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In 2008, Zachary Levi donated a T-shirt to an auction for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance.

Zachary Levi’s generosity and support has made an incredible impact for Operation Smile. His efforts have helped raise funds for more than 1,000 surgeries, giving children worldwide new hope.

Zac is the star of NBC’s hit TV show Chuck, as well as the new animated Disney film, Tangled. He also appeared in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and worked alongside Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd in ABC’s Less Than Perfect. Zac began his acting career in regional theatre, starring in plays such as Big River and Godspell.

Charities & foundations supported

Zachary Levi has supported the following charities:

Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaChildren's Hospital Los AngelesClothes Off Our BackFeeding AmericaMotion Picture and Television Fund FoundationOperation SmilePadres Contra el CancerRacing for KidsStand Up To CancerThe Art of ElysiumTuberous Sclerosis AllianceYoung Storytellers Foundation Read more about...

In a career on stage, screen and television that has endured for more than 50 years, writer, actor and comedian Martin Short got his start in a 1972 Canadian production of the stage musical "Godspell" in a cast that included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas and Gilda Radner, all of whom would work with Short on subsequent projects in the years to come.

Short's first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, "Sctv Network 90," which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of "Saturday Night Live" (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986's "¡Three Amigos!" alongside Steve Martin and...

Gold Derby's top news stories for March 10, 2025

Billy Joel postpones tour dates after surgery

Billy Joel has postponed eight stadium concerts he was scheduled to perform over the next four months because of a recent surgery for an undisclosed "medical condition."

An announcement this morning said that the singer “is expected to make a full recovery” and will undergo doctor-supervised physical therapy. “While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first,” Joel said in the statement. “I look forward to getting back on stage and sharing the joy of live music with our amazing fans. Thank you for your understanding.” Joel is expected to resume playing concerts July 5 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The postponed shows in Toronto, Detroit, Syracuse, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Edinburgh, and Liverpool will be rescheduled.

Netflix strikes movie deal for Stephen King's Cujo remake

Netflix is ready to take a new bite at Stephen King's Cujo.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame will recognize Stephen Schwartz — the arranger and composer behind the music from “Wicked,” “Godspell” and “Pippin” — as the recipient of the 2025 Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala, slated for June 12 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

The Johnny Mercer Award is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year and whose body of work is of “such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer,” per the Shof. Schwartz was first inducted into the Hall in 2009.

“With every lyric and melody, Stephen invites us on an unforgettable journey,” said Shof Chairman Nile Rodgers. “From his iconic list of award-winning musicals, including ‘Godspell’, ‘Wicked’ and ‘Pippin,’ Stephen...

Music supervisors behind the songs of “Wicked” and “A Complete Unknown” led the winners at the 15th annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards on Sunday night.

On the TV side, the music supervisors behind “Agatha All Along” and “Baby Reindeer” triumphed.

Stephen Schwartz was awarded the Icon Award to celebrate his contributions to the music and film industry. The composer and lyricist performed his song “Beautiful City” on stage from his musical “Godspell.”

Oscar nominees Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada performed their nominated song “Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing,” which took the prize for best song written and/or recorded for a film. Meanwhile, Danielle Ponder performed her nominated song “Egún” from Apple TV’s “Manhunt,” and the artist Role Model performed their song “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” as the Spotlight artist of the evening.

Music producer and supervisor Bonnie Greenberg accepted the Legacy Award for her outstanding career in music supervision.

The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards revealed its 2025 winners Sunday night (Feb. 23). The 15th annual ceremony was held at The Wiltern in L.A.’s Koreatown and honors the year’s best work in songs and scores for screen.

Sunday’s ceremony began with a video about January’s deadly wildfires, in which guild president Lindsay Wolfington lost her home. She thanked the community for rallying behind her during opening remarks with vp Heather Guibert.

The opening remarks didn’t shy away from addressing the Academy’s decision to “move away” from best original song live performances at the 2025 Oscars. “We are proud that our awards for best song written and or recorded for film and for television, acknowledges the collaborative efforts of the songwriters, the performers, and of course the music,” Guibert told the crowd.

“This year in particular, unlike other awards bodies, we are especially proud to be...

David Edward Byrd, who created psychedelic posters for Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Grateful Dead shows and for such Broadway productions as Follies, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and Little Shop of Horrors, has died. He was 83.

Byrd died Monday at a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, rep Jerry Digney announced. Jolino Beserra, his partner of 40 years, said on Facebook that he died of pneumonia.

