Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

Casting News Film — Variety reports that Brad Pitt ( Moneyball , 12 Years a Slave ), Christian Bale ( American Hustle , The Fighter ) and Ryan Gosling ( Drive , Blue Valentine ) are set to star in an adaptation of Michael Lewis's The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine . The non-fiction book chronicles the credit bubble of the early '00s, which led to the financial crash of 2007/8. Nothing is confirmed. Broadway —Additional casting has been announced for Something Rotten , the original musical comedy coming to Broadway's St James Theatre this spring. [title of show] and Now. Here. This. star Heidi Blickenstaff , Tony nominee Brad Oscar ( The Producers , Big Fish ), Brooks Ashmanskas , Michael James Scott ( The Book of Mormon ) and John Cariani , among others, join the previously announced Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle. Something Rotten begins previews on March 23, with opening night set for April 22. Broadway.com has the full cast list. Find ...

Well, we have another Academy Award show and film award season under our belts. It's been a good year, with several terrific films and performances to consider (even if all of them didn't win or weren't nominated for Oscars). But really, there are two things people care about when watching award shows: fashion and fashion. (Oh, and sometimes people care about the awards.) So, let's get to the fashion. (Visit E! Online for tons of photos and other red carpet coverage.) There actually wasn't anything too remarkable on the red carpet - nothing terribly bad and nothing wonderfully incredible. I thought Emma Stone and Natalie Portman looked grown up yet fresh in red. Stone was wearing a Jean-Baptiste Grenouille dress that was glamorous and included a red-carpet-only bow atop a beautifully rich red gown. And Portman was sporting a rather old, matronly silhouette, but the polka dots on her dress made it fresh and modern. Um, and other than that I don't have too much t...

The 84th Academy Award nominations were announced today! And there were actually some surprises. Nothing shocking, of course, but surprises nonetheless. Let's get right to it. (Below is a highlighted list of nominees. Visit oscar.go.com/nominees for the full list.) Best Picture The Artist The Descendants Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close The Help Hugo Midnight in Paris Moneyball The Tree of Life War Horse This list wasn't so surprising, though we all know it's going to come down to The Artist and The Descendants , with the latter being my pick. I think the surprising thing about this list, particularly given nominations in other categories, is that there is not a tenth film. (With the other nominations it received, I thought Bridesmaids might have gotten a nod here.) Actor in a Leading Role Demian Bichir, A Better Life George Clooney, The Descendants Jean Dujardin, The Artist Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Brad Pitt, Moneyball I'm surprised and disappointed...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame A new class has been named to the Rock Hall. On April 14, 2012, Guns N' Roses , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Beastie Boys and others will be inducted. The ceremony will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, home to the Hall of Fame Museum . In early May, HBO will air the ceremony, which always includes not-to-be-missed performances from the inductees and the artists honoring them. As the announcement in Rolling Stone notes, GN'R made it into the Hall in their first year of eligibility. Kennedy Center Honors The 2011 Kennedy Center Honors were presented this weekend. Honored this year were Barbara Cook, Meryl Streep, Neil Diamond, Sonny Rollins and Yo-Yo Ma. (To quote Donna Moss, "Yo-Yo Ma rules!") Playbill.com has an account of the theatre luminaries (like Patti LuPone and Sutton Foster!) who came out to perform in Cook's honor, and Broadwayworld.com has lots of photos: rehearsal arrivals ; red carpet arrivals (I want Audra McDonald's dress!...

It’s October, which means MLB playoffs are underway. It also means it’s an excellent time to see Moneyball , the new movie about Billy Beane, sabermetrics and how the two combine to make a baseball team. Based on Michael Lewis’s Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game , Moneyball is adapted for the screen by Steven Zaillian and, my main man, Aaron Sorkin, with a story credit for Stan Chervin. (Reportedly, Sorkin punched up Zillian’s script, bringing the funny - just like Sam and Josh did for the correspondents’ dinner!) After gestating for many years and going through several growing pains, Moneyball finally makes its way to the big screen, directed by Bennett Miller and starring Brad Pitt, who is also a producer. (Warning: For those unfamiliar with baseball history, the following description may contain spoilers.) The story begins with the Oakland A’s losing the ALDS in 2001 to the New York Yankees (who would go on to lose the World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but I do...