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

Merry Christmas from Sutton Foster and 'Anything Goes'

Sutton Foster stars as Reno McSweeney in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Anything Goes, which opens April 7, 2011 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway.

NY Post Reveals Identity of 'Spider-Man' Heckler

In many reports following the first preview performance of the new Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Sunday night, an anonymous audience member was quoted shouting, "I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel like a guinea pig today! I feel like it's a dress rehearsal!," when technical glitches halted the web-slinging production at least five times in mid-air.

Now the New York Post's Michael Riedel -- who could be convincing as Spider-Man's newest super-powered archnemesis, what with all of his gleefully negative coverage of the Broadway blockbuster -- has tracked down and identified the famous heckler: 41-year-old freelance photographer Denise Chastain.

Baby Born at Vienna's Burgtheater

Vienna's youngest theatergoer was introduced with enough real-life drama to upstage the actors. Following a performance of Phaedra late last week at Vienna's prestigious Burgtheater, a woman gave birth in the theater's lobby.

The 40-year-old pregnant woman, identified only as Miryam S., reportedly went into labor shortly after the end of the performance on Friday and gave birth to a baby boy before the ambulance could arrive. Mother and child were then taken to a hospital and both were doing well, according to Sunday's daily Kurier.

STILETTO Entertainment Launches Five New Productions of 'Showroom at Sea'

STILETTO Entertainment is launching five new productions of it's musical theatre extravaganza, 'Showroom at Sea,' aboard Holland America cruise line's ms Nieuw Amsterdam.

Over the years, STILETTO Entertainment has provided countless job opportunities to Back Stage's readers, frequently posting notices calling for singers, dancers, triple-threat performers, musicians, comedians, entertainers, and production personnel for a variety of projects.

To check out STILETTO's current casting & job notices on BackStage.com, visit www.tinyurl.com/STILETTO-Entertainment-Gigs.

And read STILETTO Entertainment's full press release below:

Madonna Hates Actresses (and Chicago)?

Letters of Note has uncovered a letter written by Madonna to friend and photographer Steven Meisel while she was was filming A League of Their Own in 1991, in which the pop singer vents her frustration at the lack of "beautiful men" in Chicago, calls co-star Geena Davis a "Barbie doll," and reveals her hatred of all actresses.

Former Stage Manager Moves from Broadway to Bed Bugs

Former stage manager Janet Friedman -- whose Broadway credits include The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 42nd Street, and Urinetown -- has left her career backstage for a new gig chasing bed bugs, the NY Daily News reports today.

Now a professional organizer, Friedman owns Bed Bug Busters NY, a company that prepares apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn by throughoughly cleaning, removing clutter, and washing laundry before exterminators come in to wipe out infestations of the parasitic pests.

From the NY Daily News:

She draws on theater talent for employees. "Stage managers are so detail oriented, thorough and organized," Friedman said. "They know how to break down a project and get it done. And actors have good personalities and are good at following directions."

Entertainment Industry Opportunities - 9/20/10

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 50 new notices -- film festivals calling for entries, staff/tech/crew jobs, casting workshops, and more:

ActorIntro & SpeedReels on the Importance of Video for Actors

 
In the following article, the video gurus at New York City-based ActorIntro discuss the importance of video reels for actors with Matt Draper, founder of SpeedReels in Los Angeles (winner of a Back Stage 2010 L.A. Reader's Choice Award for "Best Demo Reel House/Producer").

Professional Actors Have Professional Video

After working at ICM creating high-end reels for celebs like Gabriel Byrne and Portia de Rossi, Matt Draper realized that even celebrities need video highlighting their best work. A top-level producer isn't going to go rent a whole season of "Nurse Jackie" to see what Edie Falco is capable of—even Tony Award winners need a quick "trailer" showing their range, type, and talent. Video is now the standard, in some cases even acting as substitute for live auditions.

'Mad Men' Actress Poses for Playboy

Crista Flanagan, who plays the recurring role of secretary Lois Sadler on the AMC series Mad Men, is this month's Playboy cover girl. Flanagan poses in a recreation of '60s pinup style in her photo spread in the August issue.

The Huffington Post reports:

It's the same pose Toni Lacey struck for the 1960 cover, and inside the magazine Crista, 34, recreates more 60s pinups in a feature accompanied by reproductions of vintage ads.

“I really did feel like I was re-creating something and that I was bringing to life these women who already posed for Playboy in the ’60s," Flanagan told Playboy. "If I tell a friend I did this, they think I'm completely naked... This was not Crista filling your wish list out. This was trying to capture an era.” (Or, this was Playboy probably trying to capture other Mad Men leading ladies before settling on a minor supporting character -- even if said character did memorably run over somebody's foot with a John Deere lawnmower.)

See two full photos from Flanagan's Playboy spread below:

You Can Now Smell Like Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis will unleash the cleverly named "Bruce Willis" line of fragrance and beauty products this Thursday, including an eau de parfum (cologne), hair and body wash, deodorant, and shave balm. The "signature collection" was created in partnership with German company LG Health and Beauty Systems, with the tagline "Smart Guys Live Forever."

Eau de Bruce Willis contains notes of grapefruit, pepper, and vetiver -- because, as The AV Club rightly points out, "no one would buy a blend of stale whiskey, smug, and male pattern baldness" -- which prompted LG Health and Beauty Systems CEO Tilo Ploger to say, "I personally feel that the new Bruce Willis fragrance is the manliest scent in the world."

And for some inexplicable reason, Willis has also recently become a partner at Sobieski vodka, "the #1 premium vodka in Poland." Watch his bizarre new commercial below: