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

'Clear Day' Closing; Paramount's Insurge Success

• The Broadway revival of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" will close at the end of the month, reported The New York Times. The new musical “Leap of Faith” will take its place at the St.James Theater and begin performances on April 3.

• Los Angeles Times takes a look at Insurge, Paramount Pictures' experimental label behind 'The Devil Inside.' Paramount is looking for films that use social networks to promote themselves into must-see experiences.

• Starz has greenlit a series about the 13th century explorer Marco Polo. Given its track record of violence and nudity in its "historical" TV shows, like "Spartacus," I'm guessing this series won't be ones to watch with your kids. Read the story at Deadline.

• YouTube executive Robert Kyncl told Los Angeles Times that he thinks about 75 percent of channels will be transmitted by the Internet by 2020. So I suppose I should start saving up for a faster computer.

'Jersey Boys' Movie; Shatner Voyaging to Broadway

• John Logan, Tony-winning playwright, will adapt the Tony-winning Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" for the big screen. Has anyone even heard of this show? It's not like there are productions in New York, London, Las Vegas, Sydney, and two national tours. Read the story at Playbill.

• Emmy-winning actor and singer William Shatner will boldy go where he's gone before, albeit about 50 years ago. Next month, the star of "Star Trek" and "Boston Legal" will begin performing his two-hour one-man show on Broadway. Check it out at The New York Times. Someone please go dressed as a "Star Wars" Stormtrooper.

•TiVo's research unit has reported that watching TV shows on the Internet or through DVR has exceeded live viewership. The research unit is headed by Captain Obvious. Take a look at The Hollywood Reporter.

Live Q & A with 'The Artist' Cast

Watch the LIVE Q & A for the Golden Globe nominated film for Best Picture, "The Artist" with Director Michel Hazanavicius, and the cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, and Missi Pyle! It will take place at 9:00 pm PST. View it on Facebook. 

Jackman to be Houdini; Facebook to Stream 'Ghost'

• Hugh Jackman will return to Broadway in the 2013-14 season to star as the magician and escape artist Harry Houdini in the musical “Houdini,” reported The New York Times. With a score by "Wicked" composer Stephen Schwartz, a book by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin, and direction by Tony-winner Jack O'Brien, this show shouldn't have too much interest. It's not like Jackman is a big money-maker on stage and screen.

• On the Facebook page of the Broadway musical "Ghost," videos of cast performances will be available on January 24. They will only be available to view on that day. Check it ou at Playbill.

• According to FilmLA, Los Angeles lost TV productions in 2011 to the Big Apple. The City of Angeles, however, experienced a bit of an increase of feature film activity. Read the story at Los Angeles Times.

Pictured: Hugh Jackman (Photo: Getty Images)

Met Opera Singer Injured; Apple's Vague TV Goals

• During a Metropolitan Opera performance of "Faust," Wendy White, a mezzo-soprano, fell about eight feet from a platform to the stage.  Read the story at The Huffington Post.

• Los Angeles Times spoke with actor-director Ed Burns about using video-on-demand for his indie films.  He argues that as indie movie theaters continue to disappear, for either economic or digital shifting reasons, it is harder for indie films to vie for space against blockbusters in megaplexes. VOD is, thus, a logical place for indie films in his opinion.

• The New York Times interviewed Louis C.K. on recently succeeding with his web experiment: putting an entire stand-up concert on his website for only $5. He's expected to make at least a $1 million off the venture. As great as this endeavor has proven to be, it still is a unique situation. Before putting his concert online, Louis C.K. already had a substantial core audience, a few cable stand-up specials, and one currently successful cable show. In other words,  even though this Internet experiment paid off literally, he couldn't have done it without his previous exposure from decades of stand-up comedy and being on television, which C.K. points out in the article.

• According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is moving ahead with its TV ambitions. Details are a bit scarce, as is always the case with Apple technology, but the only information most people want is the release date; alas, no luck... yet.

Pictured: Ed Burns (Photo: Getting Images)

Critics' Name Best Movies; More 'Who'?

