Friday, August 31, 2012

Media Morsels 8.31.12

The Newsroom
What an incredible season finale. All the humor, all the heart, the master class in storytelling... I loved every minute of it. From Maggie's diatribe about what it's really like to be single in the city, to Will, Charlie and Mackenzie's showdown with Reese and Leona, to the title and explanation of "The Greater Fool" and back to the beginning of the series... Aaron Sorkin sure knows how to end a season. The only downside is that there's no new Sorkinese for almost a year! But, you can rewatch the season on HBO Go, which is what I'm sure I'll be doing...several times :) And now, some final bonuses:

2012-2013 Theatre Season Update
  • Jake Gyllenhaal, who began previews last week for Roundabout's off-Broadway production of If There is I Haven't Found it Yet, spoke with dramaturg Ted Sod about the play, which marks Gyllenhaal's New York stage debut.

  • Virginia Kull (Assistance) joins Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens and David Strathairn in The Heiress. The play begins previews on October 7 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Tickets are now on sale to the general public, and Playbill has full casting details.

  • The newly vacated Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (most recently home to Ghost) will welcome Motown, a new musical about the life and career of Berry Gordy. Previews begin March 11, 2013, in advance of an April 14 opening night. Gordy himself has written the book for the jukebox musical, and tickets go on sale on October 1, 2012. Visit Playbill for details.

  • A revival of Jekyll and Hyde is coming to Broadway. The Frank Wildhorn (Bonnie and Clyde) musical will play the Richard Rodgers Theatre (currently home to Porgy and Bess) in April 2013, and will star Constantine Maroulis, Deborah Cox and Teal Wicks. I'm not encouraging you to go so much as giving you fair warning. Broadway.com has details.

  • Broadway.com offers its handy guide to the 17 shows opening on Broadway this fall, including the new musical Chaplin, the new plays Grace and Dead Accounts, musical revival Annie and play revivals The Heiress and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 
That's Entertainment to Feature Seth MacFarlane
The wonderfully creative guy who brought us Family Guy and Ted, Seth MacFarlane, is also an accomplished singer. (Check out his debut album of standards, Music is Better than Words.) So it's no surprise that world-renowned conductor John Wilson tapped MacFarlane to appear on That's Entertainment: A Celebration of the MGM Film Musical. The album, set for release on September 25, is filled with some of the greatest tunes of Hollywood's musical era. Visit Broadwayworld.com for more information, including the track listing. And below watch MacFarlane and the John Wilson orchestra perform "Singin' in the Rain," one of the tracks on That's Entertainment. (Bonus: Check out footage from this year's BBC Proms, featuring MacFarlane and others singing Mame, and find even more from the concert on the BBC's website.)


Saturday Night Live Hosting News
Great news: Seth MacFarlane and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be hosting the first two episodes of the 38th season of SNL! (The season premiere, hosted by MacFarlane, airs September 15; Gordon-Levitt will host the following week, September 22.) I am so excited by this - aren't you?!? You may recall that Gordon-Levitt was fantastic the first time he hosted, back in November 2009. I'm stoked to watch what the versatile actor does this time around. And though Family Guy has parodied the show in the past, this will be MacFarlane's first time hosting the late-night sketch comedy show. With his intellect, wit and knack for voices (and singing, see above), I'm confident he's a great choice to begin the season. (MacFarlane's thoughts on the hosting gig, "Very excited to be hosting the season premiere of SNL - all I want is to do as well as Joe Montana did.") Visit Rolling Stone for more details, including musical guests.

We Kickstarted Now. Here. This.!
Dear readers, we did it - we helped fund the Now. Here. This. original cast recording! You may have noticed throughout the month the widget to the right (which I've since removed) imploring you to help preserve musical theatre history by contributing to the Kickstarter campaign for the recording. Well, you and many other passionate fans rose to the challenge and helped the Now. Here. This. team exceed their goal, funding the project at 119%. That means the original cast recording will be made!!! Stay tuned for details about ordering your copy. "What are the odds?!?"

TV Updates
  • Bunheads, starring two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster (Anything Goes) will be back for a fall/winter season, and Broadway.com checked in with Foster to find out how she's spending her hiatus, and whether or not she's breaking up with Broadway! 

  • Abbey Elliott, who was very funny, if underused, on SNL in recent years, will be appearing on How I Met Your Mother. TV Line has details.

  • The hilarious Parks and Recreation will welcome Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in its upcoming season. E! Online has all the details.

