Usher News

On today's ELLEN, Kirstie Alley stops by and opens up about turning 63 and finding a special man to share her life. Get a sneak peek below!

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced today four of the seven productions that will comprise the lineup of the company's 48th subscription season, including two of the most acclaimed new works of the last year, a remounting of one of A.C.T.'s biggest hits in an all-new production, as well as a sumptuous production of one of Stephen Sondheim's most rapturous and seductive musicals. In addition, the 2014-15 season will include the inaugural production at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Strand Theater, located in the revitalized Central Market Street Corridor. The additional three productions for the 2014-15 season, as well as the complete show order and performance schedule, will be announced at a later date.

Opening night is Monday, January 27 for the LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater presentation of STOP HITTING YOURSELF, created by Rude Mechs, the Austin, TX based theater collective. This world premiere features Thomas Graves, Heather Hanna, Joey Hood, Hannah Kenah, Lana Lesley, E. Jason Liebrecht, and Paul Soileau. Commissioned by LCT3, STOP HITTING YOURSELF is written by Kirk Lynn and directed by Shawn Sides and will run through Sunday, February 23 at the Claire Tow Theater (150 West 65th Street). All tickets are $20. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has inked a deal with Sohu Video to make “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” available on the online video platform.

Seth Meyers appears on today's ELLEN and brushes up on his interviewing skills in preparation for his new late night talk show.

The DAYS OF OUR LIVES star appeared on today's 'Ellen' and revealed that she had a big announcement to make.

New year, new look... new name. To better reinforce its more than 20 years expertise selling authentic antiquities and ancient art, in addition to running more than nineteen successful online auctions, Antiquities-Saleroom is kicking off its 2014 auction schedule under its new name ArtemisGalleryLIVE with the first auction slated for January 24. 'Although we've changed our name, the auction arm of our company has always been run by the same team of professionals who have run ArtemisGallery.com since 1993, and we wanted our new name to reflect that relationship,' says Teresa Dodge, Executive Director of Artemis Gallery and ArtemisGalleryLIVE. Despite the name change, Dodge assures bidders that everything they've come to expect from their auction company, like easy online registration and bidding, payment processing and convenient in-house shipping, will all remain the same. Additionally, the unconditional guarantee that has set both Antiquities-Saleroom and Artemis Gallery apart will remain a hallmark of ArtemisGalleryLIVE's business transactions. ArtemisGalleryLIVE's first auction of 2014, Ancient, Pre-Columbian & Ethnographic Art, will take bidders on a trip around the world and throughout history, showcasing fine, authentic examples of Classical, Near Eastern, Far Eastern, Pre-Columbian, and Tribal Art. The auction begins with fantastic finds from ancient Egypt, most notably a large Egyptian wood standing male figure (Lot 3), spectacular in size and detail, a colorful fish of Egyptian faience (Lot 13), and a collection of brilliant Egyptian Cartonnage Panels (Lots 22-24;33-34). The elegant artwork of Ancient Greece is represented in part by a magnificent Paestan Red Figure Marriage Lekanis (Lot 48). The Lekanis, originally purchased from Sotheby's London, features Eros, god of love, with a man and woman, beautifully rendered. A wonderful limestone stele depicting a Roman citizen (Lot 85) adds a deeply personal touch to the stunning array of art from the Classical world. A delightful collection of Asian art is highlighted by a Han Dynasty Duck Effigy (Lot 64) of lovely greyware terracotta. The details of the beak, tail, and webbed feet, along with the corpulent body, make this piece irresistibly charming. A collection of African / Tribal art offers a glimpse into the rich history of that continent (Lot 213-215). The auction also features Art of the ancient Americas with impressive offerings of Pre-Columbian art from numerous cultures including the Maya, Olmec, and Inca, notably a striking Inca Feather Headdress (Lot 180) made from brilliantly colored Amazonian bird feathers, and a parade of fine Panamanian/Costa Rican pottery vessels in various shapes and sizes (Lot 154-176). A group of beautifully painted antique Mexican Retablos (Lot 191-206) brings the auction into a slightly more modern era, along with a pair of Civil War bayonets (Lot 194;198). 'This first auction of the year will not disappoint,' says Dodge. 'We are offering authentic examples in every price range. And, as with all our auctions, all items have been legally acquired, are legal to sell, and guaranteed to be as described or your money back, so you can bid with complete confidence.' Join ArtemisGalleryLIVE as they usher in the New Year with a celebration of the new and the very, very old. Ancient, Pre-Columbian & Ethnographic Art Auction will begin at 11 a.m. EST on Friday, January 24, 2014. Bids may be placed through a variety of methods - absentee (including absentee online), by phone (by prior arrangement), or live on auction day. The auction catalog is now online and ready for viewing. For additional information about the auction, please call Teresa Dodge directly at 720-502-5289, or send her an email at info@artemisgallerylive.com.

