There’s MUCH more to this just released poster of the Weinstein’s upcoming “Sin City”, but decency forfends. Just go to Thompson on Hollywood at Indiewire for the full effect. This new film noir Is sub-titled “A Dame To Kill For” and opens Aug.22.
The great Anne Thompson thinks it’s a ploy to stir up the conservative MPAA which rates movies. And I think she’s right. Harvey strikes again!
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, IDINA MENZEL, STING, GLADYS KNIGHT, PATTI LABELLE,
ALAN CUMMING & FANTASIA AMONG THE PERFORMERS FOR THE 2014 TONY AWARDS
Hugh Jackman Hosts the 68th Annual Tony Awards
Broadcast Live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 8th
New York, NY (MAY 29, 2014) – The Tony Awards have announced the line-up of performances for the 68th Annual Tony Awards. The 2014 Tony Awards will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on CBS, on Sunday, June 8th 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay) and are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
The entertainment packed evening will feature performances by 2014 Tony Nominee Neil Patrick Harrisand the cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; 2014 Tony nominee Sutton Foster with the cast of Violet; Alan Cumming reprising his Tony Award winning role in a performance from the revival of Cabaret and 2014 Tony Nominee Idina Menzel performing from the new musical If/Then.
The evening will also feature not-to-be missed performances by the casts of this year’s Best Musical and Best Musical Revival Nominees, as well as other new musicals: Aladdin, Les Misérables, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bullets Over Broadway and Rocky.
The cast of Wicked will return to Radio City Music Hall for the first time since 2004, when they won 3 Tony Awards. The cast will take the stage once again in what is sure to be a very special performance to celebrate Wicked’s 10th Anniversary.
Music legends Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Fantasia will take the stage for an unforgettable performance with the cast of After Midnight.
Sting will perform a song from his upcoming musical, The Last Ship.
Hosted by Tony Award winner, Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Hugh Jackman, Broadway’s biggest night will feature appearances by Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon, Carole King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Will Ferrell, Liev Schreiber, Emmy Rossum, Kate Mara, Zachary Quinto, Zachary Levi, Lucy Liu, Clint Eastwood, Patricia Clarkson, Leighton Meester, Ethan Hawke, Zach Braff, Matt Bomer, Anna Gunn, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Tony nominee Audra McDonald, Fran Drescher, Wayne Brady, Kenneth Branagh, Tony Goldwyn, Vera Farmiga andAlessandro Nivola.
The Tony Awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from Radio City Music Hall, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 8, 2014. For more information on the Tony Awards, please visitwww.TonyAwards.com.
TonyAwards.com, developed, produced, and hosted by IBM, is centerpiece of the Tony Awards digital platform that includes an interactive Second Screen (TonyAwards.com/secondscreen) to complement the CBS telecast on June 8; a Spotlight Series on potential nominees; Google+ hangouts; a live webcast of the Nominations Announcement; multimedia coverage before, during, and after the Tony ceremony; and much more. Visit TonyAwards.com, and follow the Tonys at Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards, @TheTonyAwards on Twitter, and Instagram.com/TheTonyAwards. #TonyAwards
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I
THE STARS ALIGN FOR BROADWAY’S BIGGEST NIGHT – THE 2014 TONY AWARDS®!
Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon, Carole King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Will Ferrell, Liev Schreiber, Emmy Rossum, Kate Mara, Zachary Quinto, Zachary Levi and others set to take the Stage
at the 2014 Tony Awards
Hugh Jackman Hosts the 68th Annual Tony Awards
Broadcast Live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 8th
New York, NY (MAY 27, 2014) – The Tony Awards have announced the line-up of stars who will take the stage at the 68th Annual Tony Awards. The 2014 Tony Awards will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on CBS, on Sunday, June 8th 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay) and are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
Hosted by Tony Award winner, Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Hugh Jackman, Broadway’s biggest night will feature appearances by Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon, Carole King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Will Ferrell, Liev Schreiber, Emmy Rossum, Kate Mara, Zachary Quinto, Zachary Levi, Lucy Liu, Clint Eastwood, Patricia Clarkson, Leighton Meester, Ethan Hawke, Zach Braff, Matt Bomer, Anna Gunn, Gloria Estefan, Tony nominee Audra McDonald, Fran Drescher, Wayne Brady, Emilio Estefan, Kenneth Branagh, Tony Goldwyn, Vera Farmiga and Alessandro Nivola.