  • There will be a Psycho prequel TV series on A&E, and Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Higher Ground) will star as Norma Bates, Norman's mother. This kind of show isn't usually my thing, but with Farmiga on board, I might be, too. The Wrap has details.
Director Ryan Gosling
Following in the footsteps of many talented actors who came before him (including his The Ides of March co-star, George Clooney,) Ryan Gosling is set to make both his writing and directing debut. Teaming up with his Drive producers (and one of that film's co-stars, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks), Gosling has written a modern fairytale called How to Catch a Monster. According to the announcement from Entertainment Weekly, the movie focuses on "a single mother 'swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town.'" Gosling is such a talented actor and always chooses fascinating roles, so I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens when he goes to work on the other side of the camera.

Election Update
On the heels of the Republican National Convention, Matt Taibbi exposes the "Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital" in Rolling Stone's newest cover story. The issue is on newsstands now. (And check out this companion blog post, which clarifies a point made in the cover story.) In addition, Rolling Stone points out - with the government documents to prove it - all ways in which Mitt Romney lied or misled people in his speech on Thursday night. Read "The Federal Bailout that Saved Mitt Romney," then head over to Rock the Vote for information about registering to vote and other Election Day miscellanea.

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Friday, August 24, 2012

Media Morsels 8.24.12

The Newsroom
The only thing I didn't like about this week's episode, "The Blackout Part 2: The Debate" is that it is the penultimate episode and now we only have one new Newsroom left in the season. Other than that, though, I thought this was an incredible episode. The humor, the progression of the relationships, the way they're trying to raise the level of public debate in this country, John Gallagher, Jr.'s Jim Harper wondering if the two women in the fitting room were kissing... Too much goodness! (Go inside the episode with Aaron Sorkin.) And now, take a look at a preview of the final episode of season one, "The Greater Fool." (It looks AMAZING!)



Bonuses
  • Terry Crews, who plays Will McAvoy's bodyguard, Lonny, answered fans' questions in an HBO Connect Q&A today. Read the archive to find out how the former NFLer found himself speaking Sorkinese.
  • Submit your questions for HBO Connect Q&A sessions: Emily Mortimer (August 28) and Kelen Coleman (August 29; she plays Lisa). (In other HBO Connect news, you can submit your questions now for Bill Maher, who'll answer fans' questions on September 5.)
Shakespeare on Screen
A new initiative, Globe on Screen, is about to launch, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. The famed Shakespeare's Globe is partnering with Arts Alliance Media to release three of its 2011 theatre productions on screen in the US. That's right, you'll be able to see Globe performances (recorded in front of a live audience, groundlings and all) at your local cineplex. Globe on Screen kicks off on October 11 with All's Well That Ends Well, continues with Much Ado About Nothing on October 23 and concludes with screenings of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus on November 8. The casts of all three are stellar, particularly Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Beatrice in Much Ado. Check out the trailer for Globe on Screen below, and then head to globeonscreen.com for more information.



Award Season Updates
  • Golden Globes: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will hand out its awards about a week earlier than usual; the ceremony will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2013. (That's one week after Downton Abbey season three begins, and two days before Oscar nominations are announced.) Nominees will be announced a month earlier, Thursday, December 13, 2012. The Wrap has more details, including a list of important Globe-related dates.

  • SAG Awards: Dick Van Dyke will receive the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony on January 27, 2013. 

  • Oscars: Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the 85th Academy Awards, which will be held Sunday, February 24, 2013. Some of the producers' credits include the Oscar-winning film adaptation of Chicago, as well as Smash and the recent Broadway revival of How to Succeed... 
Election Update
The big news this week, leading up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week, is the atrocious comment current House member and Senate candidate Todd Akin (R-MO) made about rape and abortion. He said, "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." When he tried to backtrack and clarify his remark, he said he was speaking of false claims of rape, that he meant to say "forcible rape." First of all, is there any other kind? Isn't the "forcible" part in the very definition of rape? Second, this is a man who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and he thinks women can will their reproductive processes to shut down?!? In her New York Times op-ed column, Maureen Down took Akin and his Republican brethren to task. She says, "...for all the Republican cant about how they want to keep government out of the lives of others, the ultraconservatives are panting to meddle in the lives of others." These are the kinds of people running in this election, and comments like this are indicative of the policies they will endeavor to enact. Please, please, please, dear readers, stay informed this election season and make your voice heard on November 6, Election Day. (Visit Rock the Vote for information about registering and voting.)

An election season bonus courtesy of The Newsroom staff writer Gideon Yago: Super Pac App allows users to, while watching a political TV ad, "hold up their phone to identify the commercial and receive objective, third-party information."

2012-2013 Theatre Season Update
  • The cast of the upcoming Grace met the press this week. Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington and Ed Asner were on hand to talk about the production. (Head to Broadway.com for video interviews with the cast.)

