Shirley MacLaine News

ITV and Carnival films have announced that stage and screen star Shirley MacLaine will be joining the cast of the PBS period drama DOWNTOWN ABBY for its third season.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts opens 2012 with the 1987 Off-Broadway comedy-drama Steel Magnolias. Written by Robert Harling, the play morphed into a movie of the same name in 1989. It runs for three weekends, Feb. 10-25, 2012.

Today we are honoring the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, which went on to win in the categories of Best Song and Best Score for Broadway's own Alan Menken and Howard Ashman - Disney's tale as old as time; the much-beloved and cherished BEAUTY & THE BEAST. Based on the French fairytale of its namesake, BEAUTY & THE BEAST was a landmark achievement in animated film and proved that Disney's previous animation renaissance mega-hit THE LITTLE MERMAID - also penned by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman - was much more than merely a fluke. A new age of animated film treated totally seriously by critics and audiences alike allowed for Disney to continue on with even more success in the following years with even bigger family-friendly hits like ALADDIN and THE LION KING. Yet, BEAUTY & THE BEAST is the most elegant and enrapturing of all Disney animated films from the last century and just may be the very finest of all their animated features that came to pass during that era of renewed interest in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Featuring the vocal talents of legendary stage and screen star Angela Lansbury - check out our extensive InDepth InterView for a few recollections about that experience here - as well as Broadway's own Paige O'Hara and TV/film notable Robby Benson - both of whom will be featured in extensive InDepth InterViews right here on BroadwayWorld next week. Beginning with a prologue and opening song sequence - "Belle" - to rank among the very best not only in film, but stage musicals, as well, BEAUTY & THE BEAST is a rich French country meal topped off by a dizzying array of aural, visual, emotional, comedic and dramatic treats. 'Belle' is merely the starter bread - or, should I say, pain. So, today, we pay tribute to BEAUTY & THE BEAST as it roars back to movie theaters nationwide, now in a diligently-recreated and astonishingly imagined brand new 3D realization. Before you go see all the stunning sights and sounds of the film itself, whether sampling the 3D version in your home 3D studio or out at the Cineplex, here we have some of the finest musical moments to delight in from the storied history of the immensely successful Disney classic in all three of its versions - original animated film, Broadway stage musical and 3D movie experience.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Saturday January 21, to the general public for William Shatner's Broadway show SHATNER'S WORLD: WE JUST LIVE IN IT at www.telecharge.com. Producers also announced the show's creative team and student ticket policy.

The New York Times reports today that a FINDING NEVERLAND musical has been greenlighted by The Weinstein Company for further development following successful readings in London last week. The project was last workshopped in New York this past spring and was scheduled to premiere at the La Jolla playhouse this fall. The Weinstein's pulled the project at the last minute (which was replaced at La Jolla by the Startford Festival's Jesus Christ Superstar, currently running) to develop further. Tony Award winner Rob Ashford helms the project, which has Broadway apsirations. The project marks the first musical on which the Weinstein company is lead producer.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present the world premiere of Mike Reiss' comedy I'm Connecticut, December 1 - 10 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs.

Kacey Ainsworth (Annelle), Isla Blair (M'Lynn), Cheryl Campbell (Ouiser), Cherie Lunghi (Clairee), Sadie Pickering (Shelby) and Denise Welch (Truvy) comprise the cast for the National Tour of Steel Magnolias, written by Robert Harling and directed by David Gilmore. Steel Magnolias is being produced by David Ian Productions.

It's always such a wonderful treat to witness a living legend speak candidly and honestly about their experiences, looking back fondly at a multi-decade career that few could even dare replicate. Orange County residents now have such an opportunity with none other than two-time Tony Award winning diva extraordinaire CHITA RIVERA, in a charming one-woman cabaret show titled 'Chita Rivera: My Broadway,' now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa through Sunday, November 13. Still spry, spunky, and jazz-kickin' at 78 years old, this pioneering Broadway superstar presents a bawdy, yet no-frills cabaret show that is not only chock-full of her memorable hits but is also peppered with lots of dishy details of her life in the theater.

Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park International has picked up international rights to Josh Radnor's LIBERAL ARTS. Radnor wrote, directed and stars in this light-hearted drama with an ensemble cast that includes Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney and Zac Efron. HPI's president Ruzanna Kegeyan will be spearheading sales on the project at the upcoming American Film Market.

Kacey Ainsworth (Annelle), Isla Blair (M'Lynn), Cheryl Campbell (Ouiser), Cherie Lunghi (Clairee), Sadie Pickering (Shelby) and Denise Welch (Truvy) comprise the cast for the National Tour of Steel Magnolias, written by Robert Harling and directed by David Gilmore.

Lyric, Oklahoma's leading professional theatre company, announces its 2012 Season, including XANADU (January 25- February 11); SPRING AWAKENING (March 28- April 14); BYE BYE BIRDIE (June 26-30); SWEET CHARITY (July 10-14); A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD (July 13-28), Irving Berlin's CALL ME MADAM (July 24-28); CHITA RIVERA: MY BROADWAY (August 7-11); THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP (October 10-27) and LYRIC'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, presented by Devon Energy (November 30- December 29).

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present the world premiere of Mike Reiss' comedy I'm Connecticut, December 1 - 10 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present the world premiere of Mike Reiss' comedy I'm Connecticut, December 1 - 10 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs.

According to Deadline.com, a remake of the 1989 movie 'Steel Magnolias' which was based on the 1987 play, is currently in the works. Lifetime is currently working with Broadway director Kenny Leon and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to recreate the classic film with an all-black cast.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, October 9, 2011 - Sunday, October 9, 2011.

Shirley MacLaine has been selected by the American Film Institute to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award, which will be presented to her at a gala tribute on June 7 in Los Angeles, according to Hollywood Reporter.

A dynamic lineup of stars - including a U.S. veteran, an NBA champion, a film and TV star, a TV host and journalist, a Grammy-nominated singer, a supermodel, a reality TV star, a showbiz legacy and activist, and a World Cup star -- will take the stage for the two-hour season premiere of 'Dancing with the Stars,' MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Rolex presents A HALLOWEEN THRILLER A Dance Celebration of Ghosts, Ghouls, Vampires & Wilis, - Career Transition For Dancers' 26th Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6th and 7th Ave) NYC.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, known for producing acclaimed, innovative and classic musicals and comedies, announces its 2012-2013 season featuring five glorious films brought to new life on stage.

A dynamic lineup of stars - including a U.S. veteran, an NBA champion, a film and TV star, a TV host and journalist, a Grammy-nominated singer, a supermodel, a reality TV star, a showbiz legacy and activist, and a World Cup star -- will take the stage for the two-hour season premiere of 'Dancing with the Stars,' MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.