Whitney Houston News

Casting has been announced for the Las Vegas production of Disney's THE LION KING. The eagerly awaited sit-down production will leap onto the Mandalay Bay Theatre stage with preview performances May 5, and celebrate its official opening May 15. It will join the seven other highly successful companies of THE LION KING currently running all over the world, including New York, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Fukuoka, as well as the North American National Tour. Tickets will go on sale to the public March 14.

Crowns is back in town, and with direction and choreography by Kenneth Lee Roberson (Broadway's Avenue Q, Arena's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill) and musical direction by Grammy nominee e'Marcus Harper, this soulful musical will be bigger than ever in the Lincoln Theatre. Arena favorites Marva Hicks (The Women of Brewster Place) and E. Faye Butler (Dinah Was, Ain't Misbehavin') are joined by NaTasha Yvette Williams (Broadway's The Color Purple), Mary Millben, Kara Tameika Watkins, Phillip Boykin and Zurin Villanueva. Howard University student Villanueva was discovered in Arena's January 'Finding Yolanda' one-day casting search, and this production marks her debut professional performance.

After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations in over 200 performances, Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas (www.3MoDivas.com) has been awarded its first PBS television special. '3 Mo' Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)' will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th. (check local listings for exact dates and times). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD 'Smashing Musical Barriers' on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th. 3 Mo' Divas brings down the house with thrilling performances of an amazing 10 styles of music, including Opera, Broadway, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Disco, Rock & Roll, Spiritual & Gospel. The show begins with the classical sounds of Puccini then segues into songs from hit Broadway musicals like Wicked, Ragtime and Rent. This is soon followed by hot and familiar tunes of Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. By the end of every performance, the Divas have audiences up out of their seats rockin', singing and dancing in the aisles. 3 Mo' Divas is an extraordinary musical event - all music, all passion and all fun. 3 Mo' Divas performs 10 styles of music, spanning 233 years and sung in 3 languages.

Marion J. Caffey?s 3 Mo? Divas has been awarded its first PBS Television Special! After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations ?3 Mo? Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)? will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th (WLIW in NYC on March 10th @ 8pm - check local listings for exact dates and times in other areas). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD ?Smashing Musical Barriers? on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th.

Bernadette Peters is guest starring on UGLY BETTY this season as a 'magazine mogul with a mouthful for a name.' New upcoming episode dates have been announced for her return, she'll back back on February 19th and 26th.

Bernadette Peters is guest starring on UGLY BETTY this season as a 'magazine mogul with a mouthful for a name.' New upcoming episode dates have been announced for her return, she'll back back on February 19th and 26th.

AN EVENING AT LA CAGE has taken its last curtsy after a 24 year run. The cast, led by Frank Marino, were informed of this unfortunate closing after Monday's performance. There are rumors that the producers are trying to negotiate for a TV show and hopes to reopen the show in the future. La Cage is the fourth longest running show on the Vegas strip. When An Evening at La Cage opened at the Riviera in 1985, skeptic casino owners gave producer Norbert Aleman and his young star, female impersonator Frank Marino, three months to prove themselves. Obviously, they did a good job of doing just that. It's 20 years later and La Cage and Frank Marino have held up very well - of course, for Marino, a little cosmetic surgery hasn't hurt.

SonyBMG Chief Creative Officer and three-time GRAMMY? winner Clive Davis and The Recording Academy? will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, continuing the party that has been a Davis legacy for nearly 30 years. This exclusive, star-studded celebration - attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film and television and featuring special musical performances - again will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards.

After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations in over 200 performances, Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas (www.3MoDivas.com) has been awarded its first PBS television special. '3 Mo' Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)' will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th. (check local listings for exact dates and times). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD 'Smashing Musical Barriers' on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th. 3 Mo' Divas brings down the house with thrilling performances of an amazing 10 styles of music, including Opera, Broadway, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Disco, Rock & Roll, Spiritual & Gospel. The show begins with the classical sounds of Puccini then segues into songs from hit Broadway musicals like Wicked, Ragtime and Rent. This is soon followed by hot and familiar tunes of Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. By the end of every performance, the Divas have audiences up out of their seats rockin', singing and dancing in the aisles. 3 Mo' Divas is an extraordinary musical event - all music, all passion and all fun. 3 Mo' Divas performs 10 styles of music, spanning 233 years and sung in 3 languages. The cast of 3 Mo' Divas includes: Laurice Lanier, Nova Payton, and Jamet Pittman. 3 Mo' Divas is the brainchild of Broadway writer/director Marion J. Caffey who also had a huge success on PBS with his Three Mo' Tenors. Vocal versatility is the key to the success of the 'Mo' Music' concept. The uniqueness of these ladies lies in their ability to sing an unprecedented, 10 styles of music while maintaining the integrity of each style. In other words, opera sounds like opera, jazz like jazz and gospel like gospel. Their aim is to smash the musical barriers that frequently define most classical singers.