  • Alicia Silverstone, who impressed in Time Stands Still a few years ago, has joined the company of The Performers. Silverstone completes the cast that includes Henry Winkler, Cheyenne Jackson, Daniel Breaker and Ari Graynor. Playbill has details. 
An Actor Prepares: Jake Gyllenhaal Readies for his New York Stage Debut
As you may recall, handsome leading man Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Love and Other Drugs) is set to make his New York stage debut off-Broadway in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of If There is I Haven't Found it Yet. He's been in rehearsals for a few weeks (performances begin today), and recently took a break to talk to the New York Times about coming back to the theatre and his efforts to refocus his attention and career. He speaks of being mindful and respectful of the craft of acting and digging deep into this role. I'm seeing the show next month so check back for my review. In the meantime, head over to Roundabout's website for more information and to purchase tickets.

Dig This
  • To celebrate the box office opening, on August 30, producers of the revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will offer tickets for just $50. Only at the box office and only on August 30, you'll be able to buy $50 tickets for all preview performances! Visit Playbill to learn about other "door prizes" being offered.

  • Turns out this upcoming season of The Office will be its last. Entertainment Weekly and TV Line have details, and The Hollywood Reporter reports that Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston will direct an episode.

  • Possibly taking The Office's time slot will be a new Michael J. Fox TV show that has just been picked up for a full season by NBC. Rolling Stone has details.

  • Peter and the Starcatcher's Adam Chanler-Berat tells Broadway.com about some his obsessions, like Breaking Bad and his athletic cats.
  • A Giant may soon be sitting beside Kelly Ripa. Word on the street is that former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan will be named Ripa's permanent co-host. I think this is a great idea; Strahan has excelled each time he's served as guest co-host. What do you think?

  • The 2011 New York Philharmonic concert production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone and Stephen Colbert, will be released on DVD on November 13. Broadway.com has details.

  • Speaking of the NY Phil, the venerable orchestra will present "Symphonic Sondheim," a night (January 29) full of orchestral arrangements of Stephen Sondheim's music. Playbill has details.

  • A cavalcade of musicians, including John Mayer, will gather on October 3 to honor the late Levon Helm. Rolling Stone has details.

  • More Arrested Development news: David Cross says there may be more than just 10 episodes in the upcoming fourth season! Rolling Stone has details.

  • This week, we mourned the loss of the comedy legend Phyllis Diller. The comic passed away on Monday, August 20, at age 95.


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Friday, August 17, 2012

Media Morsels 8.17.12

What an incredible episode. (Go Inside the Episode with Aaron Sorkin.) I can't wait for part two! What I found was so interesting about "Tragedy Porn" is that we're seeing this team we have come to admire do something so seemingly beneath them. We're seeing them do a big thing badly. And it elicits newly found sympathy for some real life news teams because it makes you think that some of the anchors really want to be doing News Night 2.0, i.e., good, informative stories that matter, not news as entertainment, but their hands are tied because they do, after all, have network bosses, ratings analysts and shareholders to answer to. Plus, the episode brought us some great lines, like "There's not enough bourbon in Kentucky."; "Have you been listening? Because we have."; and the show-closing punctuation, "I didn't know we had that kind of comic timing." Below, take a look at next week's episode, "The Blackout Part 2: Mock Debate" (the penultimate episode of the season, which, unless my eyes deceive me, features The West Wing alumnus Adam Arkin), and beneath that find a couple of bonuses, including a Q and A with Aaron Sorkin.



Bonuses:
  • Aaron Sorkin answered fans' questions about "Tragedy Porn" on HBO Connect. (Find out if, like on Sports Night, The West Wing and Studio 60, the first season finale will be titled, "What Kind of Day has it Been?")
  • Three John Gallagher, Jr., interviews: with HBO; with Style Caster; with The Daily (watch this one below)


Election Update
Over the weekend, we learned that Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan will be presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's running mate. (It's a choice that, oddly, galvanized both Republicans and Democrats, as Jon Stewart pointed out on The Daily Show.) My first reaction was to become ill thinking about Ryan's policy positions. Then Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone pointed out The Five Fatal Flaws of Romney's Ryan Veep Pick. Most telling, and what we might all want to be most incensed about, is Dickinson's closing paragraph: "But at least the Koch brothers appear happy with the choice. Their dark-money group, Americans for Prosperity, announced a $27 million ad buy on Ryan's signature issue, the debt, four days before Romney announced his running mate to the general public." Who's running this election? (Remember: visit Rock the Vote for information about registering to vote and making your voice heard - including what the voter ID laws are in your precinct - on Election Day.)