The Tony Awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from Radio City Music Hall, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 8, 2014. For more information on the Tony Awards, please visitwww.TonyAwards.com.
TonyAwards.com, developed, produced, and hosted by IBM, is centerpiece of the Tony Awards digital platform that includes an interactive Second Screen (TonyAwards.com/secondscreen) to complement the CBS telecast on June 8; a Spotlight Series on potential nominees; Google+ hangouts; a live webcast of the Nominations Announcement; multimedia coverage before, during, and after the Tony ceremony; and much more. Visit TonyAwards.com, and follow the Tonys at Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards, @TheTonyAwards on Twitter, and Instagram.com/TheTonyAwards. #TonyAwards
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About the Tony Awards
The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Nick Scandalios is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, William Ivey Long is Chairman and Heather Hitchens is Executive Director. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2014 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2014 Tony Awards.
IBM, the official information technology partner of the Tony Awards, develops, designs, and hosts the official Tony Awards website, www.TonyAwards.com across digital platforms. Carnegie Mellon University is the first-ever, exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards. Audemars Piguet is the presenting sponsor of the Tony Awards Red Carpet. City National Bank is the official bank of the Tony Awards. United Airlines is the official airline of the Tony Awards. Nexxus Salon Hair Care is the official beauty partner of the Tony Awards. Paramount Hotel is the official hotel partner of the Tonys. The New York Times is the official and exclusive print media partner of the Tony Awards. PEOPLE is the official magazine partner of the Tony Awards. Clear Channel Spectacolor is an official media partner of the TonyAwards and co-producer of the Tonys Simulcast in Times Square.
THE OFF BROADWAY ALLIANCE
ANNOUNCES 2014 AWARD WINNERS!
FUN HOME IS BEST NEW MUSICAL
HAND TO GOD IS BEST NEW PLAY
The Off Broadway Alliance, the organization of Off Broadway producers, theaters, general managers, press agents and marketing professionals, today announced the winners of the 4th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Awards, honoring commercial and not-for-profit Off Broadway productions that opened during the 2013-2014 season.
2014 Off Broadway Award Nominee List
(Winners in Bold)
Best New Musical
Disaster!
* Fun Home
Heathers: The Musical
Murder for Two
What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined
Best New Play
Bad Jews
Breakfast With Mugabe
* Hand to God
The Heir Apparent
Regular Singing
Best Revival
I Remember Mama
Measure for Measure
The Model Apartment
The Mystery of Irma Vep
* Saint Joan
Best Unique Theatrical Experience
Eager to Lose
Cirkopolis
* La Soirée
Queen of the Night
Shut Up, Sit Down & Eat
Best Family Show
Dear Albert Einstein (Making Books Sing)
The Civil War (Theatreworks USA)
Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money (Atlantic Theater Company)
The Greatest Pirate Story Never Told! (Off Sides Entertainment)
* The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go! (La MaMa in association with Ma-Yi Theater Company)
Legend of Off Broadway Honorees
Edmund Gaynes
Andre Gregory
Terrence McNally
Wallace Shawn
Hall of Fame Awards
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Ruth Maleczech
Nicholas Martin
The Off Broadway Alliance is a non-profit corporation organized by theater professionals dedicated to supporting, promoting and encouraging the production of Off Broadway theater and to making live theater increasingly accessible to new and diverse audiences. Among its initiatives, The Off Broadway Alliance sponsors 20at20, the event that runs twice a year for 20 days and lets theatergoers purchase $20 tickets to dozens of Off Broadway shows 20 minutes before curtain. It produces a free Seminar Series focusing on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway featuring major players from the Off Broadway scene. The Alliance operates the OBA Mentorship Program, which provides new producers with guidance and direction from Off Broadway veterans. And the Alliance created the Off Broadway Economic Impact Report, which outlines Off Broadway’s over $500 million annual impact on the economy of the City of New York.
The 2014 Off Broadway Alliance Awards will be presented on Tuesday, June 17th at 4:30 PM at Sardi’s.
For more information, visit www.offbroadwayalliance.com.
