News

Amber Ruffin will be the featured entertainer at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The annual dinner is set to take place in April 26 in Washington, D.C.

“When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list,” Eugene Daniels, White House Correspondents’ Association president and Politico reporter, said in a statement. “She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I’m thrilled and honored she said yes.”

Ruffin, known for writing for “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and appearing with Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Ian Black on comedy program “Have I Got News For You,” will be roasting political figures in attendance. The president and first lady, politicians and media are...

Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson have renewed their commitment to Turner Classic Movies, and George Stevens Jr. and Michael Schultz will be honored at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April, it was announced Saturday.

TCM also noted that new episodes of Two for One will return to the channel in April, with filmmakers and Ben Mankiewicz co-hosting a double feature on Saturday nights. Joe Dante, Kathy Bates and Jamie Lee Curtis will be among the guests.

TCM will continue to celebrate a different star every month, like Elvis Presley on what would have been his 90th birthday; Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Tony Curtis and Donald O’Connor on what would have been their 100th birthdays; and Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday in December.

George Raft, Barbara Stanwyck, Red Skelton, Mae West, Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon will also be featured throughout 2025.

During its 31st year,...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Few filmmakers had a better 1970s than Sidney Lumet. While he was more prolific than most of the decade's top directors, knocking out 11 movies over a 10-year span, and did find time to helm one of the worst musicals in motion picture history (a badly bungled adaptation of "The Wiz"), when Lumet got ahold of the right material, he made classics like "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Network."

There isn't a more electric movie in Lumet's oeuvre than "Dog Day Afternoon." Based on a true story, the 1975 critical and commercial hit centers on a bank robbery in Brooklyn carried out by Sonny Wortzik, an amateur crook desperate to pay for his lover's gender-affirming surgery. When the heist quickly goes south, Sonny and his associates find themselves stuck holding hostages while cops swarm the building. The defiant Sonny scrambles to negotiate...

With the news of Alfa Anderson’s death at age 78, one of the lasting voices of disco was silenced. First as a session singer for Chic, Anderson sang backup on their early hits “Everybody Dance” and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” as part of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ fledgling outfit. Then, as a front person, Anderson helped power dancefloor anthems like “Good Times,” “Le Freak,” “My Forbidden Lover” and “I Want Your Love,” defining the group vocally and visually.

Before Chic, Anderson had left her mark working with...

Alfa Anderson, the one-time lead vocalist of Chic who sang on classic disco songs including “Le Freak,” “Good Times,” and “I Want Your Love,” has died at the age of 78.

Nile Rodgers, the leader of Chic, shared news of Anderson’s passing on social media on Saturday. A cause of death was not disclosed.

After getting her start as a backing vocalist for artists such as Dionne Warwick and Roy Buchanan and vocal work on The Wiz soundtrack, Anderson auditioned for a role in Chic in 1977. She assumed co-lead vocalist following the departure of Norma Jean Wright in 1978 and went on to sing on some of the group’s biggest solo hits. She was also featured on Chic’s collaborations with artists including Sister Sledge (“We Are Family”), Diana Ross (Diana), and Johnny Mathis (I Love My Lady).

Following Chic’s initial disbandment in 1983, Anderson toured internationally with Luther Vandross.

RhonniRose Mantilla is a pro when it comes to the stage. Theater is a big love of hers, and she’s performed in productions of some of the biggest musicals, including Grease, The Wiz, and A Chorus Line. Earlier this year, she made her Broadway debut, and now she’s making her daytime television debut in Beyond the Gates. We get to witness her big break, so seeing what she’ll do with her role as Dani Dupree’s youngest daughter, Chelsea Hamilton, is exciting.

The Early Days

RhonniRose Mantilla hails from the gateway to the West, St. Louis, Missouri. While she was in high school at Parkway North, she once told them what she was most proud of. She said, “My talents like my abilities to dance and sing.” And when she added acting to her skillset, she turned into a triple threat.

She attended Baldwin Wallace University in...

T.G. Sheppard knows exactly how people at home may have felt when they were watching Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, the landmark 1983 TV special honoring one of the most enduring record companies ever. The singer was feeling the same way backstage at the Pasadena Civic Center in California, marveling at moments like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” moonwalk, Marvin Gaye’s otherworldly “What’s Going On,” and the reunions of the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and the Supremes.