Furthermore, in a Rolling Stone op-ed exclusive, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello adroitly calls out Paul Ryan for his professed love of Rage's music. He says, "Paul Ryan is the embodiment of the machine our music rages against," pointing out the irony of Ryan liking Rage, much like the irony of Charles Manson loving The Beatles and Chris Christie loving Bruce Springsteen. Morello continues: "Don't mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta 'rage' in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he's not raging against is the privileged elite he's groveling in front of for campaign contributions." Bravo, Mr. Morello!

Green Day Sneak Peek
Listen to one track off the band's upcoming trio of albums, Uno! Dos! Tre!, "Kill the DJ." In Rolling Stone, Billie Joe Armstrong says of the song, "[Bassist] Mike [Dirnt] asked me to write a song with a four-on-the-floor rhythm. I'd never done it before. It's kind of like Sandinista!, Ian Dury's 'Sex + Drugs + Rock and Roll' and the Tom Tom Club song 'Genius of Love.' We were trying to figure out how to make dance music without turning into a dance band." (Bonus: Green Day also released a video for "Oh Love," which we heard a few weeks ago. Check it out on Rolling Stone.)



2012-2013 Theatre Season Update
  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the musical revival produced by Roundabout, will open earlier than planned. Rather than opening on November 29, the show, which features Chita Rivera, Jessie Mueller (On a Clear Day), Jim Norton (Port Authority, Finnian's Rainbow) and Stephanie J. Block (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark), will now open on November 13. Previews will begin on time, October 19. Edwin Drood will play at Roundabout's Studio 54. Visit RoundaboutTheatre.org for more information.

  • Also changing its opening date is Dead Accounts, the new Theresa Rebeck (Seminar) play that is bringing Norbert Leo Butz (Catch Me if You Can) back to the Broadway stage. While previews will still begin on November 3, the play will now open on November 29, one day later than originally planned. 

  • Phish's Trey Anastasio has teamed up with Amanda Green (Bring It On) and book writer Doug Wright to create Hands on a Hardbody, which had its world premiere earlier this year at La Jolla. The production is set to come to Broadway in early 2013, following a "developmental lab" in New York this October. Playbill has details.

  • Kinky Boots, by Cyndi Lauper and Good Stuff Leo Harvey Fierstein is officially coming to Broadway. According to the announcement, Kinky Boots, based on the 2005 eponymous British film, is "the new musical about a floundering British shoemaker who has his business saved thanks to some flamboyant clientele." The Boots will walk into the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, kicking off previews on March 5 and opening on April 4. This is all after the show makes its world premiere this fall in Chicago. On board for the run are director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Catch Me if You Can), Stark Sands (American Idiot), Billy Porter (The Broken Hearts Club) and Annaleigh Ashford (Dogfight), among others.

  • Reigning Sexiest Man Alive Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The Hangover, parts one and two) may be heading back to Broadway. After a successful run at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Cooper says he is looking to bring The Elephant Man to Broadway for a limited engagement. If this comes to fruition, keep your fingers crossed that Cooper's Williamstown co-star, Patricia Clarkson, is along for the ride. (Seriously, I'd watch that woman read a phone book.) Cooper was previously seen on Broadway alongside Paul Rudd (who returns to the boards this season in Grace) and Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain. Broadway.com has more.
The Book of Mormon on Tour
The first national tour of the Tony Award-winning and mega hit musical The Book of Mormon is officially under way. With Gavin Creel (Hair) as Elder Price and Jared Gertner (...Spelling Bee) as Elder Cunningham, this touring company is sure to thrill audiences all over North America, just as it continues to do here in New York. The tour began in Denver, CO, on August 14 and continues through summer 2013, making stops in Seattle, Boston, Washington, DC and more along the way. (Interestingly, there are currently no dates in Orlando...) Visit bookofmormonthemusical.com to find out when the Mormons (and Ugandans) will say "Hello!" to your town.

Summer Movie Fun
As you may know, dear readers, I don't tend to see many movies in the theater, but this summer I've seen, thus far, four! (Well, technically, three in the theatre and one at home on demand - but it's a first run movie and it's going to be in theaters in September.) And with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Premium Rush and Looper on the way, I just might find myself in a multiplex again before Labor Day. In case you missed them, herein are my reviews (in the order in which I saw them):

Michael J. Fox Back on TV?
That's the buzz. According to the Vulture report, America's favorite fake Republican and time traveler might be headed back to television on a regular - not guest starring - basis. (You'll remember that Fox has appeared in several episodes of The Good Wife, even earning an Emmy nomination for his work.) Vulture reports that the new series is loosely based on Fox's life, and is to be directed by Will Gluck, the mastermind behind Easy A and Friends with Benefits. Stay tuned for details!