Yes, it’s not too early to start recognizing the upcoming clash of the Oscar Overdue Veteran Actresses this year. Winning the Best Actress award at Cannes for “Maps to the Stars” is a big boost to Julianne Moore’s Oscar Nomination chances. Sure, she’s WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY overdue with something gargantuan like four previous nominations, but no wins. She’s 53. She’s got a helluva year coming up. And she’s well-liked and never won. But wait! “Maps to the Stars” is opening VERY soon. That really says something to me in terms of Oscar.
I mean, look at the positioning of “Foxcatcher” with a Best Director win for Bennett Miller at Cannes. Sony Pictures Classics isn’t opening it until the Oscar hot spot of November. Means they have the utmost confidence in the Steve Carell/Channing Tatum/Mark Ruffalo starrer.
But wait…over in the other corner of the boxing ring for Best Actress sits Amy Adams, ALSO WWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY overdue with five nominations no wins. And this year, she’s got Harvey Weinstein behind her, which she’s never had before. She’s got a much-buzzed film called “Big Eyes” and that is also being positioned for later this year.
I give the Julienne v. Amy battle to Amy. Both are worthy, and both long, long overdue. One of them will win, but I do think it’s going to be Amy(+Harvey) for the win. He helped Meryl get hers…for that awful “Iron Lady.” He got Jennifer Lawrence hers for “Silver Linings Playbook.” The man is magic, Academy catnip for Best Actresses and this year he’s backing Amy’s horse. Lucky Amy!
Plus Amy’s got the more sympathetic role of the over-looked wife and mother who actually painted the world=famous “Big Eyes” paintings, not her husband who took all the credit. And Julianne, at least in “Maps to the Stars” is playing the all-too-familiar Hollywood staple, the neurotic aging actress. May cut too close to Hollywood’s bone. And the reaction to this film in Cannes was mixed.
Are we doing Oscar bean-counting already? Well, why not. Julianne has four previous nomws. Amy has five. Even by the numbers Amy wins this. And it’s about time, too. And she’s playing a type of role that is dear to Oscar’s heart, the long-suffering wife/mom.
Yes, the Drama Desk Awards are coming up fast! They are handed out on June 1 next Sunday at Town Hall.
And here are my intrepid predictions! I think critic’s fave “A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Valor” (pictured above ^) Will sweep and get the Best Musical Award and all the others in that musical category. Best Music, Best Lyrics, Best Book, Best Orchestrations(the great Jonathan Tunick, natch.)
And in the hardest fought battle Best Actor in a Musical, I think the Drama Desk-ers being all critics are going to also choose actor’s actor Jefferson Mays for his eight(or nine) roles in “A Gentlemen’s Guide…” over the much more famous Neil Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Though when the Tonys come up the following week, we could see this reversed.
“Hedwig” will get Best Revival of a Musical. And I think “All the Way” though I LOATHED it myself will get Best Play. THREE HOURS OF HAM! I mean, I like ham. But THREE HOURS!?!?
However, I think the Drama Desk-ers will vote for it. Though something less known might surprise here. It could be anything, if it’s not the obvious Tony front-runner.
Best Actor in a Play will PROBABLY be Bryan Cranston in “All the Way” as LBJ. Another Tony front-runner. Chris O’Dowd in “Of Mice and Men” could be the surprise upset here. And this would REALLY be a surprise.
Best Actress in a Play may very well go to Tyne Daly for “Mothers and Sons”. Though with Audra McDonald in this category, too, it could be Audra. Though the Drama Desk-ers, being all critics through and through. and sticklers for detail, may balk at the Five-Time Tony Winner being put in this category though she sings an endless amount of memorable period songs. Audra won the Outer Critics Circle but she was in Best Actress in A Musical there, not Best Actress in a Play.
Best Actress in a Musical will also be Tony front-runner Jessie Mueller for “Beautiful:The Carole King Musical” where she’s amazingly effective as the ugly ducking who becomes a swan/superstar.
Best Revival of a Play will be “Twelfth Night.” It’s no longer running, but that won’t bother the Drama Desk-ers, who don’t take that into consideration, the way the Tony voters do.
Best Revue will be “After Midnight.”
The Drama Desk Awards are the only awards in all of theater, let it be said, that honor Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway equally, on an even playing field.
And the prestige of these awards has increased since the press are no long allowed to vote for the Tony Awards!
