Simmons News

SONS OF ANARCHY's Drea de Mateo is headed to MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Drawing humor from real-life experiences, Bill Bellamy brings his clever comic routine to the Suncoast Showroom on March 6 and 7.

Harlem's Fashion Row (HFR) presented Style Beat, its first-ever West Coast event during Grammy Awards weekend in Los Angeles. The glamorous daytime affair took place on Friday, February 6th at a luxurious Beverly Hills estate. HFR is a unique movement founded to increase diversity in fashion by producing events to educate, stimulate, and advance opportunities for emerging designers of color. Collections by four talented and diverse fashion designers were showcased to a select group of 250 tastemakers. The featured designers were the legendary L.A.-based designer Kevan Hall, custom menswear designerWaraire Boswell, and emerging designers, Joseph Bethune and 'Project Runway' finalist Kimberly Goldson.

A six-foot rabbit is not something that goes unnoticed. That is, unless it also happens to be invisible. Despite the fact that Elwood P. Dowd is the only man who sees him, Harvey is certainly a very large presence at the Arvada Center.

Kokandy Productions will open its 2015 season with the hilarious and heartfelt musical comedy THE FULL MONTY with music and lyrics by David Yazbek, book by Terrence McNally, direction by Co-Artistic Director John D. Glover, choreography by Danny Spagnuolo and music direction by Resident Music Director Kory Danielson. THE FULL MONTY will play March 10 - April 12, 2015 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.kokandyproductions.com, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening is Thursday, March 12 at 8 pm.

The Mercer County arts community came out in force to view the rich and varied works of fellow artists at the Awards Ceremony and Opening Reception for “Mercer County Artists 2015” on February 4. The exhibit is on display through February 27 at the Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC), located on the second floor of the Communications Building on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

Remember when English-born pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey) became a huge international sensation in the 60s after his number one hit 'Release Me' followed by 'There Goes My Everything'? His handsome looks and laid-back style made him ever so popular with female fans. Well, he's still singing with a new album of duets called ENGELBERT CALLING, and he will be appearing for one night only at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills February 20. With so many duet albums on the market today, why did you decide to do one as well?

Gina D'Arco and Taylor Novak will lead the cast of William Inge's Picnic, in a revival of the classic play helmed by Jeffrey Ellis, for Nashville's Circle Players, which this season celebrates its 65th year of bringing live theater to audiences throughout Middle Tennessee. Picnic will run March 27 through April 4, and will be performed at the theater at Hillsboro High School.

At the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards 2015, presented in London on February 8, BOYHOOD won best film, GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL took home five awards, and more. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below!

The Fox Performing Arts Center (Fox PAC), in Riverside, will host the rollicking musical MEMPHIS, winner of the 2010 Best Musical Tony Award. The show features a Tony winning score by Bon Jovi's founding member and keyboardist David Bryan, lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and book by Joe DiPietro. MEMPHIS will play three performances at Fox PAC, on Friday and Saturday, February 13th and 14th. The story focuses on the music scene in the 1950's south as Huey Calhoun, a white, illiterate DJ, struggles to introduce musical styles previously enjoyed only by black people to his white radio audience.

The winners of the '46th NAACP Image Awards' were announced last night during the live broadcast from Pasadena Civic Auditorium which aired on TV One (9-11 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed). The two-hour live special was hosted by Anthony Anderson. There was a one-hour live pre-show from the red carpet hosted by Kevin Frazier and Shaun Robinson. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

ROCKWELL Table and Stage, L.A.'s premier spot for extraordinary entertainment and dining is thrilled to announce the world premiere of an unbeatable couple, William Shakespeare meets Pat Benatar in the rock spectacle, ROMEO & JULIET: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD, produced by Kate Pazakis, with musical direction by Brad Hooks, choreography by Chris Downey and written & directed by Bradley Bredeweg & Kelley Parker.

IGN has debuted the first trailer for MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.'s midseason return, airing March 3 on ABC. Check it out below!

Earl A. Powell III, director, and Franklin Kelly, deputy director and chief curator, National Gallery of Art, announced today that 6,430 works of art have been selected initially from more than 17,000 Corcoran works in the Gallery's custody to join the nation's collection of European and American art. As curators continue to review the collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the newly accessioned objects will have an immediate impact across NGA's collections and will be particularly transformative for its holdings of American art in all media.

According to Deadline, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE's Luke Mitchell has joined the cast of Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC.

'The Quiet Room' has been nominated for The Eric Hoffer Award for Independent Books in the category of General Fiction for 2015. Deeds Publishing is proud to announce 'The Quiet Room' (Deeds Publishing, 2013) by Deeds author Rona Simmons has been nominated for the The Eric Hoffer Award for 2015. Each year, the award celebrates the best books in a wide variety of categories published by academic, self published, and small presses. As a platform to honor independent books of exceptional merit, The Eric Hoffer Award has grown in prominence since its founding at the start of the 21st century to honor freethinking writers and independent books of exceptional merit. The Eric Hoffer Award believes despite the Information Age in which we live and work, many books of merit receive little recognition and are blocked from wider circulation. Powerful writing is often barred from publication or buried alive on the Internet and many of the top literary prizes will not consider independent books. The Eric Hoffer Award is a platform for and the champion of the independent voice, consistent with the goals and aspirations of Deeds Publishing. We are delighted to have 'The Quiet Room' by Rona Simmons to represent the broad array of Deeds Publishing authors for 2015,' said Jan Babcock, Vice President and Director of Marketing at Deeds Publishing. About the Eric Hoffer Book Awards - The Eric Hoffer Award is now in its tenth year. An independent panel assesses nominations and winners are covered in the US Review of Books and published in the anthology Best New Writing while also receiving worldwide media exposure. The Eric Hoffer Award is more than just an honor; it is recognition for a job well done and provides a high-profile opportunity for authors to engage with writers groups, readers, and the media. After the awards, books submitted for consideration are contributed to libraries, schools, and hospitals where appropriate. More information about The Eric Hoffer Award is available on the organization's website: www.hofferaward.com. Title The Quiet Room AUTHOR Rona Simmons ISBN 978-1-937565-91-6, 268 pages, $15.00 E-book available from all major outlets. For more information, contact Deeds Publishing, Atlanta, GA. www.deedspublishing.com 678-595-6278 jan@deedspublishing.com

Car Talk, written by Elaine Alexander and directed by Della Freedman was chosen as a finalist for the Manhattan Repertory Theatre's One-Act Playwriting Contest. It is a short one-act comedy that depicts the story of an accountant who goes car shopping with his status seeking fiancee on an expedition to find the perfect car for her, which leads him on the quest to find his true self.

Karen Lynn Gorney, star of the movie 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'All My Children' joins the cast as Eyphah in Under the Knife: A Farce, a brand new comedy by Peter Zachari premiering at Theater for the New City in March. Gorney is joined by Peter Zachari as Roe, Lori Funk as Marcia/Deidre, Joey Mirabile as Budd, Itanza Wooden as Cora, Scott Ahearn as Roy, Katelyn Collins as Bernadette and Brian A. Simmons as Shadow.

Telescope will receive its first performance in English in an immersive production, directed by Matthew Gould later this month.

RALEIGH, N.C.