After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations in over 200 performances, Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas (www.3MoDivas.com) has been awarded its first PBS television special. '3 Mo' Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)' will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th. (check local listings for exact dates and times). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD 'Smashing Musical Barriers' on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th. 3 Mo' Divas brings down the house with thrilling performances of an amazing 10 styles of music, including Opera, Broadway, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Disco, Rock & Roll, Spiritual & Gospel. The show begins with the classical sounds of Puccini then segues into songs from hit Broadway musicals like Wicked, Ragtime and Rent. This is soon followed by hot and familiar tunes of Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. By the end of every performance, the Divas have audiences up out of their seats rockin', singing and dancing in the aisles. 3 Mo' Divas is an extraordinary musical event - all music, all passion and all fun. 3 Mo' Divas performs 10 styles of music, spanning 233 years and sung in 3 languages.

King's Legacy and Obama's Inauguration Unite this historic MLK Day. Celebrate with the Prince of Kosher Gospel Joshua Nelson & 2 time Grammy Award winning R & B singer Cissy Houston. Also featuring an exclusive interview with 'Obama's Rabbi' Capers Funnye Jr. and Haim Handwerker, Haaretz correspondent and SWFS congregant. Generously funded by The Shirley and William R. Fleischer Family Foundation

During the first live show on Saturday 10th January, it was announced that world-renowned lyricist Diane Warren would be joining the Eurovision: Your Country Needs You team, providing the lyrics to the song that will be written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Bernadette Peter is currently starring on ABC's 'Ugly Betty' as Jodie Papadakis the editor running YETI, he recently chatted with 'Ugly Betty' star, Michael Urie for the 'Ugly Betty' podcast, it is now available on iTunes.

King's Legacy and Obama's Inauguration Unite this historic MLK Day. Celebrate with the Prince of Kosher Gospel Joshua Nelson & 2 time Grammy Award winning R & B singer Cissy Houston. Also featuring an exclusive interview with 'Obama's Rabbi' Capers Funnye Jr. and Haim Handwerker, Haaretz correspondent and SWFS congregant. Generously funded by The Shirley and William R. Fleischer Family Foundation

Bernadette Peters and Nikki Blonsky guest star on UGLY BETTY tonight January 8th, 2009. UGLY BETTY is a Golden Globe and Emmy winning comedy starring America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Judith Light, Rebecca Romijn and Vanessa Williams. The series premiered on September 28, 2006, on ABC in the United States.

SonyBMG Chief Creative Officer and three-time GRAMMY? winner Clive Davis and The Recording Academy? will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, continuing the party that has been a Davis legacy for nearly 30 years. This exclusive, star-studded celebration - attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film and television and featuring special musical performances - again will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Bernadette Peters is keeping busy this holiday season, and this gives you plenty of chances to catch her signing books and appearing on TV. Tuesday, December 2nd -- book signing at New York City's Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue at 4pm as part of the store's all-day Benefit Bash in support of the Fund for Public Schools.

THE NEW YORK CITY GAY MEN'S CHORUS launches its 29th season with a time-honored New York tradition: under the Artistic Direction of Charles Beale, NYCGMC presents The New York City Gay Men's Chorus Holiday Spectacular 'Celebrate Me Home' at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday December 9th, 8:00PM.

The LA Times is reporting the scoop this morning that Bernadette Peters will guest star on UGLY BETTY for at least one episode in early 2009 as a 'magazine mogul with a mouthful for a name.' The episode will be the eleventh of the season and is set to air in January 2009.

This year, Berkeley Repertory Theatre unwraps a special show for the holidays by giving local families the gift of Ennio.