Arrested Development Updates
The Bluths are back, and the show's narrator, Ron Howard, recently visited the set of the fourth season and spilled some details. Of the approach to this new season, Howard said, "It's been away for a while, and part of the fun that Mitch [Hurwitz, the creator] has been mining and exploiting is, what's new to discover about these people? What's delightfully unchanged?" The fourth season of the hilarious show premieres on Netflix in 2013. Rolling Stone has more. In addition, Vulture reports that John Slattery (Mad Men) is joining the cast.

Adam Chanler-Berat's Dressing Room
The Peter and the Starcatcher star invited Broadway.com into his dressing room to show off five of his favorite things. Take a look:



Dig This
  • Smash scoop: Sean Hayes will make a multi-episode guest appearance on the show, playing a comedic TV star making his Broadway debut. (What a stretch...) Sheryl Lee Ralph will also appear on Smash.

  • The Roots leader ?uestlove shared a demo he recorded when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame producers were "auditioning" bands for the Beastie Boys' induction. Thanks, ?uestlove! 

  • A couple of business updates:
  • Step inside the recording booth as the company of Bring It On records the original Broadway cast album! (Creatives Tom Kitt (a genius), Lin-Manuel Miranda (wearing an Abraham Lincoln as a thug T-shirt), Amanda Green, Jeff Whitty and Alex Lacamoire are there, too!) Bonus: Tom Kitt shared, via You Tube, his Bring It On playlist, that is, the playlist that inspired him as he was writing the show's score.

  • Award season update: the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations will be announced on November 27, and the awards will be presented (and broadcast on IFC) on February 23, 2013.

  • Boardwalk Empire will return to HBO for its third season on September 16, and Vulture has a look at a new poster featuring the show's new tagline, "You can't be half a gangster." Tell me about it!

  • It's another edition of Broadway Besties! This time, Broadway.com features Hair alumnae Kacie Sheik and Caissie Levy.

  • Your Friday treat: the trailer for Martin McDonagh's new film, Seven Psychopaths:
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Bachelorette

The film adaptation of Leslye Headland’s Bachelorette, which the playwright wrote and directed, succeeds in its own ways. It’s just as biting and darkly funny as the play (which ran at Second Stage a few summers ago). Because there’s no concern for scene changes, it takes the story and characters to places that a play can’t. The three bridesmaids collective journey is essentially the same - they just take different detours here.

I was a little disappointed that the movie tagged on a bit of a tidy, Hollywood ending. My preferred ending happened about seven minutes earlier, serving as a cheeky punctuation mark and driving home Headland’s gluttony theme. (Remember that the play Bachelorette is part of her seven deadly sins cycle. The "greed" play, Assistance, was satisfyingly sardonic.) Still, it is rip-roaringly funny with spot on performances from the terrific ensemble cast.

A quick rundown of the plot: Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Katie (Isla Fisher), Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and Becky (Rebel Wilson) have been best friends since high school. (They graduated in ’99.) Becky, whose nickname in high school was Pig Face (on account of her “homely” looks and plumper figure), is the first to get married. The movie opens with her telling Regan, the maid of honor, the news, and the riot that ensues is the bachelorette party gone wild.

Isla Fisher is crazy silly as party girl Katie; James Marsden plays against type and is oddly seductive as the aggressive and douchey Trevor; Rebel Wilson holds it together as the bride to be, Becky; Kyle Bornheimer elicits sympathy as Joe, the nerdy guy who got cool; Lizzy Caplan and Adam Scott (who were so great together on Party Down) sizzle as old flames Gena and Clyde; and Kirsten Dunst reminds us she’s still here, and she’s good. She is pitch perfect as the worst best maid of honor, Regan (yes, as in King Lear’s daughter).

Headland’s Regan is the most strongly developed character, but Headland lets Gena have all the fun, pontificating on myriad concerns of varying import, like when she explains to Katie the two different kind of guys and the way they have sex, typified by Brian Krakow and Jordan Catalano from My So-Called Life. (There are tons of pop culture references, mostly to beloved (for whatever reason, with or without irony) anachronisms of the mid- to late-nineties.

Since I didn't love Bridesmaids, I suppose my telling you, dear readers, that Bachelorette is better than that movie doesn't mean much. But it is. It's smarter, sharper and wittier. It's raucous and feisty, and the characters, though hardly admirable, are thoroughly fascinating. And watching Kirsten Dunst almost lick a New York City sidewalk is kind of boss.