He knows audiences were probably confused when comedian and host...

Updated Nov. 30: Broadway musicals adapted to the screen are an erratic genre at the box office, despite Miramax’s multi-Oscar winning Chicago reviving the long-dormant Hollywood genre back in 2002 with $306.8M WW. Yet for every Les Miserables ($442.7M) hit from Universal, there were massive misfires like Dear Evan Hansen and Cats. This weekend, Universal defied the odds with their feature take of the $5 billion-grossing Broadway stage show Wicked, opening to $112.5M domestic, $162.5M worldwide as of Monday morning.

Here’s all the records that Wicked broke in its opening weekend:

The Highest Grossing Movie Ever Based on a Broadway Musical at the Domestic Box Office with $214M and counting as of Nov. 30.

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for a Movie Based on a Broadway Show, beating the worldwide opening of 2012’s Les Miserables ($103M) and the domestic opening of Disney’s 2014 Into the Woods ($31M).

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for Ariana Grande ever,...

Most children’s books are forgotten immediately, but the best of them put a spell on adults. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is so good that it inspired numerous adaptations, including Gregory Maguire’s Wicked and the upcoming movie of the same name. Maguire revealed his opinion on why Oz isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

‘Wicked’ author Gregory Maguire explained why we keep returning to Oz

During a 2024 interview with Paste, Maguire discussed the enduring appeal of Oz, the setting of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its many sequels and adaptations. “Oz has always, I think, implied America, by the way that Baum designed it,” Maguire opined.

“But because Oz was originally made both broad and indistinct that has left people who came later, like MGM, like The Wiz, like me, like [Wicked musical writers] Stephen [Schwartz] and Winnie [Holzman], that has left us lots and lots of acreage...

This weekend sees the release of Wicked, the highly-anticipated adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which, despite what certain tie-in toy packages indicate, is no way affiliated with the porn studio of the same name.

But Wicked is hardly the first Wizard of Oz movie, in addition to the 1939 MGM classic, there was the recent Oz the Great and Powerful with James Franco, the ‘70s Motown-produced The Wiz and even a TV version starring the Muppets. And the less said about the animated sequel featuring live-action scenes of Bill Cosby as the Wizard, the better.

But while we all think of the ‘39 version as the definitive cinematic take on the story, it wasn’t actually the first Oz feature film. More than a decade before Judy Garland played Dorothy Gale, there was a feature-length silent version of The Wizard of Oz made in 1925. And it’s completely bonkers.

In the ‘25 film,...

During Alyah Chanelle Scott’s first trip to Los Angeles in 2020, she was feeling lost in her fledgling career. Straight out of college, she’d been cast in the national tour of The Book of Mormon, the musical comedy from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker about Mormon missionaries preaching to a far-flung Ugandan village, playing an African convert named Nabulungi. The job meant eight shows a week, Tuesday through Sunday, and a day off on Monday that offered just enough time for the cast to catch a...

Wicked's Rotten Tomatoes score has finally been released, and it is massively impressive even if it doesn't match the score that The Wizard of Oz received. The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved movies of all time, and for this reason, the idea of making a feature film adaptation of the musical Wicked is a bit scary. While the original play could be viewed separately, it will be impossible not to compare Wicked to The Wizard of Oz, although Rotten Tomatoes is already suggesting that the comparisons may not be that bad.

The Wicked Rotten Tomatoes score is now public knowledge, and as of the writing of this article, the 2024 musical is sitting at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is incredibly impressive, with the immensely high score being shocking for many audience members who have had problems with the film's trailers and marketing materials. The film has...

After the Egot died at age 91 earlier this month, Quincy Jones‘ cause of death has been determined.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health revealed in Jones’ death certificate that he died of pancreatic cancer, with no other contributing factors, according to TMZ.

Jones’ publicist Arnold Robinson previously announced that he died on Sunday, Nov. 3 at his Bel-Air home.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” said Jones’ family in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

The musician, composer, producer and songwriter was behind such Michael Jackson albums as Thriller, Off the Wall (1980), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987), as well as decades of work with Frank Sinatra, conducting his and Count Basie’s It Might as...

