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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

EMMY WINNER STEVEN COLBERT AND CHRISTINA HENDRICKS- LEAD ALL STAR "COMPANY" MUSICAL ON PBS.

From PR Newswire




An all-star cast in a staged concert production conducted by Paul Gemignani:

Great Performances   presents the New York Philharmonic's concert staging of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical Company with an all-star cast including (in alphabetical order) Craig Bierko (as Peter), Stephen Colbert (as Harry), Jon Cryer (as David), Katie Finneran (as Amy), Neil Patrick Harris (as Robert), Christina Hendricks (as April), Adam Lazar (as Paul), Patti LuPone (as Joanne), Jill Paice (as Susan), Martha Plimpton (as Sarah), Anika Noni Rose (as Marta), Jennifer Laura Thompson (as Jenny), Jim Walton (as Larry), and Chryssie Whitehead (as Kathy).




Captured from the stage of Avery Fisher Hall at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the musical will air Friday, November 8 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN's Great Performances , as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival. (Check local listings.)

Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani conducts Jonathan Tunick's original orchestrations arranged for a 35-piece orchestra. Lonny Price — who directed SONDHEIM! The Birthday Concert on Great Performances , directs; Josh Rhodes is the choreographer.   Ellen M. Krass produced this concert production for broadcast.

Set in a swinging New York City evocative of the time of the show's 1970 Broadway debut, Company follows perennial bachelor Robert (Harris) on the occasion of his 35th birthday as his five married couple friends gather to celebrate and offer varying degrees of relationship advice.   Their interactions are presented in a series of vignettes, primarily through Robert's eyes. The show's many Sondheim standards include "Company," "Side by Side by Side," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Another Hundred People," "Barcelona" and "Being Alive."  In assessing the performance, Stephen Holden in The New York Times praised "the suave, dynamically subtle contribution of the mighty Philharmonic" as well as "the witty musical staging."  
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George FurthCompany first opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 26, 1970, produced and directed by Harold Prince. The show ran for 705 performances and received the 1971 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Lyrics, Best Set Design, and Best Direction of a Musical, among 14 nominations. It has returned in various revivals, most recently in 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, with Raúl Esparza as Robert, in a production that was also broadcast on Great Performances .
Paul Gemignani has been the music director of more than 40 Broadway and West End shows, includingFollies, Pacific Overtures, Candide, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, On the Twentieth Century, Sunday in the Park with George, Jerome Robbins's Broadway, Crazy for You, Passion, High Society, and Kiss Me, Kate. In 2004 he was the music director for Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, The Frogs, and the Japan National Theatre Company's production of Pacific Overtures.

In 2006 he received a Prime Time Emmy Award for Best Musical Direction for a Great Performancespresentation of South Pacific; Mr. Gemignani served as the music director of the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Stephen Sondheim's Follies in September 1985 (which was the basis of a Great Performances broadcast); and in March 2010 he conducted the Philharmonic's production of SONDHEIM! The Birthday Concert, which aired on Great Performances .
Company marks Lonny Price's return to the New York Philharmonic, where he had directed and co-produced SONDHEIM! The Birthday Concert. His previous Philharmonic collaborations include Candide,starring Paul GrovesKristin Chenoweth, and Patti LuPone in May 2004 (broadcast on Great Performances , Emmy nomination); he directed Sweeney Todd with the San Francisco Symphony (also broadcast on PBSEmmy Award) and helmed the previous telecast of Company in 2006, all of which were also produced by Ellen M. Krass. In March 2014 Lonny Price will direct and co-produce the New York Philharmonic's staged production of Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and conducted by Alan Gilbert. In his early career as an actor, Price originated the role of Charley Kringas in the Prince/Sondheim showMerrily We Roll Along on Broadway.

Over the course of its four decades, Great Performances has provided a national stage where popular artists not only reveal the surprising dimensions of their creative gifts but often surpass expectations.Great Performances has also offered artists the opportunity to celebrate and pay homage to the influential figures in their lives and careers, as well as be the first to spotlight emerging artists with their feature-length television debut. 

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers. Throughout its 40 year history on public television, Great Performanceshas provided viewers across the country with an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America's most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming.  Over the course of its four decades, the series has been the home to the greatest artists in the areas of drama, dance, musical theater, classical and popular music, providing many with their very first television exposure.

Newly married Zoe Saldana sells LA love nest, she shared with her EX, Bradley Cooper.

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons: "Finally,the world is going to see the really TALENTED Cuoco (Sister.)"

Monday, August 26, 2013

CELEBRITY Q AND A: SIGOURNEY WEAVER.



Data Hard:Wow, you look like Sigourney Weaver.

Sigourney Weaver: (she smiles knowingly)

Data: It's probably because of your hair (Weaver's quintessential red-haired, sophisticated, exec look.) 

Weaver: It's probably because...I'm so tall (she's 6 foot even.)

Hard nods head in agreement

Weaver: Or the fact that I usually have Aliens around me. Or monsters (an illusion to her recent hit Cabin in the Woods.She played a Catherine Parker (Working Girl) type gal-trying to save the world,through murder.)

 
We both laugh at her gracious sense or humor.

Weaver: What's favorite movie of mine?

Data: I loved her Galaxy Quest. (Note: I'm so nervous, I start referring to her in the third person.)

Weaver: (confused, but intrigued) Why?

Hard: It's the only time in career, she went blond.

Weaver: (The queen of Sci-Fi blushed a bit.) The Star Trek fans are the best and most loyal in the world!
Are you a Trekker?

Data: Yes

Weaver: Oh,who was my co-star in that one? 

Hard: Tim Allen.

Weaver: That's right. Hey I know what you'd like to do? Hi-Ya!




Weaver (in jest) strike a karate ready pose.We both both laugh charmingly.

Weaver: We had a great time making fun of it.

Hard: For Trekkers: You guys did with love.You didn't go in with a ,here's why Trek sucks attitude.You respected us and that made it possible- to laugh at the show's silliness and structure (60's era mainly.) 

Weaver: (impressed) My favorite of hers (mockingly) is Gorillas in the Mist.

Data: She almost won an Oscar for that,didn't she?

Weaver: (She shoots back sullen and angry eyes at me) Yes, She almost did. (Flares nostrils)

Weaver did win two Golden Globes (no pun intended) for both ...Mist and Working Girl,back in 1988.
The first actress to win twice in one year.

Weaver: I really admire her strength and determination... to do the right the things for those Gorillas.

Data: That was Dian Fossey wasn't it?

Weaver nods approvingly.

Weaver: Well, times flies when- you're being talked about, like you're not even there. (smiles) I hope to see this at your website. You did a good job.

Data is shocked that she's even heard of me.

Weaver: I'm paying you compliment.

Hard smiles and nods thankfully.

Weaver: (magnanimously) I've got to go, (wide smile) Good Bye.


Factoids: WikiPedia.






LILO GETTING HER OWN SIT-COM, TOO.

Friday, August 16, 2013

SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS GETS MORE DESCRIPTIVE, ON NEW REVOLT NETWORK.

From PRNewswire -Val Boreland, executive vice president of programming and strategy, provided a glimpse today into the on-air talent lineup for one of the largest independent network launches in cable history: "We're thrilled to welcome Amrit and Sibley to the REVOLT family; their body of work and perspectives on music today represents the level of depth we plan to deliver on-air on a daily basis to our viewers." Amrit Singh has been named as music and culture editor and host being joined by Sibley Scoles as host on the new music network. This announcement falls on the heels of the recently appointed REVOLT TV executive team that includes Keith Clinkscales as CEO, Andy Schuon as president, and Val Boreland as executive vice president of programming and strategy.

Amrit Singh comes to REVOLT TV from Stereogum where he served as executive editor for seven years, elevating the Website into a leading voice in independent music. Called a "global citizen to watch" and a "generational voice" by The Huffington Post, Amrit's video journalism has appeared on ABC, MTV, and Fuse. The NY State Bar certified attorney turned music expert is a Queens, NY native of Indian descent. As REVOLT TV's music and culture editor and host, Amrit will write programming and editorial content for all REVOLT platforms as well as serve as an on-air host.
I
World known rapper, MC Sibley, also known as Sib Vicious, will also serve as an on-air host. A Bay Area native, Sibley has toured with Taio Cruz in the UK, has recorded with DMC from the pioneer hip hop group Run-DMC, and has performed during Paris Fashion Week. Her music is currently licensed by fashion icon Stella McCartney.
Through curated music videos, performances, interviews, and news, this team of experts will deliver the best of the best in music to the first multi-platform network for artists and fans – all live, on-air, and at the speed of social media.

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

VH1 TURNS LEANN RIMES AND EDDIE CIBRIAN, INTO A REALITY SHOW.

LeAnn Rimes And Eddie Cibrian Are Bringing What You Think You Know -- And What You Don't -- To VH1

Gurney Productions Of 'Duck Dynasty' Fame Will Produce The Series Which Is Set To Premiere Fall 2013/Winter 2014 With 6 Episodes.