Bachelorette is currently available through most cable companies' On Demand services, and will be released in movie theaters on September 7.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

What an incredible conclusion to a rich and expertly told story. It’s a little difficult to talk about the things I really loved about The Dark Knight Rises without giving away spoilers.

Suffice it to say that fans of the Batman lore and of Christopher Nolan’s series will be rewarded in the way Nolan wraps up his Batman saga. Fans of comic book movies will likely thrill over the super hero-villain dynamics and the epic fight scenes. Fans of movies with an actual story to tell will like the social conscience and sociopolitical questions brought up (though I’m not sure I’m satisfied with what Nolan and company present as good policy).

And fans of good acting will be grateful for the masterful team Nolan assembled, particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Sure, Christian Bale (The Fighter) does his thing as Bruce Wayne; Marion Cotillard (Inception, Nine) seduces you with those beautiful green eyes; Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) is serviceable and slinky at Selina Kyle/Catwoman; Tom Hardy (Inception) has tons of fun as Bain; and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) gives a master class in restraint as Commissioner Gordon. But Gordon-Levitt (50/50) stands out, brilliantly portraying his character’s journey, conveying strength, sensitivity, disillusionment and resolve—sometimes all at once—with peerless skill.

If you think you’re going to see The Dark Knight Rises, do yourself a favor and see it in the movie theater (preferably a true IMAX); don’t wait for it on Netflix. You do not want to miss seeing Wally Pfister’s beautiful cinematography on the big screen. (At one point, you feel like you’re flying over Gotham.)

Nolan has said that this is his last Batman movie. But this superlative final outing makes you wish he’d reconsider.  
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Friday, August 10, 2012

Media Morsels 8.10.12

The Newsroom
This week's episode is the pinnacle of storytelling. It was absolutely perfect, don't you agree? From the opening party, which sees John Gallagher, Jr., playing guitar and singing along with Jeff Daniels, to the team's human reactions to the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed (including Charlie Skinner (the great Sam Waterston) asking, "What's the virtue of being first?"), this was an incredible episode. (And, as Aaron Sorkin reminds viewers in "Inside the Episode" on HBO.com, Elliot, Don and Sloan were on a plane because they were coming back from the White House Correspondents Dinner, which took place the night before.) Check out the preview for the next episode, "The Black Out Part 1: Tragedy Porn" (I love a good Aaron Sorkin two-parter!), which pits news against ratings and brings some personal skeletons out of the closet (and also features more theatre vets!) And then check out a preview of what to expect in the weeks to come:




Bonuses:
  • Aaron Sorkin answered viewers' questions about "5/1" on HBO Connect

  • Thomas Sadoski answered fans' questions during another HBO Connect chat. Read the archive to learn what it's like playing the "bad guy" on TV and what Sadoski's dream role is.

  • Dev Patel also answered fans' questions during an HBO Connect chat. Read the archive to learn how he's grown as an actor and became ready to take on Sorkinese and what is relationship with John Gallagher, Jr., is like.
Speaking of the assassination of Osama bin Laden, Entertainment Weekly has an update on Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow's film about the hunt for the terrorist leader.

2012-2013 Season Update:
  • The fun and perky new musical Bring It On has extended it limited summer run. The production, originally set to conclude its run on October 7, will now play through January 20, 2013. Bring It On is currently playing at the St James Theatre, and is a great choice for the whole family. Learn more and purchase tickets at bringitonmusical.com. (And by the way, yesterday and today they recorded the original cast album! Stay tuned for details.)


  • Diner, a musical stage adaptation of the beloved 80s film, will open on Broadway April 10. Scrapping plans for a pre-Broadway, San Francisco run, the creative team, including its songwriter Sheryl Crow, are retooling the production, scaling it down to become something more intimate. The production is being directed and choreographed by Tony winner Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes). Playbill has more details.

  • Theatre favorite Norbert Leo Butz is heading back to the boards! We will join Katie Holmes in Theresa Rebeck's new play, Dead Accounts. The new play from Rebeck (Seminar) is set to play the Music Box Theatre; previews bring November 3 and opening night is November 28. Butz, though a Tony winner for his roles in musicals (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me if You Can), has often excelled in straight plays, most recently in Second Stage's production of How I Learned to Drive. Stay tuned for more information.

  • Just added to the already starry cast of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross is Scrubs star John C. McGinley. He joins the previously announced Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale (The Motherfucker with the Hat), Richard Schiff (The West Wing), Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park) and David Harbour (The Newsroom). Playbill has details.