One of the foremost graphic artists of 20th century pop culture, Byrd did lots of work for rock promoter Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, which opened in the East Village in Manhattan in 1968, and designed a poster for the original Woodstock festival (it turned out it wasn’t used when the event was moved).

He designed posters for The Rolling Stones’ tour of the U.S. in 1969 and The Who’s performance of their rock opera Tommy at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1971 and album covers...

“Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz is set to receive the Icon Award from the Guild of Music Supervisors.

Schwartz musical credits include “Enchanted,” “Godspell” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Music producer Bonnie Greenberg is set to receive the Guild’s Legacy Award.

In a joint statement, Gms president Lindsay Wolfington and VP Heather Guibert said, “The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards is a night of coming together in our community, and we need this more than ever. This year, we are thrilled to honor Stephen Schwartz and Bonnie Greenberg with our Icon and Legacy awards. Their individual contributions to the craft of storytelling with music are immeasurable and have had an indelible impact on our community.”

Previous recipients of the Icon Award include Robbie Robertson, Paul Williams, Diane Warren, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Kenny Loggins and Marc Shaiman. Previous recipients of the Legacy Award include Allan Mason, Pilar McCurry,...

Once upon a time, about 24 years ago, when Marc Platt (“La La Land”) moved from production president of Universal Pictures to launch his own producing shingle at the studio, he brought with him a movie adaptation of the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the 1939 Judy Garland musical. Linda Woolverton’s first script was a straight film adaptation; a small part of the mix was the origin story of two witches of Oz, Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West.

A blockbuster movie musical like “Wicked” (Universal) is the sum of years of dedicated labor and deliberate decisions about what to keep from the book or the show, or what to add and change for the movie. Somehow, over two decades, producer...

Stephen Schwartz will see you now. The worthier wizard of “Wicked” is the one who wrote one of Broadway’s all-time top song scores and now, a little over two decades later, has overseen the transition of that music into a film that is almost certainly on the fast track for Best Picture contention. He is not the only veteran of the seminal Broadway team on board for the music, either, as the soundtrack finds him rejoined by the stage production’s original arranger and music supervisor, Stephen Oremus.

It’s a world-class Team of Stephens. Beyond having been the primary instigator behind turning “Wicked” into a stage musical (drawn from Gregory Maguire’s book), Schwartz is renowned for winning six Tonys and three Oscars as the composer and/or lyricist of the shows “Pippin” and “Godspell” and films like “Enchanted.” Oremus, meanwhile, is a Tony winner for his orchestrations...

Hunter Parrish has joined Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis in “Scarpetta,” an upcoming mystery thriller series from Blumhouse Television that has already been greenlit for two seasons by Amazon Prime Video.

The “Weeds” alum joins an ensemble that also includes Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen and Jake Cannavale.

The series, an adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels, hails from Blumhouse and Amazon MGM Studios. Liz Sarnoff will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

According to the logline, the show “follows Kay Scarpetta (Kidman), the chief medical examiner, as she returns to Virginia and resumes her former position with complex relationships, both personal and professional – including her sister Dorothy (Curtis), with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover.”

Parrish will recur as the younger version of Benton Wesley, presumably in flashbacks. Benton is an FBI profiler who strikes up a romance with Kay in the books.

American Horror Stories is back with a new batch of episodes, each covering a different story and starring different characters, and the second episode, "Clone", stars some well-known actors along with some new faces. Ryan Murphys American Horror Story has found great success since its premiere in 2011, and though some of its seasons havent succeeded with critics and viewers, Murphy decided to expand it in 2021 with a spin-off/companion series. Appropriately titled American Horror Stories, whats different about it is that each episode tells a different story, unlike AHS, in which every season is different.

However, to keep some connection to the main show, some episodes of American Horror Stories have direct links to past seasons of American Horror Story. The success of American Horror Stories has led to its renewal, and among the episodes in its fourth season is "Clone". In it, a tech billionaire who suffers a debilitating...

The world recently said farewell to Roger Corman, the legendary B-movie producer, writer, director, and performer who passed away at the well-lived age of 98. Corman completely revolutionized the film industry, not only with his independent spirit and penchant for low-budget fare, but also serving as a launchpad for some of cinema's greatest creatives, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, and Penelope Spheeris, and that's just scratching the surface.

Known by many for his hundreds of produced films, Corman was also a well-decorated director in his own right, helming 55 films before his death. Corman dabbled in any and all genres, with comedy, drama, horror, exploitation, monster, sci-fi, sexploitation, gothic, and action all well-represented throughout his filmography. In honor of the King of B-movies and one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, here are his 10 best films as a director, ranked.

