolfsson; and baritone Jubilant Sykes. Andrews' talent has enthralled audiences for many years through stage, screen, recordings, and books, in part because of her partnership with composers Rodgers and Hammerstein. Andrews and the ensemble perform some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most recognized repertoire including 'Getting to Know You' and 'There is Nothing Like a Dame,' as well as beloved classics from The Sound of Music and Cinderella. The evening will include nostalgic clips, vintage montages and beautiful illustrations by Spirin. In recent years Andrews has combined her passion of music with her advocacy of children's literacy and this pursuit resulted in the creation of The Julie Andrews Collection with her daughter. Simeon's Gift is one of the best-selling treasures in the collection, and this performance marks the East Coast debut of the adaptation consisting of Ian Fraser's brilliant compositions and John Bucchino's inspiring lyrics about a minstrel who finds his gift of life through music and kindness of others. With regard to Simeon's Gift, Ms. Andrews has said, 'Many of the books that my daughter Emma and I write together for our 'Julie Andrews Collection' publishing imprint pay tribute to the gifts of nature and the arts - and one in particular, 'Simeon's Gift,' is about music itself... so we were thrilled when we were invited to consider adapting the piece for the stage…. Truly, 'Simeon's Gift' has had a life all its own… and continues to bestow its 'gifts' on us.' Live On-Site Broadcast On May 10, 2008, Robert Spano and the Orchestra opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre with a Grand Opening and Inaugural Concert that introduced the public to America's newest outdoor venue. With this concert, the Atlanta Symphony continues the tradition of introducing members of the ASO to the audience with an evening-long live, on-site broadcast of the concert on large 15'x20' screens, which are permanently affixed on either side of the stage. The live feed will include a pre-concert show, as well as live intermission interviews with musicians from the Orchestra, and others involved behind-the-scenes to make ASO concerts happen at the new venue. The evening will be hosted by Scott Slade, host of Atlanta's Morning News on News/Talk 750 WSB. Top of the Lawn Pre-concert 'Top of the Lawn' events during this inaugural season will include ASO Insider Ken Meltzer taking his pre-concert conversations to the trees-lined lawn of the Amphitheatre prior to each Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert at the venue. Mr. Meltzer's conversations will take place on the Southeast corner of the lawn at 7:00 p.m. - the August 2 'Top of the Lawn' conversation will feature musicians from the Orchestra, and include a Q&A with the audience. Themed Cuisine Ovations, the on-site caterer for Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, will offer English cuisine in celebration of Julie Andrew's appearance for this concert. Concertgoers may pre-order a picnic basket (which serves two people) of a curry chicken, traditional English turnovers, and crisp apple strudel in advance of the concert, and enjoy 'favorite things' from the concessions, such as sugar cookies and cake, the night of the concert. Those with box seating and/or admission to the VIP Cadillac Club may choose to enjoy schnitzel and noodles for this performance. To pre-order a picnic basket, or to view the full menu available for each concert, visit the General Info/Food and Beverage section online at vzwamp.com. Future ASO Concerts at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park Remaining ASO concerts at the new venue include a performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Garrick Ohlsson and Mr. Spano on Friday, August 8, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., and a musical evening featuring Turner Classic movies, hosted by Robert Osborne and led by Richard Kauffman on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. On Thursday, August 14, 2008, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor and League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow Mei-Ann Chen will lead the Orchestra in a FREE ASO Connects performance at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park as part of the Starbucks Free Parks Concerts summer series. For more information, visit atlantasymphony.org.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film classic, The 39 Steps, will air on Turner Classic Movies on Monday, May 12th at 8:00PM,. TCM host Robert Osborne will introduce the film and discuss the hit Broadway production, Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS, which reopens tonight at the Cort Theatre.

'Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure' premieres Tuesday March 4 at 8PM on WLIW21 New York Public Television. For more information visit www.PBS.org

The New York City Gay Men's Chorus launched its 28th season with a brand new music director and a time-honored New York tradition: The New York City Gay Men's Chorus 2007 Holiday Spectacular at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday December 11 at 8PM.

Turner Classic Movies will welcome four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein on Monday, November 26, 2007 for their November 'Guest Programmer Month.' Beginning at 8PM (EST), Fierstein will join host Robert Osborne in conversation about some of his favorite films that TCM will air that evening. First up will be The Catered Affair, the MGM film on which Fierstein's new Broadway-bound musical, A Catered Affair, is partly based.

David Steiner's mammoth Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yards, the largest film studio on the East Coast was the setting for a salute to stage and screen legend Patricia Neal, Wall Street whiz Shirl Penney and The Count and Countess Alexandre de Lesseps. The 'Hooray For Hollywood' gala evening benefited The Auditory Oral School of New York, a non profit organization which specializes in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children to listen, talk, think and socialize.

Rolex presented 'Dance Rocks: An Electrifying Evening Of Entertainment'- Career Transition For Dancers, 22nd Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 29 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center

The Actors Fund's Annual Auction of 1000 Stars launches online June 11

Actress/singer Betty Hutton, who died Sunday, March 11 at age 86, will see her distinguished career celebrated with a four-movie block on Turner Classic Movies.

Marc Kudisch, Doug Sills, Rebecca Luker, George S. Irving and Max Von Essen will be among the stars taking part in the Shaw Project's Fanny's First Play on February 27th

Robert Osborne is the latest to lend his insights to the Afterwords discussions that follow the off-Broadway hit Orson's Shadow at the Barrow Street Theatre; Osborne will appear on June 22nd

The theatre talkback series Afterwords is presented each night after performances of Orson's Shadow at the Barrow Street Theatre

The 21st Annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), the longest continuously running AIDS benefit in the world, will celebrate the work of two great American composers-Marvin Hamlisch and Harry Warren-with a show called 'Two on the Aisle' on March 11, 12 and 13 at Cal State University Los Angeles' Luckman Fine Arts Complex.

The very first book to focus on the beloved icon's body of work, THE LIZA MINNELLI SCRAPBOOK from Citadel Press / Kensington Publishing Corp offers a vast treasure trove of momentos from a star's stellar career.

Last night, October 27, Career Transition For Dancers (CTFD) presented its 9th Annual Gala - GOTTA DANCE! A Dance Tribute to Hollywood at City Center. BroadwayWorld attended the gala as well as the dress rehearsal earlier in the day. The nostalgic evening honored and paid tribute to that wonderful era when some of the most superb in dance and choreography was immortalized on film.