Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Tatar on the Top

Actor-singer Daniel Tatar, a native of suburban Chicago, has made impressive career strides in multiple mediums and is clearly on a fast-track to  greater things. Among his notable stage accomplishments since he settled in Los Angeles have been stellar performances in leading roles in high-profile musicals such as Ray Charles Live!, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and The Last Five Years, produced by some of the Southland's finest companies.

Those who caught Tatar's terrific showcase at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, on June 28, must have had a hard time believing he was making his solo cabaret debut. He seemed perfectly at home in the genre--as if he was born for it--and he wowed the capacity crowd with his relaxed and captivating presence, but above all, for his incomparable way with a song. The splendid musical evening was enhanced by the fine efforts of Marc Macalintal on piano.

Free Q&A With Michael Emerson

If you're in the L.A. area, I'll be moderating a Q&A Tuesday night with the great Michael Emerson, a.k.a. Ben Linus, a.k.a. Henry Gale, a.k.a. "Benry" from Lost. The event is put together by the good people at SAG Foundation and you need to be a SAG member to attend--just go here to RSVP.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing Emerson on two occasions--once during his first season on the show when his character was still rather nebulous (as if he was less of an enigma now!) The second time was during the show's third season, when I profiled both him and the wonderful Elizabeth Mitchell, a.k.a. Juliet. You can read both interviews here.

One of my favorite stories about Emerson actually came from Mitchell, who revealed that in all her years as a working actor, she had never seen people respond to someone the way they did her co-star. "We were at the airport awhile back and going through security and everyone had to stop him," Mitchell revealed, laughing. "They all had to say, 'Ohhhh you! You're bad! You're bad, aren't you?' And Michael would just calmly look at them and respond, 'Mm? You think so? Really?' " Of course, in person Emerson could not be more lovely and he has such a fascinating career. Please come see for yourself tomorrow night!

--Jenelle Riley

The Winds of Change Blow Through the Academy of Motion Pictures

Hot off of the heels of the announcement that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is increasing their Best Picture nomination cap from five to ten, the organization announced yesterday that there would be two more new changes to the rulebooks -- further ruining the image of the Academy as a stagnant, over-conservative group.

The most significant change drops the minimum number of required nominees in the "Best Music - Original Song" category, actually making it possible to have no nominees for the category in any given year if no songs meet the newly-modified requirements. The second change eliminates the presentation of the three "testimonial" awards during the Oscar telecast, and moves them to a newly created awards dinner held in November.

Hey, Lady with the Thing! Jerry Lewis to Make B'way Directorial Debut

Jerry Lewis will make his Broadway directorial debut with a musical version of his 1963 wacky film comedy The Nutty Professor. Lewis co-wrote and starred in the movie as a nerdy academic who transforms into a swinging lounge lizard named Buddy Love. Eddie Murphy launched a series of successful remakes in 1996.This new version will feature music by Marvin Hamlisch and  book and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, who is also at work on a musical version of Secondhand Lions as we reported last week.The target opening is during the 2010-11 Broadway season.   

Amy Spanger Leaves 'Rock of Ages'

Actress Amy Spanger has left the cast of the Tony-nominated musical Rock of Ages. Spanger originated the role of small-town girl turned stripper Sherrie in the Broadway production.

Spanger has been out of the show on vocal rest since the Tony Awards, but she was expected to return tonight, June 29. Now producers say today that Spanger will not return to the cast due to "personal reasons." Her permanent replacement has yet to be determined; Savannah Wise is currently playing the role of Sherrie.

-- Daniel Lehman

The Apollo Theater Celebrates Michael Jackson's Life

The Apollo Theater Foundation announced that it will be opening its theater doors to the public starting Tuesday, June 30 and holding a series of events to honor the passing of Michael Jackson.

Apollo President and CEO Jonelle Procope, and Reverend Al Sharpton are scheduled to hold eulogies under the Apollo marquee at 2 pm on Tuesday. Posted below is the schedule of events for the memorial.

"Strip Search NYC" Chooses Ambassador of Burlesque

Friday night at The Slipper Room, judges at "Strip Search NYC" chose from 10 tough competitors to determine the "best peeler in the Big Apple" and select New York City's new "Ambassador of Burlesque," who will be representing NYC at the Toronto Burlesque Festival this summer.

Strip Search NYC featured a wide range of styles and approaches to burlesque among the 10 performers, from tongue-in-cheek to nude and lewd. In the end, burlesque veteran Bunny Love (pictured, top) got the votes and will be traveling to Toronto July 23-26 to perform in the Toronto Burlesque Festival (this year's theme: "tassels without borders").

Event organizer and host Dr. Lucky introduced Miss Love at the top of the show by saying, "In the tradition of New York burlesque, she's butt naked. Oh sorry, she told me she's actually wearing glitter."

Ironically, no other pics of Bunny Love's performance were suitable for publication. (Hard to believe, huh?) But below, check out photos from the rest of the night, where Blog Stage was brave enough to get up close and personal with some of the city's top tassel-twirlers:

Casting News -- June 29, 2009

Lea Thompson is attached to star in A Town Called Malice, an in-development dramedy. Thompson (Back to the Future, Caroline in the City) will play a former rock & roll star who returns to her hometown with her estranged teenage daughter after her husband self-destructs during a comeback concert. The two must then rebuild their lives, as well as their relationship, in the small town mom ran away from when she was 16.

Stan Lee's inevitable cameo in Iron Man 2 has been revealed: The Marvel comic books legend (and Iron Man creator), who has appeared in a cameo in nearly every Marvel superhero film, will reportedly play Larry King, who interviews Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) -- a.k.a. Iron Man -- on Larry King Live.

'Avenue Q' Closing in September

The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q will close after a final performance at the John Golden Theatre Sept. 13. The production marks its sixth anniversary on Broadway July 31.

In a statement, producer Robyn Goodman said, "We will miss our furry friends on 45th Street but are very proud of their longevity." Goodman added about Republican puppet Rod, "A disappointed Rod was hoping for an Obama bail out and swore he would turn Democrat if it happened."

Weekend Viewing

Two of the best movies of the year are opening today, and you probably don't even know it. Drowned out by the Transformers buzz and coming from small companies who can't afford to erect a billboard on every corner, The Hurt Locker and The Stoning of Soraya M. were two flicks I caught at last year's Toronto Film Festival and have not been able to stop talking about ever since. Soraya M. was runner-up only to Slumdog Millionaire for the Audience Award and considering what's happening in Iran today, could not be timelier. It stars Oscar-nominee (and in the same alternative universe where Titanic lost Best Picture to L.A. Confidential, she won) Shohreh Aghdashloo as Zahra, a strong and defiant woman in an Iranian village who recounts a tale of greed and deception that led to the stoning of her beloved niece Soraya (Mozhan Marnò). While the film is undoubtedly tragic, it's far from depressing. It plays like a courtroom thriller in many ways, with the audience on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next. And it features excellent performances all around--particularly by Aghdashloo, who hopefully will score her second Oscar nod. You can read our critic's review here.