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones worked together on three of Jackson’s albums. They had a strong working relationship, and Jones helped Jackson grow as an artist. According to Jones, he didn’t intend to produce Jackson’s music when he first met him. He shared the moment he realized he wanted to work with the singer.

Michael Jackson’s reaction to a correction made Quincy Jones want to work with him

Jones first met Jackson when he was a child. Years later, they reconnected on the set of The Wiz. Jackson played the Scarecrow, and Jones composed the film’s score. Before they started filming, Jackson asked Jones if he would find him a producer for his latest album.

“In 1978, Sidney Lumet pulled me kicking and screaming into doing the music for The Wiz, and in hindsight I’m so glad he did,” Jones wrote for the LA Times following Jackson’s death.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSLa région centrale.Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States for a second time.Major film distributors declined to pick up Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice (2024) under threat of legal action from the Trump campaign, just as recent documentaries, including No Other Land and The Bibi Files (both 2024) have been neglected.In a stunning blow to film preservation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has laid off sixteen employees from its archive and library departments as part of a broad “restructuring” plan. Several were instrumental archivists who had been at the Academy for years.Not only are Moroccan filmmakers receiving plum spots in international festival lineups, but investments from foreign productions, a new streaming service,...

Quincy Jones first met Michael Jackson years before they started working together. At the time, Jackson was in the Jackson Five and Jones was an established music producer. He admitted that on this first meeting, he told Jackson that he was being too weird.

Quincy Jones told a young Michael Jackson he was weird

Jones first met Jackson in the early days of his career. He said Jackson was one of many performers he met when they were young.

“For some reason I have had the honor of meeting young performers when they reach the age of 12,” Jones wrote for the LA Times after Jackson’s death. “There was Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Tevin Campbell, and, of course, Michael Jackson.”

Michael Jackson | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

While he said he found Jackson’s talent impressive, he never predicted that they would go on to work together.

“I was fully...

Quincy Jones, who died earlier this week, received a tribute from Saturday Night Live.

The venerable NBC show paid tribute to the musical legend, who died at the age of 91, with a card at the end of the show.

Jones had previously hosted SNL in February 1990. He was coming off the back of promoting his Back on the Block album and turned up with a lot of musical guests including Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel and Quincy D III.

The 10 musical performers Jones brought with him is believed to have been the record for the show, one that stands to this day.

He also paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, who was set to be released from prison hours after the show, during his monologue.

Fun fact: Dana Carvey, who did an impression of Elon Musk on tonight’s show, was in the cast when Jones hosted.

Jones was a musician,...

Quincy Jones worked with Michael Jackson on three of his biggest albums. The pair worked incredibly well together, and Jones recalled having fun in the studio with Jackson. Still, there were some elements of working with the singer that Jones did not like. He felt very uncomfortable with the animals Jackson brought into the studio with him.

Quincy Jones said he felt a little uncomfortable in the studio with Michael Jackson

Jones said that when he got in the studio with Jackson, the atmosphere was always light and fun.

“It was as loose as you can get! We’d be joking and having fun,” he told The Guardian. “Are you kidding? You gotta know how to party [laughs]. If you get uptight, the music’s going to sound like nothin’. I used to say, ‘Always leave a little room for God to walk in the room.’”

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones...

The 2025 Grammy nominations were announced Friday, and with a whopping 94 categories in the show, The Hollywood Reporter is breaking down what you need to know about — including the snubs, the surprises and Beyoncé continuing to make history.

The Snubs

Ariana Grande scored three nominations but was shut out of the top three awards as well as best pop solo performance. Post Malone missed out on album of the year, and though he’s nominated for record and song of the year, it’s for his guest appearance on Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” not for his own No. 1 hit, “I Need Some Help” with Morgan Wallen.

And speaking of Swift — she scored six nominations but how isn’t her groundbreaking concert movie, The Eras Tour, in competition for best music film? And “Fortnight” didn’t make the cut for best pop duo/group performance — instead Swift is nominated there for her...

Another Grammy nominations clean-sweep for Broadway: For the third consecutive year, all the nominees for Best Musical Theater Album are for Broadway productions. No West End, Off Broadway, regional theater – or 2022 winner TikTok.

The six 2025 Grammy nominees in the theater category are Hell’s Kitchen, Merrily We Roll Along, The Notebook, The Outsiders, Suffs and The Wiz. Four of the shows are still running, though two of those (The Notebook and Suffs) will be closed when the winners are announced in February so would be unable to benefit ticket-wise from the publicity.

