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West Coast Casting Highlights - 9/28/10

Every week Back Stage publishes hundreds of notices -- casting notices, entertainment-industry job notices, and calls for submissions to talent contests and film festivals. Back Stage is the premier resource for actors, dancers, singers, comedians, and all performing artists -- plus those talented individuals working behind-the-scenes, including writers and crew -- looking for quality opportunities.  BackStage.com's casting database includes all of the notices from  the  popular weekly Back Stage publications, plus hundreds of additional items.

WEST COAST:

Below are a few highlights from this week's West Coast notices, compiled by West Coast Casting Editor Cassie Carpenter:

Reality TV Casting Highlights - 9/28/2010

Back Stage runs hundreds of casting notices every year for reality television shows, games shows, reality competitions, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, and multimedia projects and events seeking real people, hosts, contestants, and performers. And now with the help of it's partner RealityWanted.com, we're pleased to bring you even more reality casting opportunities than ever before. See below for some of this week's top reality casting calls and auditions:

Entertainment Industry Opportunities - 9/28/10

Every week Back Stage posts hundreds of casting notices and entertainment-industry opportunities in the BackStage.com Casting/Jobs Database. Check out the following sampling of over 40 new notices -- film festivals calling for entries, staff/tech/crew jobs, casting workshops, and more:

Menken, Fierstein Adapting 'Newsies' for Stage

Composer Alan Menken has confirmed that he is collaborating with librettist Harvey Fierstein and lyricist Jack Feldman on a stage adaptation of Disney's 1992 film musical "Newsies." "Yeah, it is in development," Menken told Playbill. "What it's going to be is—honestly, right now—undetermined. I think Disney is still trying to decide whether it's a first-class production or whether it's stock and amateur. But there will be available a stage musical of Newsies." The original film was directed by Kenny Ortego and starred Christian Bale.

Read at Playbill.

Pictured: Harvey Fierstein (Photo: Getty Images)

Studios Respond to 'Hobbit' Boycott

Two days after actors guilds issued an alert advising actors against working on the "non-union production" of "The Hobbit," New Line, Warner Bros. and MGM responded with a joint statement regarding the big-budget adaptation. The guilds -- incuding SAG, AFTRA and several international unions -- say the producers of the fantasy blockbuster, to be directed by Peter Jackson, have rebuffed organizing efforts by the New Zealand unit of MEAA, an Australian actors union. But the studios responded that MEAA was "inaccurate" in classifying the production as "non-union" and that the allegations "are baseless and unfair to Peter Jackson and his team in Wellington."

Read the story at the Hollywood Reporter.

There Are No Words...

...just a sound, sort of like "Nghahahah" and drool coming out of my mouth while watching the trailer for the new Coen Brothers movie, "True Grit," available here. Oh, I did not want to get excited about this one--Joel and Ethan have broken my heart before when I dared to get my hopes up (see: "Burn After Reading"--actually, don't.) But dare I say it, this one looks beyond good.

--Jenelle Riley

Green Day Singer to Substitute in 'American Idiot'

Billy Joe Armstrong, the lead singer for the punk-rock band Green Day, will be making his Broadway debut. He will be starring in "American Idiot," the musical based on Green Day's 2004 album of the same name. From Sep. 28 to Oct. 3, Armstrong will play one of the leading characters, St. Jimmy, a drug dealer. The musical is about a group of teenagers who try to escape suburbia. Armstrong composed and co-wrote the musical.

Read at the story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Ruffalo, Bridges Among Those Added to Showtime Roster

Showtime's new entertainment president David Nevins has been bringing in the stars to the pay cable network. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards have signed on to develop a show together. The two previously co-starred in the film "Zodiac." The show will be a drama set in the world of media management. It's unknown if Ruffalo will star. Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield are also collaborating on a Showtime project, "Happily Ever After," written by Daniels. He will also star as the main character, a factory worker who quits his job to pursue music.

Read the story at Deadline Hollywood.

ArtsEmerson Director Wants to Produce

Richard Orchard, the executive director of the arts at Emerson College, is bringing in artists to the various university theaters to develop their work. It is all part of ArtsEmerson, where the goal is not just presenting but to produce and develop new works. Orchard's end goal is to create lasting relationships with artists so they come back regularly to develop new projects. Productions that have come through include "The Select: The Sun Also Rises" from Elevator Repair Services, and "The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later" from the Tectonic Theater Project.

Read the story at the Boston Globe.

Actors Advised Against Working on "Hobbit"

SAG, AFTRA, and several international actor guilds have issued an alert against the big-budget adaptation of "The Hobbit," directed by Peter Jackson. They are advising actors not to work on the film because it is a non-union production. The guilds say that producers have refused to sign a union contract for the New Zealand unit of the Australian actors union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. Jackson replied with a press statement criticizing the MEAA and threatening to move the production to Europe. He also said that Warner Bros plan to create a separate pot of profits to pay Kiwi actors who are not union members.

Read the story at Back Stage.