• Critics associations around the country are naming their best movies of 2011. The consensus is... well, results tend to vary. The same names, like "The Artist" and "The Descendants," you've heard over and over this year are still receiving attention. Click over to Deadline's postings showing the votes from New York Film Critics Online and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

• These next two bullets are for the geeks out there (I'm one of you). Two lost "Doctor Who" episodes have been recovered and will be shown sometime in the future. How were they lost initially? It was common for shows in the early days of television to tape over old episodes once their repeats rights had expired or to save storage space. No one thought people would buy whole seasons of TV series, which has become common practice in this day and age, especially at Christmas when you have no idea what to get someone.  Read the story at The Guardian.

• According to The New York Times, Hollywood is pushing for the creation of new languages -including grammatical rules, an alphabet, and basic vocabulary- to be used in their fantasy and sci-fi movies ("Avatar"), TV shows ("Game of Thrones"), and video games. This move is supposed to add believability to a project. Requiring viewers to learn a new language to understand plot certainly won't alienate them. For me, if a movie's characters don't speak any language, I won't invest them. That's why I don't care for silent films.

• There's doubt over whether Marilyn Monroe's alleged affair with Colin Clark took place. The tryst is the basis of the movie "My Week with Marilyn." Why does this matter? Did people think they were seeing a documentary? Read the story at Los Angeles Times.

Maher Joins Yahoo! Comedy; Schwartz Honored

• Comedian Bill Maher will perform a show at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts that will be streamed online for free on Feb. 23. The stand-up special will be used to introduce a new Yahoo! comedy channel that will contain other original and licensed content. Read the story at The New York Times.

• Stephen Schwartz, Oscar-winning "Wicked" and "Pippin" composer and lyricist, was honored by the ASCAP foundation for his contributions to musical theater. On Wednesday, Tony-winner Adam Guettel presented Schwartz with the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award. Click over to Playbill for more.

• Stephen Colbert interviewed David Hallberg, the first American dancer to join the Bolshoi Ballet, on Wednesday. Hallberg and American Ballet Theatre soloist Hee Seo later performed a pas de deux from "The Nutcracker." Colbert even showed off some of his dance moves and... legs. Check it out at The New York Times.

Pictured: Bill Maher (Photo: Getty Images)

Verizon vs. Netflix?; Harry Morgan of 'M*A*S*H' Dies

• According to Reuters, Verizon plans to start a standalone service in 2012 that will let customers stream film and TV shows over the Internet. Such an endeavor would put the company in competition with Netflix and cable providers. If Verizon increases its number of subscribers, then it may be able to lower its fees.

• The lawsuit of a former Universal TV employee claims that behind the scenes of Fox's "House" there are sexual antics galore. The Hollywood Reporter said these allegations may soon be presented to a jury.

• Harry Morgan, prolific character actor best known for playing Colonel Potter in the television series “M*A*S*H,” died Wednesday at the age of 96. Read his obituary at The New York Times. Also, Leo Friedman, renowned stage photographer who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepurn, passed away. He was 92. Check out his Times obituary and a slideshow of his photographs.

Cable/Home Security Company?; Influential CD Dies

• Cable companies, such as Time Warner Cable and Comcast, are moving into home security... seriously. According to Los Angeles Times, in the midst of losing video subscribers due to other competitors, like Netflix, and the struggling economy, cable operators believe this will be a good additional, and logical, source of revenue. The only way a burglar is going to be scared of your cable guy is if he's this guy.

• New York City Opera is seeking the aid of a federal mediator to break its current impasse with the unions representing its chorus and orchestra, reported The New York Times. Also, City Opera, said on Tuesday that it will take up office space in Lower Manhattan. 

• The upcoming sci-fi drama "Cloud Atlas" may provide a model of how films will be financed in the near future. The movie is relying heavily on international investors, namely in Asia, as well as on German subsidies. Check it out at The New York Times.

• Marion Dougherty, one of Hollywood’s most influential casting directors, died at the age of 88. Dougherty helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert Redford. Read her obituary at Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Tweet Seats Are The Latest Trend for the Arts Beat

Just when you thought this generation wasn’t brainwashed by technology enough, wait until you hear about the latest trend for theaters – "tweet seats." Inspired by the popularity of the social network, Twitter, "tweet seats" are in-house seats set aside for people who agree to live "tweet" about what is happening during a performance.