This year’s cast album nominations mean that plenty of performers not typically associated with music, or only music, could potentially tick off a box on the long road to Egot status: Daniel Radcliffe, Wayne Brady, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, among others.

The nomination of The Outsiders won’t...

What couldn’t Quincy Jones do?

He wrote, composed and arranged music for your favorite artists and even produced films and TV shows that launched some of your favorite actors. He not only changed careers — he changed lives.

Here we break down some of the biggest acts and projects Jones worked on, from Michael Jackson’s seminal Thriller album to “We Are the World” to winning 28 Grammys, an Emmy and a Tony.

Michael Jackson

Before he met Jones while working on The Wiz, Jackson had been known for the Jackson 5 and released four solo albums that had mild success. Then they made Off the Wall and the King of Pop fully arrived. Released in 1979 around the time Jackson turned 21, the album helped him transition from young singer to critically acclaimed, matured artist. The album’s disco, funk and R&b sound resonated on the charts, helped Jackson win his first...

Quincy Jones, producer of several of the best-selling albums of all time, died at his home in Bel Air on Sunday as per his publicist. Though his work covered all genres, Jones will forever be best known for helping coronate the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, by helping craft Jackson’s infectious and highly lucrative sound across three classic albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. In 1985, he produced the “We Are The World” session, arguably the apex of 1980s pop music.

Jones, who in 1968 became the first African-American nominated for a Best Original Song Academy Award with “The Eyes of Love,” received an astonishing 80 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy Awards throughout his career. His wins were for arranging, producing, and performing, and he won the 1988 Album of the Year prize for Back on the Block, an R&b-pop-hip hop cross-generational collaboration including artists like Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, Ice-t, Kool Moe Dee,...

Legendary music producer and composer Quincy Jones, who amassed 28 Grammy Award wins across his multi-decade career, died on Sunday at the age of 91.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the Jones family said in a statement obtained by our sister site Variety. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense...

Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose contributions to contemporary music spanned over seven decades and multiple genres such as jazz, pop, and hip-hop, has died at the age of 91.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” Jones’ family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones was one of the most celebrated icons in the music industry, garnering a record 80 Grammy nominations and 28 wins, including three Producer of the Year honors and two Album of the Year and Song of the Year awards each. His most recent win came in 2019 when Quincy, the semi-autobiographical documentary written and co-directed by his daughter Rashida Jones, took home Best Music Film.

As a producer and arranger,...

Quincy Jones, the American music producer, songwriter and film and TV producer, has died aged 91.

Jones “passed away peacefully” at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, according to his publicist Arnold Robinson, as reported by Associated Press.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” read a statement from his family. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones was known for producing music for 20th century icons,...

The trap of social expectations has captured its latest victim in Dwyane Wade. This weekend, the three-time NBA champion attended an unveiling ceremony for an eight-foot statue of himself gifted through the Miami Heat. His response to the figure can be likened only to receiving a hideous sweater, or one of those art kits with markers that never works, from your grandparents and having to play it off like it’s the best gift you’ve ever received. “That’s crazy, I can’t believe that,” Wade said, glancing back at the statue.

The Wizard of Oz is available on many different platforms online. The 1939 fantasy musical is adapted from the L. Frank Baum children's novel of the same name, starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton. It was both a commercial and critical success, grossing $29.7 million against its $2.8 million budget and going on to win two Oscars, for Best Score and Best Original Song (for the iconic tune "Over the Rainbow"), in addition to three other nominations, including Best Picture.

The success of The Wizard of Oz has led to the creation of many sequels, prequels, remakes, and follow-ups in the nearly 90 years since its premiere. This includes 2024's Wicked, which is an adaptation of the stage musical adapting the prequel novel by Gregory Maguire, as well as the 1978 musical adaptation The Wiz, the 1985 sequel Return to Oz, the 2013 Sam Raimi prequel Oz the Great and Powerful,...

According to Wayne Brady, he doesn’t always follow the rules when hosting Let’s Make a Deal.

The popular game show features various game segments, during which audience members get called on stage for a chance to win prizes.

Sometimes, Wayne gets his co-stars, Jonathan Mangum and Tiffany Coyne, involved in funny improv scenes to present the games.