There are supposed to be laws against using TNT in fishing, but The Littlest Mermaid, which is now playing at the Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre is dynamic. The story is a take-off of The Little Mermaid, with the theme of love and the wit of interjecting reality TV and social networking into the plot.

The MIT Musical Theatre Guild is looking for people to fill positions in the run crew and to be ushers for its IAP 2014 production of Little Shop of Horrors. Performance Dates are Jan 31, Feb 1 & 6-8 at 8PM and Feb 2 at 2PM. Ushers will receive a free ticket for the night they usher.

Chicago Children's Theatre has announced casting for its world premiere of Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, an all-new, rhythm and blues family musical playing tonight, January 18 - March 2, 2014 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago. Press opening is Friday, January 24 at 7 p.m.

Legendary actress Meryl Streep stopped by the daytime talk show ELLEN yesterday and told the host she was shocked by her record-breaking Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role in August: Osage County.

InterAct Theatre Company will usher in 2014 with the second production of their 26th season - the Philadelphia premiere of Johnna Adams' riveting Gidion's Knot. In the play, Adams confronts us with 'perhaps the most complicated kind of 'knot' (San Gabriel Valley Tribune) as a grieving mother arrives at her son's school looking for answers following his sudden death and challenges his teacher and audiences alike to seek an answer to the age old question of nature versus nurture, as well as posing many other difficult questions.

The 44th Season of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers (OSSCS) continues with a February 8, 2014 concert inspired by the human spirit. Guest conductor Stilian Kirov, associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony, conducts this evening concert, Friendship and Imagination. It includes The Enchanted Lake by Russian composer Anatoly Liadov, Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64 byFelix Mendelssohn and Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky with orchestrations by Maurice Ravel. Elisa Barston, principal second violinist of the Seattle Symphony is the guest soloist for the evening.

Long before they were immortalized on screen by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid captivated Americans from coast to coast. In the 1890s, their thrilling exploits — robbing western banks and trains and then seemingly vanishing into thin air — became front-page news and the basis of rumor and myth. But who were Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh? What really happened after they formed the Wild Bunch gang? And how did they manage to pull off some of the most spectacular holdups in western history while eluding the Pinkertons, the nation's largest and most feared private detective force? Separating fact from fiction, the latest installment of the popularAmerican Experience series The Wild West explores the last pair of outlaws to flee on horseback into the setting sun of a vanishing West. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, produced and directed by John Maggio, premieres on American Experience on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), preceded by an encore presentation of Billy the Kid, also directed by Maggio, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS.

Enjoying Aibo Fine Asian Art/Glenn Aber Contemporary while navigating ArtPalmBeach will be a sensory experience. ArtPalmBeach will be held at the Palm Beach Convention Center with the first preview by invitation only on January 23 from 6-10pm. Fair hours are 12-7 on January 24-27.

DEVOUR THE DAY--Joey “Chicago” Walser (bass, backing vocals, songwriter) and Blake Allison (singer, guitarist, producer, songwriter)--is definitely one of music's biggest Cinderella stories of 2013.

Producer of the Cape Playhouse, and Chief Executive of the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, Mark Cuddy, today announced that Joseph Guglielmo has been appointed to the newly created position of General Manager of the Playhouse and Center for the Arts campus. He begins full-time on January 20th, and will report directly to Cuddy.

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winner, Whoopi Goldberg has been tapped by The Drama League to host the 30th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway honoring Golden Globe Nominee and Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris on Monday evening, February 3, 2014 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street). Tickets are available by calling (212) 244-9494.

All of the chestnuts have been roasted, and the holidays have come and gone. Usher in the New Year with a new line-up of fun, family friendly, affordable events. Whether you're into music or performing arts, this season's line-up with be a hit with everyone.

Tony Todd will creep out viewers in DEAD OF NITE, coming to DVD and VOD starting today, January 7, 2014.