Media Morsels 2.22.13

Oscars Prep
The Oscars are this Sunday night (!!!) so here are some last minute bits of info to help you prepare for Hollywood's big, glamorous night.
In other award season news, the WGA handed out its awards last weekend. Some winners are listed below; find the full list of winners on the WGA site.
  • Mark Boal, Original Screenplay, Zero Dark Thirty
  • Chris Terrio, Adapted Screenplay, Argo
  • Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz and Moira Walley Beckett, Drama Series, Breaking Bad
  • Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman and Dan Sterling, New Series, Girls
  • Elaine Ko, Episodic Comedy, Modern Family, "Virgin Territory"
The Last Five Years - On Stage and On Screen 
On Stage: The Second Stage revival of The Last Five Years begins is just a couple of weeks, and the venerable off-Broadway company released a third in-rehearsal sneak peek at the show. In this clip, Jason Robert Brown directs Betsy Wolfe (Merrily We Roll Along, Mystery of Edwin Drood) in "Goodbye Until Tomorrow." Watch, and then head over to 2st.com to purchase your tickets. (Preview begin March 7; Brown wrote the show and is directing this production, which also stars Adam Kantor.)



On Screen: It's confirmed that Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 50/50) and Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde) will star in the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. Playbill has details. I like Kendrick (and she proved her vocal chops in the silly and fun Pitch Perfect), but Jordan? Ugh. His belt is awful and he always looks like he's straining - like he's not using his voice properly. I think it's a lousy choice (especially after Jonathan Groff did this). Of course I'll see the film, and hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised. (Did you know that original The Last Five Years star Sherie Rene Scott is one of the movie's co-producers?)

Theatre Updates
  • The great Pasek and Paul musical Dogfight, which ran to acclaim at Second Stage last summer, will get a cast album. (Dogfight landed songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul on my list of favorite things in 2012.) Ghostlight Records will record the album, which will be released this spring. Visit sh-k-boom.com for details and to sign up for an email alert when the album is released.

  • The cast for the new off-Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher has been announced. (Remember that the show began off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop before transferring to Broadway.) Broadway cast members Rick Holmes, Jason Ralph and Nicole Lowrance will star as Black Stache, Boy and Molly, respectively. Reprising roles from the Broadway run are Kevin Del Aguila and Matt D'Amico. Visit Playbill for the full cast list.

  • It's official: Les Miserables is coming back to Broadway. After hinting at it while promoting the award-winning film adaptation, producer Cameron Mackintosh has confirmed that Les Miserables will play Broadway in spring 2014. Dates, a theatre and casting have yet to be determined. Playbill has more information, including details of the updates and changes planned for the new Broadway bow.

  • Little Stevie is coming to Broadway - sort of. Lead guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Steven Van Zandt as written (with Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati) a concert event. The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream will play a limited engagement at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre April 15-May 5. Van Zandt and Marc Brickman are directing the show. Visit Playbill for more.

  • The lovely and talented Jessie Mueller (On a Clear Day..., The Mystery of Edwin Drood) will join the company of Nice Work if You Can Get It. Mueller will join the cast, which includes Matthew Broderick and Blythe Danner beginning April 2. She is replacing Kelli O'Hara, whose final performance is March 31. (Presumably, O'Hara is leaving to begin work on the Playwrights Horizons production of the musical adaptation of Far From Heaven.) Playbill has details. (Fun side note: Mueller and O'Hara will appear on stage together in the NY Philharmonic's concert production of Carousel.)

  • A couple of weeks ago, record impresario Clive Davis said he might produce a Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. This week, he said he has Anne Hathaway and Colin Firth in mind to star as Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins. As noted on Playbill, Hathaway (Les Miserables) and Firth (The King's Speech) were lined up to star in a new film adaptation, but that fell through, making the Broadway rights available. 

  • Shia LaBeouf (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) dropped out of the upcoming production of Orphans, but don't worry, the great Ben Foster is replacing him. Foster joins Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge in the Daniel Sullivan-directed production. Previews at the Schoenfeld Theatre begin March 19 in advance of an April 7 opening. Playbill has details.

  • Jane Lynch (Glee) will take over the role of Miss Hannigan in the Broadway revival of Annie. Lynch's run with the show will be May 16-July 14. Current Hannigan Katie Finneran is leaving the production in order to shoot a new series with Michael J. Fox. Playbill has details.  
New York City Ballet Update
Dancers are rising in the ranks at City Ballet. On Thursday, Peter Martins promoted 11 dancers! As per the post on the Company's Facebook page, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Chase Finlay and Ask la Cour became principal dancers while Lauren King, Ashley Laracey, Megan Le Crone, Lauren Lovette, Georgina Pazcoguin, Justin Peck, Brittany Pollack and Taylor Stanley were promoted to soloist. Merde to all!

 
Checking in with Smash's Stars and Creative Team
I won't lie to you dear readers, I'm not in love with the new season of Smash, though I do love hearing Joe Iconis tunes on national TV. That said, some wonderfully talented people work on the show and here's what some of them had to say:
Tune In Alerts
  • Per his Twitter feed, Michael Esper (American Idiot, The Lyons) will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of The Good Wife.


  • Justin Warner, the chef who won the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star, will see his new Food Network special, Rebel Eats, premiere on Saturday, March 30, at 10pm. Tune in! (The Food Network blog has details.)

  • You may recall that Leslye Headland's biting play Assistance has been optioned for a TV series. We learned this week that the show is moving further into production, with Krysten Ritter (All New People, Breaking Bad) being cast as Nora, the role played on stage by Virginia Kull. (No word yet on who will play - or if there will be a - Nick, but I recommend the actor who played him on stage, Michael Esper.) The show, set to air on NBC, is being written by Headland (Bachelorette). Playbill has details.

  • Seth Rogen (50/50) and SNL alumna Kristen Wiig are confirmed to appear in the upcoming, Netflix-exclusive fourth season of Arrested Development. The new season is set to "air" on Netflix this May. US Magazine has details.

  • Seth Numrich, who just concluded a run in Golden Boy and before that starred in War Horse, is in negotiations to star in an AMC show, Turn. Playbill has details.

  • Justin Timberlake will return to SNL - as both host and musical guest - on March 9. He'll also take up a one-week residency at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the following week (March 11-15), performing every night and chatting with Fallon on Monday and Friday. HitFix has details.

  • Check out Graceland's Twitter feed for on-set pics of the set, costumes, locations and actors, including Aaron Tveit.

  • The Entourage alumna Constance Zimmer, who can currently be seen in Beau Willimon's excellent House of Cards, will appear in season two of The Newsroom. As reported on Vulture, Zimmer will play a spokesperson for the Romney campaign.

  • Veep, the hilarious HBO comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will return for its second season on April 14.

Dig This
  • From the queue: Chronicle (available now on HBO Go)

  • Dates for the Drama Desk Awards have been revealed. Nominations will be announced on April 26 and the awards will be handed out on May 19. Visit Playbill for details.

  • Ben Folds will participate in the upcoming 24-Hour Musical Festival! Visit Broadway.com for details.

  • Robert De Niro might direct a musical on Broadway. Playbill has details.

  • Funnyman Conan O'Brien will host this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, to be held Saturday, April 27. Rolling Stone has more.

  • The New York Times highlights five actors poised for breakthroughs this spring, including Annaleigh Ashford (Dogfight, Heathers) and Matthew Maher (Uncle Vanya).

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