Edgar Lansbury has sadly passed away.

The Tony Award-winning producer and the younger brother of the late Angela Lansbury died on Thursday (May 3) at 94, according to his family.

Edgar died in New York City at his home in Manhattan, his son, David Lansbury, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Keep reading to find out more…

No cause of death was given.

Edgar Lansbury produced the popular 1974-75 Broadway revival of Gypsy, where his sister Angela won a Tony Award.

He also worked on the Broadway and film versions of Godspell, and won a Tony Award for Best Play in 1964 for his Broadway debut of The Subject Was Roses, via Deadline.

His film and television credits include Blue Sunshine, Squirm and Coronet Blue, and stage credits also include American Buffalo (1977) and Lennon (2005).

In 2007, Edgar Lansbury won the John Houseman Award from The Acting Company to honor his commitment to the development of...

Edgar Lansbury, a Tony Award-winning producer and younger brother of actress Angela Lansbury, died Thursday at age 94 at his home in Manhattan, according to his son. No cause was given.

Peggy Gordon, who played in Lansbury’s Godspell, posted the news on Facebook.

“My huge adorable and adoring Godspell family, we have now lost our surrogate daddy, Edgar Lansbury. How blessed was he to live such a full, rich, wonderful life surrounded by people who adored him. Don Scardino says there will be a memorial probably this fall. Contact any and all of your Godspell family members from all ten original companies, plus London (hi Gay) and anyone else I”ve missed. Man, if Joe Beruh was waiting for Edgar with a cigarette in his mouth, I have no doubt Edgar made Joe stomp on it. Love never dies. It’s an energy that only transmutes into matter. That’s all of us.

Edgar Lansbury, the Tony-winning producer and younger brother of famed actress Angela Lansbury who guided the Broadway and big-screen versions of The Subject Was Roses and Godspell, has died. He was 94.

He died Thursday at his home in Manhattan, his son David Lansbury told The Hollywood Reporter.

Lansbury also produced the popular 1974-75 Broadway revival of Gypsy that starred his sister in a Tony-winning turn and worked on other films including The Wild Party (1975), directed by James Ivory.

Angela Lansbury, winner of five Tony Awards and star of Murder, She Wrote, died on Oct. 11, 2022, at age 96. His twin brother, TV producer Bruce Lansbury, died in February 2017 at age 87.

Lansbury’s first Broadway production, the intense family drama The Subject Was Roses, opened in 1964, ran for two years, and won a Pulitzer Prize and the Tony for best play. Written by Frank Gilroy and directed by Ulu Grosbard, it starred Martin Sheen...

Actress and veteran soap writer Meg Bennett, who played Julia Martin on The Young and the Restless, has died at the age of 75. The Daytime Emmy winner passed away on April 11. “Meg lost her battle with cancer,” said her obituary in the Los Angeles Times. “Until nearly the end she was devotedly working with children, writing and engaging with her far-flung family and friends.” Born Helen Margaret Bennett, she grew up in Pasadena, California, and worked as a model before getting her acting and singing break starring off-Broadway in Godspell, followed by the original run of Grease on Broadway. She then landed the role of Liza Walton on the CBS soap Search for Tomorrow in 1974. She also appeared occasionally as a panelist on Match Game. In 1980 she joined Y&R as Julia Martin, the first of Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) nine wives, a role she played for six years.

Meg Bennett, a soap opera star who appeared on popular soaps like The Young and the Restless and General Hospital has died. According to reports, she passed away on April 11 following a battle with cancer. She was 75.

Here is what you need to know about Meg Bennett, her life, and her sad passing.

Meg Bennett Dies At 75

Helen Margaret “Meg” Bennett has died at the age of 75. The long-time soap opera star was battling cancer. According to the obituary from her family, Meg had been battling cancer and “lost her battle” on April 11 (via legacy.com). The family also said that Meg had been “working with children, writing, and engaging with her far-flung family and friends” up to the time of her death.

Meg leaves behind her husband, Robert Guza, Jr., her two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, and two siblings. Meg had met her husband while she worked on the daytime...

Meg Bennett, the Daytime Emmy winner who did double duty as an actress and writer on the daytime soap operas The Young and the Restless, General Hospital and Santa Barbara, has died. She was 75.

Bennett died April 11 after a battle with cancer, her family announced.

Bennett portrayed Marty Maraschino for more than two years during the original Broadway run of Grease that kicked off in 1972, then began her long run in daytime two years later with a turn as Liza Walton on CBS’ Search for Tomorrow, where Kevin Kline and Morgan Fairchild were castmates.

She joined CBS’ The Young and the Restless in 1980 as Julia Newman — wife of Eric Braeden’s Victor Newman — but as her character was being written off, she was asked by Y&r creator Bill Bell to stick around as a writer.

“I’d been acting on the show for almost two years when this happened, so I knew the characters,...

In a career on stage, screen and television that has endured for more than 50 years, writer, actor and comedian Martin Short got his start in a 1972 Canadian production of the stage musical “Godspell” in a cast that included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas and Gilda Radner, all of whom would work with Short on subsequent projects in the years to come.

Short’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, “Sctv Network 90,” which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of “Saturday Night Live” (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986’s “¡Three Amigos!” alongside Steve Martin...

Exclusive: The legendary 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell – a staging that launched the careers of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, Andrea Martin and Dave Thomas, among others – will be the subject of a feature length documentary exec produced by Judd Apatow.

“As a bona fide comedy nerd,” said Apatow in a statement, “I’ve long wondered what exactly brought that amazing group of people together to produce not just a fantastic theatrical event, but what came after: Second City Toronto, Sctv, and of course Saturday Night Live – not to mention a host of movies and TV from Splash to The Three Amigos to Schitt’s Creek and Only Murders in the Building. None of that would have happened in the way that it did without the Toronto Godspell.”

The film will be produced, directed and co-written (with Jane Mendelsohn) by Nick Davis, whose most recent film,...

Schitt's Creek's Christmas special is considered one of its best episodes and with good reason. The Christmas episode features a reunion between Eugene Levy and Paul Shaffer, who previously worked together on an iconic production of Godspell in 1972. Another Godspell reunion happened in Schitt's Creek's final season when Victor Garber joined Levy and O'Hara, playing a former co-star of Moira Rose.

Schitt's Creek's Christmas special features a surprise cameo that also acts as a reunion for a landmark musical production. Despite running for six seasons, Schitt's Creek only got one Christmas episode. This came in the form of season 4 special "Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose," where Johnny tries to arrange a Christmas Eve gathering for family and friends with predictably messy results. Still, it ends on a sweet note. This outing is considered one of Schitt's Creek's best episodes, but there's a practical reason it was the first and only holiday episode.

Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston struck gold with their recording of "When You Believe" off the motion picture soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt back in 1999. The song received the Best Original Song Oscar and sat atop the music charts for weeks. The music divas and the iconic song come to mind this week now that the sensational West End production of The Prince of Egypt: The Musical was made available to purchase or rent on digital. It is also available on BroadwayHD.

Featuring songs written by Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the legendary composer behind Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin, the powerful production is based on the classic DreamWorks Animation film. Filmed live at the West End's Dominion Theatre, London, it boasts a cast and orchestra of 60 performers, making it one of the biggest musicals ever staged.

The Ancient Egypt-set story chronicles two young men who were...

In 2020, The Prince of Egypt: The Musical opened on London's West End, based on the animated movie of the same name, and featuring new music and lyrics from composer Stephen Schwartz, whose work on the stage and screen also includes Godspell, Wicked, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted. Unfortunately, the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the show to close for over a year before reopening in the summer of 2021. Fortunately for fans of the musical and the original animated film, however, the production was filmed and had a limited theatrical run this past October, and is available on Digital now.

The film Jesus might have bombed, but the real miracle would come a decade later, thanks to a resurrection on VHS. Everything you need to know about this Jesus-themed biopic film, you can tell from the title: Jesus. Alternately titled The Jesus Film, the directors were making it painfully transparent that they were not taking any liberties with the subject material. It did come with the odd marketing angle that the movie fixated on only one of the gospels from the Bible, The Book of Luke.

Under the Peter Sykes-John Krish directing duo, Jesus was released in the fall of 1979 to little fanfare. It was a competitive time for Jesus biopics. Godspell, Life of Brian, and Jesus Christ Superstar were just a few productions in a very congested market. All were looking to take advantage of provocative subject matter to sell new interpretations to new audiences who wouldn't be caught dead in Bible study class.

Gaten Matarazzo, Stranger Things star, has partnered with Nintendo and is a long-time video games fan. The final season of Stranger Things is in the works, marking the end of the popular Netflix series. Matarazzo discusses his love for gaming, his favorite games, and his ideal Stranger Things game in an interview with Screen Rant.

Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo has been busy outside his work on the show, including a partnership with Nintendo that began last year. The actor, who plays Dustin Henderson in the sci-fi horror series, is also a nearly life-long video games fan. Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, filming is planned to quickly resume for Stranger Things, but Matarazzo is still finding time to enjoy games with his family as the holidays approach.

Not much is known about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, but it's slated to be a definitive...

"Colors of the Wind" is a classic song from the Disney Renaissance era and remains popular despite the controversial reception of the film Pocahontas. The song was written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, and it won an Academy Award and other prestigious awards. Singer Judy Kuhn and Vanessa Williams performed the song for the Pocahontas soundtrack, and it has continued to be covered by various artists over the years.

Besides being the defining track from the soundtrack of Pocahontas, "Colors of the Wind" is also a true classic from the Disney Renaissance era and continues to be a popular staple today. Released in 1995, Pocahontas Disney-fies the true story of the titular character, an indigenous woman of the Powhatan people who falls in love with a white man named John Smith, who comes with his comrades to explore the New World. The movie was yet another big-budget animated venture from...

The second season of the Apple TV+ musical comedy series “Schmigadoon!” upped the ante in every possible way, largely owing to the Broadway musical that served as the backbone of Season 2: “Chicago.”

“I like to be challenged,” Emmy-nominated cinematographer Jon Joffin said in a new installment of TheWrap’s “How I Did It,” presented by Apple TV+. “They told me with Season 2 they wanted it to be grittier and more like ‘Chicago,’ ‘Cabaret,’ and they even threw in ‘Hair’ and ‘Godspell,’ so there were all these different looks mingling and it was very exciting.”

While the show’s first season paid tribute to the Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and 50s, the second season finds New York doctors Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) trying to return to Schmigadoon, only to discover Schmicago – a city that’s a loving tribute to the musicals of the ‘60s and ‘70s,...

Aaron Tveit has been a fixture on New York stages, appearing in shows including “Wicked,” “Next to Normal” and “Catch Me if You Can,” and he recently wrapped a second run as Christian in “Moulin Rouge!,” which bowed before the pandemic arrived and returned after Broadway reopened. But it’s television that has been helping him most rapidly expand his repertoire.

Tveit takes on a cavalcade of roles in Apple TV+’s “Schmigadoon!,” a parodical love letter to musicals, created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and starring Keegan Michael-Key and Cecily Strong as a couple working out the kinks in their relationship in a magical land populated by characters from the stage. The series, which focused on musicals of the ’40s and ’50s in its first season, sends up shows of

the ’60s and ’70s in its second, set in the magical land of “Schmicago.”

What was it like...

Chicago – Yet another famous musical version of the final days of Jesus Christ is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as a film. “Godspell” began as a college project, moved to off-Broadway, released the film adaptation the same year as its cousin film “Jesus Christ Superstar” and had one actor go through all the iterations, while scoring a hit single with the song “Day by Day” … she is Robin Lamont.

Robin Lamont of “Godspell”

She went through all the steps of “Godspell” – even premiering in the Broadway stage version in 1976. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs,...

Are you ready to meet the dastardly denizens of Schmicago?

Schmigadoon! Season 2 takes us to a dark, seedy city inspired by the musicals of the 1960s and 70s.

Dove Cameron is already an icon in her own right, famous for her role in Disney's Descendents, Liv and Maddie, and a thriving pop music career.

In Schmigadoon! Season 1, she played the simple farmer's daughter Betsy. For Season 2, she is Jenny Banks, a role chiefly inspired by Kander and Ebb's anti-heroine Sally Bowles (made famous by Liza Minnelli in 1972's Cabaret).

Aaron Tveit is the Tony-winning star of Broadway's Moulin Rouge! and the big-screen movie adaptation of the mega-musical Les Misérables.

After playing Danny Bailey in Season 1, he's back as a rockin' leading man who is equal parts Jesus, Pippin, and Berger from Hair.

We caught up with Cameron and Tveit at a recent press junket to talk about their experiences filming...

When Lorne Michaels set out to shake up the late-night television landscape with "Saturday Night Live," there were certain, long-standing traditions he was willing to observe. One of those was the assemblage of a house band. Though the show wasted no time filling America's living rooms with the provocative music of Gil Scott-Heron, Jimmy Cliff, and Frank Zappa, the Saturday Night Live Band was an impressive if unexciting assortment of solid session musicians. And the man who brought them together was a then relatively unknown composer named Howard Shore.

The Toronto-born Shore had the inside track to the gig thanks to a friendship with Michaels that stretched back to summer camp. But while Shore had made a name for himself via the jazz fusion band Lighthouse and his score for magician Doug Henning's popular stage show "Spellbound" (which eventually transferred to Broadway as "The Magic Show"), he wasn't overly...

Ingmar Bergman had Liv Ullmann. Woody Allen had Diane Keaton and Christopher Guest had Catherine O’Hara — that’s how actor John Michael Higgins summed up the stature of O’Hara’s work on screen with Guest and other top directors during a wide-ranging Q&a held Saturday as part of the sixth annual USC Comedy Festival.

The Emmy-winning O’Hara was honored with the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award at the festival, in recognition of her long, and often underrated, career in film, TV, stage and sketch comedy.

The Oakie Foundation honors the lives and work of two comedy legends, Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie. Jack Oakie won a supporting actor Oscar for Charlie Chaplins’ 1940 satire “The Great Dictator.” Victoria Oakie was a comedy trouper who had supporting roles (as Victoria Horne) in numerous films, most memorably opposite Jimmy Stewart in 1950’s “Harvey.”

In reviewing...

Exclusive: A new musical based on the award-winning 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles and the life of beauty queen, socialite and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel is in development, with Kristin Chenoweth attached to star and produce.

The project would reunite Chenoweth with her Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, who is on board to write the music. An industry reading is set for March 24 in New York City, in preparation for an out of town engagement with additional details to be announced.

Stephen Schwartz (Photo: Nathan Johnson)

Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles 2012 documentary depicted the often bizarre lives of Jackie Siegel and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts, as they struggled to build the largest private home in America in Orlando, Florida — a $100 million house inspired by the Palace of Versailles. Their plans – and their lives – were derailed by the Great Recession of 2008.

The stage musical will reunite Schwartz with Broadway superstar Chenoweth (who will play Jackie Siegel), and feature a book by Lindsey Ferrentino and direction by Tony nominee Michael Arden. The project is described as “a new musical exploring the true cost of fame, fortune, and family.”

The Queen of Versailles is produced by Bill Damaschke. Chenoweth will also act as producer through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment.

Half a century ago Hollywood was frantically trying to figure out the newly-dominant “youth market.” Since some of that market had recently found Jesus, there was a brief spate of related films: Zefferelli’s hippie-fied St. Francis biopic “Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” adapted stage musicals “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspell,” the Billy Graham-produced “A Time to Run” chief among them. But as the “Jesus Movement” got absorbed into more mainstream institutions, the brief vogue flickered out.

For a moment there, however, counterculture and Christ had a groovy thing going on, one that promised both salvation for those who’d gone overboard on sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, as well as a healthy shakeup of churches that had lost touch with younger generations. Dramatizing that moment is “Jesus Revolution,” an engaging, upbeat new effort from co-directors Jon Erwin (“I Can Only Imagine”) and Brent McCorkle (“Unconditional”), adapted from Greg Laurie’s memoir.

Originally called “Sala de Parejas,” “Caso Cerrado” started as a court show that focused primarily on the arbitration of marital problems between litigants. Over the years, the Telemundo-produced show expanded beyond marital issues; including other disputes and matters such as violence and child abuse. At its peak, “Caso Cerrado” drew an average of 1,455,000 viewers daily and was the number one Spanish program in the 4 Pm time slot. The show also did well with younger demographics, with viewers aged 18 to 34 making up 39 of the total viewing audience.

Fans are puzzled about what happened to the show. Has it been canceled? Was it moved to a different slot? Is it still available on-demand?

Keep reading as we answer all the pressing questions regarding “Caso Cerrado.”

Has “Caso Cerrado” Been Canceled?

First airing on April 2, 2001, the show ran for two decades. It propelled Cuban-American lawyer Ana María Polo to stardom across Latin America.

Chicago – One of the better film treats of Easter weekend is “Godspell” (1973), the hippie musical based on the Bible gospels in the book of Matthew. Featuring Victor Garber as Jesus, the film is set in New York City of the early 1970s, at the same time the World Trade Center was nearly complete. The producers had a great idea … why not film a dance number on the top of the North Tower? So the ironic song “All For the Best” ends up there, and cast member Robin Lamont remembered her reaction in an interview with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

“Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired composer Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) to create the now classic soundtrack.

Fox will debut its new celebrity competition series “The Real Dirty Dancing” next month in the Tuesday time slot that was previously reserved for the now-pushed-to-fall, high-profile Susan Sarandon drama “Monarch.”

The Stephen “tWitch” Boss-hosted dancing show, which was ordered to series by the network last fall as part of its 2021-2022 programming lineup, follows eight celebrities — Brie Bella, Corbin Bleu, Tyler Cameron, Cat Cora, Howie Dorough, Antonio Gates, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and Loni Love — “as they fully immerse themselves” in the ultimate “Dirty Dancing” experience in the hope of becoming the next “Baby” and “Johnny” (the characters played by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in the classic ’80s film).

The special event series will premiere Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 9 p.m. Et on Fox, airing its remaining episodes air Feb. 8, Feb. 15 and Feb. 22 in the same slot. That time period makes “Real Dirty Dancing” primetime competition for NBC’s Beijing Olympics,...

According to the combined predictions of Gold Derby’s users as of this writing, “Les Misérables: The Staged Concert” is the front-runner to win Best Musical Theater Album at this year’s Grammy Awards with 11/2 odds. Recordings of the classic musical have previously received two Grammy nominations in this category, winning on both bids: first in 1988 for the original Broadway cast recording, and then in 1991 for the complete symphonic recording. However, I think we might be underestimating “Girl From the North Country.”

In 2015 most of our users were predicting the original Broadway cast recording of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” to prevail, yet “Beautiful” managed to beat it. The latter musical centered on the early career of legendary singer/songwriter Carole King, who has earned nine competitive Grammy nominations with four wins in her career. So its cast album was filled with songs voters had been familiar with for decades.

Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International MTIannounced that the three versions of Godspell represented by the company -- the original off-Broadway 1971 version, the revised 2012 version and Godspell Jr. the 60-minute Broadway Junior version -- are now available for licensing by theatres across the world. Previously, Mti only represented the rights to Godspell in the United States and with this announcement, licensing for the three versions of the show will now begin for performances taking place on or after January 1, 2022.

It has been almost five years since playwright Lynn Nottage made her Broadway debut with “Sweat” and almost 10 since Uzo Aduba last appeared on a Broadway stage. They both return, triumphantly, in Nottage’s “Clyde’s,” a new play with a connection to “Sweat,” which earned three Tony Award nominations and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “Clyde’s” opened at the Second Stage Theater’s Hayes Theater on Nov. 23.

“Clyde’s” stars Aduba in the title role, the proprietor of a roadside sandwich shop in Pennsylvania who hires former convicts as kitchen staff. The comedy ascends to Biblical proportions as Clyde’s employees navigate their boss’ viciousness and strive for personal redemption through the art of making the perfect sandwich. The ensemble also boasts two-time Emmy-winner Ron Cephas Jones, Edmund Donovan, Reza Salazar, and Kara Young under the direction of Nottage’s frequent collaborator Kate Whoriskey.

See ‘Trouble in Mind’ reviews: Alice Childress’ ‘exemplary,...

The Grammy Award nominations released today won’t do much for Broadway’s bottom line: Of the six nominees for Best Musical Theater Album, only one – Girl From The North Country, with music by Bob Dylan – is from a show currently on a Broadway stage.

Other nominees announced today are:

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, a London cast recording; Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers, a concept album featuring a Who’s Who of stage and screen stars performing new Bacharach songs; Les Misérables: The Staged Concert, from a 2019 staging at London’s Gielgud Theatre; Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook, another world premiere all-star concept recording of an original musical incorporating songs from such Schwartz productions as Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, The Baker’s Wife, Rags, Working, Children of Eden, and Enchanted; The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, the digital concept album from Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s TikTok...

Initially conceived as a one-man “rock monologue,” then taking on an unexpected new depth after the early death of its creator at age 35, Jonathan Larson’s “Tick, Tick… Boom!” is a show uniquely suited to the musical theater crowd — and not just the masses of fans Larson won over with “Rent.” It resonates especially strongly with the writers, performers and fellow creatives who can identify with how he articulated the struggle to be recognized, to make meaningful work and, according to the high bar Larson set for himself, to “wake up a generation.” People like Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Before “Hamilton,” before even “In the Heights,” Miranda was inspired by what Larson had accomplished with “Rent,” discovering in the show a fresh kind of musical, one characterized by a contemporary new sound, characters with recognizable struggles and an uncommonly diverse cast. In an awful twist of fate, Larson died of an aortic...

“Schitt’s Creek” star and Canadian screen icon Eugene Levy has signed with UTA.

The multi-Emmy-winning actor, producer and writer is best known for co-creating, starring in and executive producing the critically acclaimed CBC and Pop series “Schitt’s Creek” alongside his son and co-star, Daniel Levy.

The show — which reached global audiences via Netflix — picked up nine Emmy awards for its sixth season, earning the title for the most awarded comedy series in a single year and the most wins for a comedy series in its final season. With an ensemble cast including Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy, the series set the record for the first comedy or drama series to sweep all four acting categories, while Levy and his son were the first father-son pair ever to win Emmys in the same year.

To date, “Schitt’s Creek” has received 21 Emmy nominations, as well as wins at the SAG Awards, PGA Awards,...

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today that their live and in person Stars in the House at The Town Hall will be rescheduled to Monday, October 25th at 8:00 Pm, consistent with Theatre Authority guidelines.

Broadway’s brightest stars will come together at the live concert benefitting The Actors Fund. The line-up will include appearances by Andy Karl, Anika Larsen, Bebe Neuwirth, Brenda Braxton, Charlotte d’Amboise, Christine Pedi, Chita Rivera, Dana Delany, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Benanti, Linda Benanti, Liz Callaway, Marc Shaiman, Orfeh, Schele Williams and many others. CBS Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon Lapook will also take the stage to give the latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic. The evening will be directed by Lisa Mordente.

Ticket buyers who have purchased tickets to the original September 12th show will have the option to attend the new date, or will receive a refund. Ticket buyers will receive an email from TicketMaster with further details.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today that the 2020 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre – to be presented in September – will go to Fred Gallo, President of Prg Scenic Technologies; Broadway press agent Irene Gandy; stage manager Beverly Jenkins and New Federal Theatre founder Woodie King, Jr.

“We are thrilled to recognize these deserving individuals and organizations with Tony Honors this year,” said Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “New Federal Theatre, Fred Gallo, Irene Gandy, and Beverly Jenkins have made immeasurable contributions to the theatre community, and their impact will be felt for years to come.”

The Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre were established in 1990 and are awarded annually to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theater, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories.

Gallo,...

Multiple Emmy Award-winners Uzo Aduba and Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) have been cast in Second Stage Theater’s upcoming Broadway production of Lynn Nottage’s new play Clyde’s, along with Reza Salazar (Sweat) and Kara Young (Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven).

Second Stage announced the casting today, with a fifth role remaining to be cast.

Directed by Kate Whoriskey, Clyde’s will begin previews Wednesday, Nov. 3, with an official opening on Monday, Nov. 22, at Second Stage’s Broadway home, The Hayes Theater.

Second Stage describes the new play as “a stirring and funny new play from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and her frequent collaborator, director Kate Whoriskey,” set in a truck stop sandwich shop where a formerly incarcerated kitchen staff has a shot at redemption.

Aduba will play Clyde, the shop’s callous owner who...

There’s no business like show business, and if anyone has proven that over the past 16 months, it is “Stars In The House” co-hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley!

The moment the theaters on Broadway went dark, the two put their heads together to find a way to give back, and provide much-needed entertainment to the community that they love. After hundreds of shows, thousands of guests, and millions of viewers, the impact of “Stars In The House” cannot be overstated, as it celebrates raising $1 Million for The Actors Fund. Donations from all around the world flooded in as people tuned in nearly every night to revisit beloved Broadway shows, television series, and films with the stars who made them, and have their spirits lifted by this one-of-a-kind series.

Rudetsky and Wesley will mark this unbelievable accomplishment with a very special In Person “Stars In The House” show on Wednesday,...

Salazar, the Lortel Award-winning actor known forBe More Chill, The Lightning Thief, Godspell, tick tick Boom, and most recently the Pasadena Playhouse production ofLittle Shop of Horrorsjoins with Iconis, the Tony-Award nominated musical theatre writer known forBe More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Love In Hate Nation, The Black Suits, and his songs for Smash for an intimate yet mind-melding concert youll never forget...

Paradise Square, the original musical from a creative team that includes Moisés Kaufman, Bill T. Jones, Craig Lucas and Black 47 singer Larry Kirwan, will begin Broadway previews at the Shubert Organization’s Barrymore Theatre on February 22, 2022, with an opening night set for Sunday, March 20.

Producer Garth H. Drabinsky announced the dates today, along with the new casting of Joaquina Kalukango, currently Tony-nominated for her performance in Slave Play.

As previously reported, the production will arrive on Broadway directly from a five-week Chicago engagement.

The musical’s creative team includes director Moisés Kaufman and choreographer Bill T. Jones, with a book by Christina Anderson, Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan. Graciela Daniele will provide musical staging, in collaboration with Kaufman and Jones.

The score of Paradise Square is by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, with additional material provided by Masi Asare and Kirwan. The musical features original songs as well...