Since things aren’t necessarily on script, it can create somewhat random and surprising moments.

For example, there was a moment when a contestant shared a heartbreaking moment with the host, and soon after, Wayne jokingly called out The Price Is Right.

During a recent episode, he interrupted one contestant’s game to play another.

Wayne Brady interrupted Let’s Make a Deal to change things up

Out of nowhere, during an episode of Let’s Make a Deal, musician Cat Gray played some keyboard music as the host interrupted a contestant’s game.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures held its fourth annual gala at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Honorees at this year’s gala were Academy Award-nominated actor Paul Mescal; Academy Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer Rita Moreno; and two-time Academy Award-winning and six-time Academy Award-nominated writer and director Quentin Tarantino.

A high wattage crowd turned out for the event, which highlighted the museum’s mission to advance the understanding, celebration and preservation of cinema and expand knowledge and conversation about film as a global art form and cultural force. Attendees included Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Gal Gadot, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Olivia Wilde, Greta Lee, Demi Moore, Mikey Madison, Drew Starkey, Sofia Richie Grainge, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Ayo Edebiri and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Following cocktails provided by Tequila Don Julio, gala co-chair Eva Longoria kicked off the evening, introducing director and president of the Academy Museum, Amy Homma,...

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures held its annual gala on Saturday night honoring Paul Mescal, Rita Moreno and Quentin Tarantino while raising over $11 million to support the exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming at the L.A. museum, which opened in 2021.

The fourth annual event, one of Hollywood’s most star-studded nights, was co-chaired by Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria and Tyler Perry. The night’s guest list ranged from Hollywood icons — Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Meg Ryan, Joaquin Phoenix and Julia Louis-Dreyfus — to relative newcomers, including Anora‘s Mikey Madison, Queer‘s Drew Starkey, Babygirl‘s Harris Dickinson, recent Emmy winner Anna Sawai and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story stars Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.

There were also plenty of appearances from those who may land a spot among this year’s Oscar nominees, including Wicked‘s leads Ariana Grande...

For the first time all season, Thursday’s 9-1-1 didn’t end on a completely insane note. No impending bee-nados. No crashing planes. No uncomfortably long embraces from He Whose Mustache Shall Not Be Named.

But that doesn’t mean the episode was uneventful. Far from it. In fact, the 118 found itself in more trouble — albeit of a different kind — than it had all season, with the very future of the firehouse on the line. The dramatic hour also, thankfully, did a bit of course correcting, delivering several moments fans have been waiting for since last season’s finale.

Kicking off the 12th edition of the International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France, guest speaker Cassandra Moore, VP Mastering and Archive at NBC Universal, discussed her company’s vast catalogue and restoration techniques.

The Mifc runs alongside the Lumière Film Festival, a nine-day event dedicated to heritage cinema, featuring an impressive screening program of over 150 films, mostly classics but also some contemporary titles.

Among them is Steven Spielberg’s “The Sugarland Express,” which NBC Universal restored in time for its 50th anniversary. The film, which won Best Screenplay in 1974 at the Cannes Film Festival, had its newly restored version screened this year at Cannes Classics, the festival’s section dedicated to repertoire cinema.

Moore guided the crowd in Lyon through the restoration process, which took six months. After retrieving the original from the vault, the team inspected the negative and audio elements and created a repair report before getting to work.

After major backlash this week, the Broadway League’s Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights of all Broadway theaters in honor of Gavin Creel as well as Maggie Smith and Adrian Bailey.

In a statement, the Committee said, “In recognition of the passing of several beloved Broadway community members in recent weeks, and in honor of their significant impact on that community, the Committee of Theatre Owners has announced that they will dim the lights of all Broadway theatres in New York in honor of Adrian Bailey, Gavin Creel, and Maggie Smith. In addition, the Committee is reviewing their current dimming policy and procedures.”

The dimming of the marquee lights of Broadway venues to honor Bailey will take place on Thursday, October 17. The dimming of the lights for Creel and Smith will take place on a date and time to be determined and coordinated with their families.

The recent deaths,...

Ken Page, a theater icon who brought Old Deuteronomy to life in the Broadway debut of “Cats” and delighted children everywhere by voicing Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” has died. He was 70.