  • In other David Mamet news, his The Anarchist, which will star Patti LuPone, will now play the Golden Theatre. It was previously scheduled to play at the Lyceum. Production dates remain the same: previews being on November 13; opening night is December 2; the limited run will conclude on February 17. Playbill has details.

  • The retooled revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella now has production dates and a home. Cinderella will play at the Broadway Theatre; previews begin January 21, 2013, in anticipation of a February 21 opening. Mark Brokaw, most recently represented on the boards with The Lyons, directs and Laura Osnes (Bonnie and Clyde) and Santino Fontana (The Importance of Being Earnest) star as Cinderella and her prince, respectively. They'll be joined by a number of theatre veterans, including original Avenue Q company member Ann Harada, Harriet Harris, the dazzling Victoria Clark (Sister Act) and Peter and the Starcatcher's Greg Hildreth. Playbill has more details.

  • Recent Tony winner Judith Light (Other Desert Cities) will return to the boards next spring in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Richard Greenberg's The Assembled Parties. Light will be joined by Jessica Hecht and the two will be directed by MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow. The limited engagement will begin previews March 19 and open on April 17. Visit MTC's website to learn more and subscribe.

  • Golden Boy will play the Belasco Theatre this fall. The revival of Clifford Odets's play begins previews on November 8 and opens on December 6, and stars, among others, Danny Burstein (Follies) and Seth Numrich (War Horse). Playbill has details.

Casting Update: Sesame Street
Broadway.com reports that there are tons of our favorite stars making their way to (or back to, for some) Sesame Street for its 43rd season. Among those slated to hang out with Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are Amy Ryan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, funny lady Maya Rudolph, Don Cheadle, Halle Berry, Timothy Olyphant, Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet, Jon Hamm and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor!!! So whether or not you have a little tot by your side, tune in to catch these luminaries and all your favorite residents of Sesame Street!

Great Gatsby Pushes Release Date
Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby, was supposed to open on December 25, 2012. Instead, Warner Bros. is moving the release to summer 2013. While president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman says the move is being made to ensure a wider audience for the film, both The Hollywood Reporter and I theorize that it's because Gatsby star Leonardo DiCaprio already has a buzz-worthy movie coming out on Christmas Day: Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. This certainly takes care of my dilemma regarding which Leo movie to see on that day, but what do you think it means for the respective films?

Matt Taibbi on Romney's Tax Returns
Weighing in on the ongoing saga of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Rolling Stone contributing editor Matt Taibbi says that rather than focusing on the tax returns Romney refuses to release, we (and specifically President Obama) should focus on the content of the already-released returns. In his new blog post, Taibbi says, "The Romney tax returns are a prime example of our increasingly two-tiered bureaucratic system, in which there is one set of rules for poor and middle-class people, and another set of rules for people like Mitt Romney." Taibbi continues, "In Mitt’s case, the money you and I make to support ourselves is called income and is taxed up to 35 percent, but the money Mitt makes raiding companies with borrowed money and extracting draconian management fees from captive companies that have no choice but to pay them is called 'carried interest,' and taxed at a top rate of 15%." Stay tuned to Taibbi's blog and other news outlets throughout the election season, and make an informed decision on Election Day. (Visit Rock the Vote for more information about registering to vote and other Election Day miscellanea.)


This is 40
Check out the latest trailer for Judd Apatow's This is 40, starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann:



Arrested Development is Back
The Bluths and Funkes are back in the model home! Deadline reports that the entire cast—Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Alia Shawkat and Michael Cera—has reunited and officially begun production on the "gap" season. This fourth season, ten episodes in total, will serve as a bridge to the Arrested Development movie. Each episode, according to previous reports, will follow one character to catch us up on what's been happening since the show prematurely went off the air in 2006. This new season will be available exclusively on Netflix in 2013.

Dig This
  • The fantastic Shakespeare in the Park production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods has been extended for a week. The limited summer engagement will now conclude its run at Central Park's Delacorte Theater on September 1. (Go if you can - it's an incredible production, with a dream team of a cast, bringing to life this smart, thought provoking and masterful show.) Check out opening night arrivals and after-party photos, both from Broadwayworld.com.

  • Smash scoop: theatre veteran and Tony nominee Daniel Sunjata (whom you may remember not from his theatrical roles but rather as the handsome sailor who invited Carrie to a party on Sex and the City) has landed a recurring role on the TV show's second season. Playbill has details. 

  • This week, we mourn the passing of PEGOT-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch. (PEGOT=Pulitzer, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) Hamlisch, well known for writing the score for A Chorus Line and the memorable title song for The Way We Were, died on August 6 at age 68. He will be missed but his music lives on.
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Monday, August 6, 2012

Bring It On

For pure fun on Broadway, Bring It On is definitely the way to go.