The legend herself, Tony winner Betty Buckley, stops by to chat with me at the Drama Desk Nominee Reception in early May at the Essex House. Betty was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Horton Foote’s “Old Friends.’
Camera & Editing ~ Jason Bohbot
The Cannes Film Festival was never to my mind a great Oscar predictor. But nevertheless there are those that think it has become more relevant of late. I don’t think any of the below named winners are gonna repeat at the Oscar nominations when they are announced in January. EXCEPT for Bennett Miller, who was named Best Director for “Foxcatcher”, the one American film from Cannes that seemed to emerge by all accounts as a legitimate Oscar contender.
However, none of its’ three leads, Steve Carrell (yes, STEVE CARRELL, giving his first serious acting performance) as the murderous wrestling obsessed millionaire Henry DuPont, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, who received great praise from press and critics alike were not awarded. But don’t worry. Placed firmly in the middle of the Oscar surge season, opening stateside on Nov.17, it is SURELY the one film that is going to be heavy figured into the Oscar conversation. Sony Pictures Classics is releasing it, and they could have done so last year. But the Best Actor race was so crowded they decided to wait til this year, which may have been a wise move. A dark tale of obsession, murder, money and wrestling, it seems like Academy catnip to me.
Best Actress went to Julianne Moore, for David Cronenberg’s Hollywood tale “Maps to the Stars” which is opening very soon in the U.S. Moore plays an aging Hollywood actress, who is on the verge of losing it. Moore is an Academy fave being nominated numerous times, but has never won. You can never count her out. She is well-liked by all in the industry.
Best Actor is British thesp Timothy Spall, who plays the title role of Brit painted extraordinaire J.M.V.Turner In Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner” Spall is a well-respected veteran actor who has never been nominated or won. I’m looking forward to seeing this film, too, when it opens in the fall. It will probably also play Toronto as will “Foxcatcher” most likely. So I’ll see them there.
I was burned very badly in the past when I enthusiastically supported other Mike Leigh performers. Leslie Manville in particular for the last Mike Leigh joint “Another Year” in 2010. She didn’t even get nominated. But Spall is better known here, might have a better shot. We’ll see.
And ma Cherie Marion Cotillard, once again got nothing. I always feel Cannes doesn’t appreciate her, unbelievably, though I of course do. Marion’s film in contention was “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardennes brothers.
Here’s the winners~
Palme d’Or: “Winter Sleep,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Grand Prix: “La Meraviglie,” Alice Rohrwacher
Prix du Jury: (tie) “Mommy,” Xavier Dolan; “Goodbye to Language,” Jean-Luc Godard
Best Director: Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Best Screenplay: Andrey Zvyaginstsev and Oleg Negin, “Leviathan”
Camera d’Or (Best First Feature): “Party Girl,” Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis
Best Actor: Timothy Spall, “Mr. Turner”
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, “Maps to the Stars”
Palme d’Or, Short Film: “Leidi,” Simon Mesa Soto
Short Film Special Mention: “Aissa,” Clement Trehin-Lalanne; “Ja Vielsker,” Halivar Witzo
I always wondered what it would be like to meet or see Oscar Wilde if he were alive in my time. Well, the closest we’re ever going to come, I think, is to regard the life of Gore Vidal, who is marvelously, completely depicted in a great new doc “Gore Vidal:The United States of Amnesia” just opening today in NY & LA.
Gore Vidal had a tremendous hauteur and great and constant wit. The quotes fly by at a dazzling pace. And it reminds me of what the late great stately homo of England Quentin Crisp once told me when I asked him how I could succeed as a writer.
And in his tiny, smelly bed-sit in London in the ’70s he told me, “To be great to be truly great you must transcend EVERYthing, even your work. How much better to be Wilde than to be “Lady Windemere’s Fan”? How much better to be Coward than to be one of his plays?”
Words I’ve never forgotten, and they certainly can be applied to Gore Vidal. Who was also as gay as all of the men I’ve been discussing.
Crisp was talking, of course, about the cult of personality, and Gore Vidal certainly embodied that. The only books of his I’ve read and own are “Myra Breckenridge” and “Myron.” Both about transexualism. And homosexuality. And Hollywood.