Page died Monday, Sept. 30, at home in St. Louis, Mo. His talent agent, Todd M. Eskin, announced the news Tuesday; no cause of death was given.

Page’s career spanned both stage and screen. He starred opposite Beyoncé in the 2006 film adaptation of the musical, voiced King Gator in the classic Don Bluth animated feature “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the first Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls”.

As a stage actor, Page made his Broadway debut as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of “The Wiz.” Page won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as part of the original cast of the Fats Waller musical “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and...

Actor and singer Ken Page, best known for playing Oogie Boogie in Henry Selick and Tim Burton’s classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, has sadly passed away at the age of 70.

In addition to voicing iconic character Oogie Boogie in the 1993 movie, Ken Page also went on to voice the character for all subsequent spinoff projects including the video games The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King and The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge, and he also voiced the character for the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise.

Other roles throughout Ken Page’s career include 1989’s All Dogs Go to Heaven, wherein he voiced King Gator, as well as “Family Matters,” The Kid Who Loved Christmas, “Adventures in Wonderland,” Cats (1998), “Charmed,” Dreamgirls, and Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Off screen, Ken Page appeared on stage in plays including Ain’t Misbehavin’, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, The Wiz, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Cats.

Ken Page was best known as a stage actor, with Deadline referring to him as one of Broadway’s most familiar character actors, but he did earn several film credits over the decades as well, appearing in films like Torch Song Trilogy, The Kid Who Loved Christmas, I’ll Do Anything, and Dreamgirls, as well as TV shows like Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Touched by an Angel, and more. Page also did a good amount of voice acting work – with his most popular credit coming when he provided the voice of Oogie Boogie in the Henry Selick / Tim Burton stop-motion classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Page would go on to voice Oogie Boogie again for the Kingdom Hearts video games, the video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge, and the ride walk-through short Haunted Mansion Holiday. Sadly, it’s being reported that Page passed away in his sleep...

Ken Page, the Broadway veteran who provided the voice of the ghastly villain Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton-produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, has died. He was 70.

Page died peacefully Monday at his home in St. Louis, his manager, Todd M. Eskin, announced.

In his Broadway debut, Page stepped in as a replacement to play the Lion in the original 1975-79 production of The Wiz, and he won a Drama Desk Award and drew standing ovations when he sang “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

The baritone also originated the role of Old Deuteronomy in 1982 in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats; starred in the original 1978-82 Broadway production of Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, winner of the Tony Award for best musical; and played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1976-77, all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls, a turn that earned him a Theatre World Award.

Veteran actor and Broadway star Ken Page, who voiced the role of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, has died. He was 70. Page’s death was announced by his friend, Dorian Hannaway, who wrote on Facebook, “Ken Page has passed onto the next show. My heart is broken.” She later added that he “passed quietly and peacefully at his home.” Born on January 20, 1954, in St. Louis, Missouri, Page began his show business career in the chorus of the Muny outdoor theater in St. Louis. He made his Broadway debut in The Wiz before going on to star in productions of Guys and Dolls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wizard of Oz, Les Misérables, Little Shop of Horrors, and Cats, in which he played Old Deuteronomy. On screen, Page was best known for voicing Oogie Boogie in Henry Selick’s animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. He also appeared...

Ken Page, a beloved star of the stage and screen, has passed away.

Theater kids and Disney adults are mourning the news in equal measure, as Ken has been a celebrated name in both communities for generations.

The news of his passing was confirmed by one of Ken’s closest friends and producer on Facebook.

While the news of his death is upsetting, the cause of his death is the question fans want answers to.

Danny Elfman, Ken Page and Paul Reubens attend the premiere of the Walt Disney Pictures’ film “The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D” on October 16, 2006 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) Ken Page’s Cause Of Death: The Nightmare Before Christmas Star Passes Away

You may not know Ken’s face, but there’s no way you don’t know his voice.

If you’re a theater lover, you...

Today is a sad day for Broadway and “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” fans. Ken Page, the voice of Oogie Boogie, has passed away at age 70.

Page was born on January 20, 1954, in St. Louis, Missouri. Later, he starred on Broadway in shows like “The Wiz.” He went on to several other stage productions, but he was probably best known for playing Old Deuteronomy in “Cats” on Broadway and in the 1998 film. Of course, he is also known for playing Oogie Boogie in the cult classic film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The announcement of Ken Page’s death was made by his friend Dorian Hannaway on Facebook.