The book by Jeff Whitty is snappy; the score by Tom Kitt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Amanda Green is clever and catchy; the direction and choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler is fluid and super energetic. Bring It On is nothing incredibly sophisticated or important with regard to artistic expression or musical theatre history, but that’s okay. Sometimes, shows are meant to be entertaining, and this is. This is “fun fluff” of the best kind.

As noted in the Playbill, Bring It On: The Musical is "inspired" by the 2000 Kirsten Dunst-Gabrielle Union movie, and that’s actually accurate. The plot of the musical diverges a great deal from the movie, and as such works better at focusing the story and bringing out the heart. In the musical, Campbell (Taylor Louderman) is a senior at Truman High, the high school for the affluent and mostly white suburban crowd. She’s captain of its cheerleading squad, and has aspirations of winning nationals, which she thinks is her life’s purpose. Redistricting forces Campbell to attend Jackson High, home to the more diverse urban population. Jackson doesn’t have a cheerleading squad, but Danielle (Adrienne Warren) is head of the school’s dance crew. Trying to fit in and find her purpose, Campbell joins the crew and soon convinces them to become a squad and compete in nationals. Of course, because it’s high school (and because we need some dramatic intrigue), all sorts of lies, backstabbing, love connections and soul searching abound, all while Campbell tries to find her place in this world - something we can all relate to.

Bringing the story to life is a terrific and spirited cast, almost all of whom are making their Broadway (or even theatrical) debut. Musical theatre performers mix with veteran dancers and award-winning collegiate cheerleaders, and the cheer stunts they perform are nothing short of breathtaking. Without a harness, safety net or other theatrical trickery, these kids show you just what kind of amazing things humans can do.

And aside from the stunts, the show boasts some standout performances. Both Louderman and Warren impress as the strong female leads, but supporting actors Gregory Haney (the fierce La Cienega), Nicolas Womack (the urban romantic Twig), Elle McLemore (the scheming Eva) and Ryann Redmond (the plump and spirited Bridget) steal the show. (That, I suppose, is saying a lot given the incredible cheer stunts. It’s also a testament to the creative team that they didn’t let the stunts overtake the meat of the show - the storytelling.)

Bring It On doesn’t take itself too seriously, though. You can tell from Jeff Whitty’s book that the creative team knows this is meant to be fun and not profound. Whenever moments border on the saccharine, there’s some cheeky bit to bring it back home. (Whitty, of course, is no stranger to the humor-heart mix: he won a Tony for writing Avenue Q’s book.)

The scenic design by David Korins is complemented by Jeff Sugg’s video design, both of which are well integrated into the show, keeping the musical moving along. Blankenbuehler’s direction and choreography are also fluid and find the multi-shaped kids dancing on lockers and cheering all over the sparse stage.

Of course, Bring It On is a musical so let’s talk about that for a moment. (Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music; Miranda and Amanda Green wrote the lyrics.) I had mixed expectations. On the one hand, Tom Kitt co-wrote the music. Tom Kitt is a genius, and won the Tony and Pulitzer for Next to Normal. On the other hand, this is Bring It On: The Musical. And it turns out the music falls somewhere in between.

The score is deficient in its lack of orchestrations. While Kitt and Alex Lacamoire provide sufficient arrangements and orchestrations, I wish there was a full orchestra playing, giving the score a richer and less synthetic sound. (Instead, we have a keyboard providing the horn section. That’s hardly satisfying.)

That deficiency not withstanding, the score is solid. Kitt presents some truly interesting musical phrasing, which is nicely paired with Green and Miranda’s straightforward lyrics; and Miranda brings authentic street-cred to the hip-hop beats and lyrics, churning out rhythms and rhymes his hip-hop heroes would be proud of. (I also really like the fact that the songs accompanying the showdown cheers are original songs, helping to keep the focus on the incredible cheer stunts, rather than having audience members thinking, “Oh, I know that song!” And it doesn’t hurt that Kitt and Miranda alumni Alysha Umphress (American Idiot) and Joshua Henry (American Idiot, In the Heights) provide the vocals for the two tracks.)

While Bring It On may not go in the pantheon of American Musical Theatre, it is so much fun. This is a great choice for families coming to see a Broadway show and it’s a boon to touring companies and high schools. So get those spirit fingers out and get ready to cheer for the immensely entertaining Bring It On. 

Bring It On is currently playing a limited summer engagement at the St James Theatre. It runs through October 7. Visit bringitonmusical.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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