Whitney Houston News

Tonight on American Idol the male finalists showed their stuff to kick off Hollywood week. The ladies will compete next week, meaning guys vs. guys tonight and tomorrow night.

Shoshana Bean will celebrate the release of her long-awaited sophomore CD, 'O'Farrell Street,' with an album release concert and party at The Sayers Club in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 20, 2013.

Following the success of its limited series Song by Song: Johnny Cash last fall, Ovation is launching Song by Song as an ongoing original series. Kicking off the series this year will be SONG BY SONG: DOLLY PARTON, premiering March 10 at 8:00 pm ET.

Stamford Center for the Arts continues its stellar season with R&B legends The Temptations and The Four Tops tonight, February 6, 2013 at 8:00 PM at the Palace Theatre in Stamford.

The Broadway at Birdland partnership with multi-Grammy and Tony nominated composer Frank Wildhorn continues with another 'Frank & Friends' concert tonight, February 4 at 7pm. The series of very special one-night-only concerts celebrates the songs and favorite performers from the composer's wide range of work in popular, theatrical and classical music. All profits will go to The Actors Fund, anationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in the performing arts and entertainment.

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the world premiere of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, a new musical comedy with book by Robert L. Freedman, music by Steven Lutvak and lyrics by Freedman and Lutvak. Former Old Globe Co-Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak returns to the Globe to direct the production. Based on the novel Israel Rank by Roy Horniman, the musical also features choreography by Peggy Hickey. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder will run March 8 - April 14, 2013 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run March 8 - March 12. Opening night is Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is a co-production with Hartford Stage. Single tickets go on sale Sunday, Feb. 3 at 12 noon. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

Disney Theatrical Productions will be hosting open auditions, seeking possible future replacements for the Broadway and Touring companies of The Lion King. Auditions for the adult roles of Simba and Nala will be held in Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. Auditions for the roles of Young Simba and Young Nala will take place in New York City at the Apollo Theater.

The Broadway at Birdland partnership with multi-Grammy and Tony nominated composer Frank Wildhorn continues with another "Frank & Friends" concert on Monday, February 4 at 7pm. The series of very special one-night-only concerts celebrates the songs and favorite performers from the composer's wide range of work in popular, theatrical and classical music. All profits will go to The Actors Fund, anationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in the performing arts and entertainment.

Dean Bryant directs musical theatre legend Trevor Ashley in the divinely decadent drag cabaret, I'm Every Woman at The Famous Spiegeltent from Tuesday 19 - Saturday 23 February. A diva of multiple personalities, Trevor Ashley will delight audiences with a degustation of drag interpretations of Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Bassey and many more.

Today we are talking to a phenomenally talented performer who has starred in a string of contemporary musicals, ranging from replacement gigs in the Broadway productions of Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA and Stephen Schwartz's WICKED to creating lead roles in Jim Steinman's DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS, in addition to her memorable contributions to the Laura Nyro revue, ELI'S COMIN', Off-Broadway - the one and only Mandy Gonzalez. Discussing her time spent in many of the aforementioned shows as well as her experiences inhabiting the wildly different characters within each, Gonzalez shares her infectious enthusiasm for performance and her appreciation for having participated in such landmark shows. Most importantly, Gonzalez shares stories from the heated rehearsal rooms backstage at the 24-Hour Musicals celebration and what participating in the event that would form the basis for ONE NIGHT STAND, a documentary film being released in select cities this Wednesday, January 30. Additionally, Gonzalez reflects on her new role as a mom, as well as roles she would enjoy pursuing in the future, onstage and off, as well as her own favorite shows and scores. All of that and much, much more!

When two of the best musicians on the planet decide to combine their estimable talents to create a band without boundaries, the result is the WOLFF & CLARK EXPEDITION. Dizzy Gillespie famously said that jazz must have "one foot in the past and one in the future." With the Wolff & Clark Expedition, the music embraces the past, ventures into the future, but remains rooted in the improvisatory present. After several high profile performances in 2012, jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the Wolff & Clark Expedition, are preparing to release their self-titled debut album in February 2013. Performing with creative bassist Chip Jackson, the Expedition's initial outing aims for uncharted, compelling musical territories while still entertaining a wide audience of astute listeners.

Thea Sharrock's production of new musical The Bodyguard, opened on 5 December 2012 at the Adelphi Theatre in London to great reviews and is aiming for Broadway in spring of 2014. Go on the star-studded red carpet below!

Fourteen-time Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter ALICIA KEYS will sing the National Anthem as part of Super Bowl XLVII pregame festivities at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on February 3, the NFL and CBS announced today. The performance will be televised live on CBS prior to kickoff.

Josiah Theatre Works has announced that the cast of its upcoming world premiere weekly, episodic webseries drama with music, 'Unspoken', will appear in a live radio interview with 'Turn It Up A Notch Radio' today, January 18, 2013 at 8 p.m. with Benny Negro, Mr. 2.0 and more. For more about the appearance, visit www.damatrixstudios.com.

According to the Daily Mail, The Bodyguard, currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre starring Heather Headley and Lloyd Owen, now boasts an advance of more than £4 million.

Greenlist Productions presents Ryan Raftery's return to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for his fifth solo show, "Ryan Raftery is Black and Better Than Ever: A Caucasian Celebration of the African-American Songbook" on Sunday, March 3rd at 9:30pm.

Q&A with Rhett George

Josiah Theatre Works' upcoming world premiere weekly, episodic webseries drama with music, 'Unspoken' is written and directed by Nickolas Long, III*, with director of photography New York Cali the Topkat*. Tune in to the official season premiere of 'Unspoken' on Thursday, January 24th, at 7:30pm on www.bliptiv.com, under the 'Drama' category. Meanwhile, check out the first official trailer below!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS and The Recording Academy have announced a one-hour special on the making of 2012's Grammy Awards show. Among other behind-the-scenes footage, the documentary will feature how the team was able to pull together a Whitney Houston tribute with less than a day's notice.

Two-time Grammy Award-nominated Motown artist KEM leads all nominees for the 44th NAACP Image Awards with four (4) nominations for his songs: "Glorify The King," "Be Mine For Christmas," "You're On My Mind" and for his "You're On My Mind" video.