Here’s what people are saying on X:

Ken Page sharing how he put together the voice of Oogie Boogie pic.twitter.com/pQBcmBa4Td

— MouseInfo | Disney News and Fun (@MouseInfo) October 1, 2024

I’m devastated by the sudden loss of Ken Page.

Ken Page, the accomplished Broadway actor and voice of Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, has died at the age of 70.

News of Page’s passing was first reported by several of his close friends, including former Late Show director Dorian Hannaway and actress Shari Belafonte, and was subsequently confirmed by BroadwayWorld. According to Hannaway, Page “passed quietly and peacefully at his home.”

In Burton’s classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, Page voiced The Oogie Boogie Man, the film’s main antagonist. Page later reprised the character in several live-to-film performances of the movie staged by composer Danny Elfman.

On Broadway, Page notably portrayed Old Deuteronomy in the original production of Cats, and The Lion in the original production of The Wiz. He also starred as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls.

A native of St. Louis, Page spent the later part...

Adrian Bailey, the singer, actor and dancer whose long career in Broadway musicals ended when he fell through a trap door and suffered serious injuries before a production of The Little Mermaid, has died. He was 67.

Bailey died Sunday at a rehabilitation facility in New York on the day before his birthday, his brother Karl Bailey told The Hollywood Reporter. He had recently fallen in his New York apartment.

A native of Detroit, Bailey made his Broadway debut in 1976 in Your Arms Too Short to Box With God.

He then appeared in Sophisticated Ladies, My One and Only, Legs Diamond and Prince of Central Park in the 1980s; in Black and Blue, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Who’s Tommy, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Smokey Joe’s Café in the 1990s; and in The Wild Party, La Cage aux Folles and Hot Feet in the 2000s.

Bailey was an...

The ABC series, ‘Claim to Fame,’ is still going strong, thrilling fans and introducing us to exciting celebrity relatives even in its third season. Now that this year’s competition has come to an end, we’re presenting you with a list of the most memorable celebrity relatives who joined the show.

The Biggest Celebrity Relatives That Appeared On ‘Claim to Fame’ Season 3

Since its debut, ‘Claim to Fame’ has attracted the likes of Keke Palmer’s sister Loreal, who won the first season, and Nick Cannon’s brother Gabriel, and this season was no different.

For a chance to win $100,000, 12 people with a celebrity in the family joined the latest season, which premiered on July 10. So here are the celebrity adjacent contestants on this season.

Claim To Fame – Adam’s Story On ‘Claim to Fame’

Let’s start off with Adam, who in the show’s two truths and...

Broadway continued its downward trend during these dog days of summer leading up to the fall season, with last week’s total grosses of $25,343,599 down about 10% from the previous week.

The drop no doubt reflects at least some impact from the summer edition of Kids’ Night on Broadway in which 19 of the roster’s 24 shows offered a free performance to children with an accompanying, full-paying adult. Note that family favorites The Lion King and Aladdin took the biggest hits, with the former down $203,453 to a still impressive $1,904,177 and the latter dropping $176,876 to a still strong $1,178,408.

Also figuring into the overall drop was the slimmer-by-one number of shows – gone was The Wiz, a big earner.

Total attendance for the week ending August 25 was 211,342, 6% lower than the previous week and off 1% from the same time last year. About 91% of all available seats were filled, compared to 92% the previous week.

Some of the more notable numbers:

Oh,...

Exclusive: Tony-nominated composer Branford Marsalis (Fences) is joining a revised music team for the upcoming fall Broadway production of A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical to create new musical arrangements and orchestrations, producers said today.

The new team, which also includes music supervisor Daryl Waters, dance music arranger Zane Mark and music director Darryl G. Ivey, replaces Annastasia Victory and Michael O. Mitchell who served those functions at the show’s pre-Broadway engagements last year in New Orleans and Chicago.

A spokesman for the production declined comment on the reasons for the switch.

The musical, starring Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Disney’s Aladdin) as the groundbreaking jazz great, begins previews at Studio 54 on Wednesday October 16 ahead of an opening date of Monday November 11.

In its announcement about the Marsalis hire, producers, including singer-actor Vanessa Williams, described the new team as “powerhouse” and New Orleans native Marsalis as a virtuosic...

On Thursday August 22 2024, CBS broadcasts The Talk!

Episode Summary

On August 22, 2024, “The Talk” will showcase a diverse and exciting lineup. The episode will feature actors Wayne Brady and Deborah Cox, who are both involved in the production of “The Wiz.” Wayne Brady, known for his impressive range in comedy, hosting, and performing, and Deborah Cox, celebrated for her powerful voice and performances, will discuss their roles in the iconic musical.

Deborah Cox will also treat viewers to a performance of her song “If You Believe,” offering a musical highlight to the show.

Additionally, Dr. Nicole LePera, a renowned psychologist and author, will join the conversation. Her appearance will provide valuable insights into mental health and well-being, complementing the show’s entertainment-focused segments.

What Time is the Episode On?

The episode of The Talk will be broadcast on August 22 2024 on CBS at 2:00 Pm at Et/Pt.

Is the Episode New?...

Exclusive: Grammy winner and Real Housewives vet Kandi Burruss and husband/entrepreneur Todd Tucker have joined the producing team of next spring’s much-anticipated Broadway revival of Othello starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Burruss and Tucker previously collaborated with Othello producer Brian Anthony Moreland on the Tony Award nominated revival of The Piano Lesson as well as The Wiz and Thoughts of a Colored Man.

Moreland announced the pair’s participation as Othello producers today. Also announced was the co-producing roster, which will include football player-turned-actor Devale Ellis and A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical producer Ken Davenport.

The first Broadway revival of the Shakespeare tragedy since 1982’s production starring James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer and Dianne Wiest, the spring 2025 staging will star Washington as Othello, Gyllenhaal as Iago and Broadway newcomer Molly Osborne as Desdemona. Kenny Leon directs.

The revival’s line-up of co-producers includes Ellis, Adam Zotovich,...

Netflix is removing a Ton of hit titles in September and fans are going to want to thoroughly go through this list.

Each month, the streaming service removes various movies and TV shows for a variety of reasons. In September, they’ll be removing several CW hits including all five seasons of Jane the Virgin, Dune, all six seasons of How to Get Away with Murder, all three Fifty Shades movies (despite them just becoming available in June and July), the Divergent films, two Conjuring movies, and more.

Keep reading to see the full list of titles being removed…

Every title leaving Netflix in September 2024:

Leaving 9/3/24

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop II

Leaving 9/5/24

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Seasons 1-4

iZombie: Seasons 1-5

Jane The Virgin: Seasons 1-5

Leaving 9/8/24

Cuties

Leaving 9/19/24

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Leaving 9/24/24

A Walk to Remember

Leaving 9/27/24

Force of Nature

Great News: Seasons 1-...

Cole Escola’s Oh Mary! broke the house record at the Lyceum Theatre last week, bringing in $1.057 million and besting its own record from July 21.

The production, written and starring Escola as a reimagined Mary Todd Lincoln, played to 100 percent capacity last week, as it has for the majority of its run. The show previously broke the record with a gross of $1.054 million and has extended its previously limited run through Nov. 10.

The revival of The Wiz went out on a high on its final week on Broadway, bringing in $1.94 million, the highest total of its run, and playing to just over 100 percent capacity. The show, which features a revised book by Amber Ruffin, came to Broadway on March 29 after touring across America and will now re-embark on a North American tour in February.

Cumulative grosses for the industry were down 8.6 percent compared to the prior week, as the summer...

CNN is adding an array of humor specialists to its broad gallery of journalistic experts.

Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black have been named to serve as captains on the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet’s new Saturday-night series “Have I Got News For You.” The ten-episode run of the series, best known in its original incarnation on the BBC, launches Saturday, September 14, at 9 p.m. Roy Wood Jr. is the host.

“It is an honor to get to work with comedy favorites Michael Ian Black and Roy Wood Jr,” said Ruffin, in a statement. “It is our hope that this show will take people from saying, “This is CNN.” to “This is CNN!?!?””

“I’m thrilled to be joining Roy Wood Jr. and Amber Ruffin as ‘Have I Got News For You’s” Dei hire,” said Black, in a statement. “I’m looking forward to spreading as much disinformation...