               
From PRNewswire-- LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian have both been famous in their own right for years, but it wasn't until they were a couple that the tabloids became enamored with their every move. Joining forces with VH1, their new show will bring the truth and make fun of all the gossip. "LeAnn & Eddie" (working title) is set to premiere on VH1 in the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 with 6 half-hour episodes.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning artist LeAnn Rimes first burst on the music scene at the age of 13. Since then she has gone on to sell more than 40 million albums, has scored 13 Top10 hits and has won numerous music awards. Her latest album, the critically acclaimed "Spitfire," debuted at number 9 on the Billboard Country Charts and number 4 on iTunes. Eddie Cibrian is a versatile actor who got his start in daytime television but moved to primetime with the hit series "Third Watch."  Since then he has gone on to star as a lead actor in various television series, including "Invasion," "The Playboy Club," "CSI Miami" and "Tilt" among others.  Mr. Cibrian has also starred in numerous films including "Living Out Loud," "Good Deeds," "But I'm A Cheerleader," "The Cave," and the upcoming movies "Single Moms Club," and "Best Man Holiday."

Inside the sanctity of their world they are a typical normal modern family -- a married couple, who both have careers and are also learning how to navigate the co-parenting of Eddie's two sons. Life outside the home for them is very different because they live in a fishbowl where the paparazzi stalk them, the tabloids report on any detail and the public gets only part of the real story.  With "LeAnn & Eddie," they look forward to sharing a bit of their world and poke fun at what it's like to be a high-profile couple with more than a little misinformation out there about them.

"We are really excited to be working together on a unique show that will give you a glimpse into who we really are or better yet who we're really not.  We're thrilled to partner with VH1 and The Gurneys to put our spin on a project full of love, humor and music," said LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian.

"LeAnn and Eddie are both talented entertainers who have really captured the public's imagination in the last couple of years, but there is so much more to them than what you read in the tabloids," said Tom Calderone, President of VH1.  "This is going to be a really fun show in which we hope to reveal what their lives are really like - from the normalcy of their home life, to what drives them artistically, to the chaos of their celebrity life."

LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian will also serve as executive producers for Country Cuban Productions, Inc.  Also serving as executive producers are John Ferriter for Octagon Entertainment and Scotty Abrams for Maniac Filmworks and Music.   Executive producing for VH1 is Jill Holmes.

Monday, July 29, 2013

SPREAD THE LUV ON BET, WITH MEAGAN GOOD AND DENNIS HAYSBERT!

BET Networks Announces World Television Debut Of LUV Starring Common And Introducing Michael Rainey Jr. Wednesday, August 7, 2013 At 9 PM ET/PT

Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Dennis Haysbert, Lonette McKee and Meagan Good Also Star In The BET Premiere Cinema Film

Exclusively Sponsored By The 2013 Toyota Avalon, BET Presents LUV Will Air With Limited Commercial Interruption

NEW YORK, July 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the wildly successful debut of BET PREMIERE CINEMA'S original movie, BEING MARY JANE , the Network is announcing the world television broadcast premiere of LUV starring Common and introducing Michael Rainey Jr.  In addition to original BET-created films, BET PREMIERE CINEMA introduces audiences to critically-acclaimed independent films and documentaries – both never-before-seen and those that have completed their theatrical run.  Exclusively sponsored by the 2013 Toyota Avalon, LUV debuts on August 7 th at 9PM ET/PT with limited commercial interruption.


Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, LUV stars hip-hop icon Common ( New Year's Eve, Hell On Wheels) and is a dramatic crime thriller that plunges audiences into a world of hope, violence and self-determination. Common plays Vincent, a recent parolee and uncle to Woody Watson, a timid, orphaned eleven-year old boy from Baltimore who dreams of a better life. But Vincent's former life and criminal past soon comes back to haunt them both. Written and directed by Sheldon Candis, the film is produced by Jason Michael Berman, Joel Newton, Common, Derek Dudley, Datari Turner and Gordon Bijelonic; and co-written by Justin Wilson. Michael Rainey Jr., Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Dennis Haysbert, Lonette McKee and Meagan Good also star in the film.

For more information on LUV, go to the newly designed BET.com home page that now features a fully responsive design across all electronic devices, increased social media integration, a unique & user-friendly video experience and striking visual designs. Viewers can also find show updates on Facebook by liking the fan page at Facebook.com/BET. Also, join the conversation on Twitter by using hashtag: #LUV.

Later.