Truman Capote, his contemporary and sometime friend, but most rival, opined, “Poor Gore. He never found his own voice as a writer. Except in ‘Myra Breckenridge’ and by then it was too late.”
“Myra Breckenridge” is mentioned but never really discussed in this film. But Vidal’s homosexuality is. Dashingly handsome as a youth, from a very privileged, political background(Al Gore was a distant cousin),it seems he was born looking down on the world from his lofty,almost patrician perspective. And he didn’t like what he saw.
Hence the title “The United States of Amnesia” which is a quote of his. The documentary is full of Gore’s TV talk show appearances, and it almost seemed that this was his great metier.
“I never miss an opportunity to have sex or appear on television,” is a quote that pretty nearly defined him. He seems at time like a wit machine spewing forth an endless stream of bon mots. The sound-bite was him.
His personality, as Quentin Crisp framed it, was his greatest lasting contribution to humanity, and this documentary certainly exalts in it.
He lived for many years with a male companion, who predeceased him by eight years. They shared a mansion overlooking the Mediterranean in Ravello, Italy, but Vidal claims they never had sex, and were “just friends.” Sad.
He was a great defender of homosexual promiscuity, and of course, gay rights. He wrote the first major best-selling novel about it called “The City and the Pillar” and he also wrote I play I greatly admired “The Best Man” which is revived and revived, and the screenplay for the classic movie “Ben-Hur.”
I’ve not read his political novels. Maybe someday I will. People say “Burr” was the best of them.
But I don’t know that any of them can hold a candle to this great documentary which truly throws as complete light on a great, great gay man. I’ve watched it four times! And will probably watch it some more!
BROADWAY’S
” M O T H E R S A N D S O N S ”
TO CONTINUE POST-SHOW
TALKBACK SERIES
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
HUFFINGTON POST GAY VOICES
New York, NY (May 21, 2014) – The new Broadway play Mothers and Sons from 4-time Tony® Award winner Terrence McNally has announced today that it will continue to offer a series of post-show talkbacks in conjunction with the Huffington Post Gay Voices on two consecutive Wednesday evenings (5/21 & 5/28) at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Tonight, Founder and President of the organization Freedom to Marry, Evan Wolfson, will host a talkback. On Wednesday, May 28th the talkback will focus on the AIDS Quilt with panelists Julie Rhoad (CEO of the Names Project/AIDS Quilt), Anne Balsamo (Names Project Board Member & Dean of New School Media Studies), Lynn Sinelli (AIDS Quilt panel maker), and Jay Lesiger (Owner of Chelsea Pines Inn & Sponsor of the AIDS Quilt Display in the Golden Lobby).
“A triumphant masterpiece.” – New York Observer
“An impeccably acted production wrapped in a sense of urgency.” – The New York Times
“Terrence McNally has just written his best play.” – The Huffington Post
Mothers and Sons marks Mr. McNally’s 20th Broadway show, and will be directed by Tony nominee Sheryl Kaller (Next Fall). It stars Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Tyne Daly, Obie and Drama Desk Award winner Frederick Weller, Tony® Award nominee Bobby Steggert and newcomer Grayson Taylor. Preview performances began on Sunday, February 23, 2014, and the opening night is set for Monday, March 24, 2014. Mothers and Sons is produced on Broadway by Tom Kirdahy, Roy Furman, Paula Wagner & Debbie Bisno, and Barbara Freitag & Loraine Alterman Boyle. For tickets and more information, visit http://www.MothersAndSonsBroadway.com.
Mothers and Sons, the new play by 4-time Tony Award® winner Terrence McNally, is a timely and provocative new play that explores our evolving understanding of family in today’s world. At turns funny and powerful, Mothers and Sons follows a woman (Daly) who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son’s ex-partner (Weller), who is now married to another man (Steggert) and has a young son. Challenged to face how society has changed around her, generations collide as she revisits the past and discovers a new connection she never expected.
The design team for Mothers and Sons includes scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg.
Mothers and Sons had its world premiere production at Bucks County Playhouse (Jed Bernstein, Producing Director) on June 13, 2013. Tyne Daly also starred in that production. Mr. McNally’s other works for Broadway include Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; The Full Monty; Ragtime; Master Class; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Kiss of the Spider Woman; The Rink; The Ritz; and Bad Habits.
Stephenholtshow's Blog 
Written
on May 29, 2014