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

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. 

A Real-Life Walter White; Carol Channing Documentary

• A 75-year-old college professor has been accused of cooking drugs. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boston professor Irina Kristy had been running a meth lab out of her home with her son. For those not familiar with the television  show “Breaking Bad,” the protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston) does something very similar with his former student. It seems like some people can’t tell the difference between fiction and reality. She is to be arraigned on Dec. 21. Check out Back Stage's interview with the cast of "Breaking Bad," in which Cranston reveals he shadowed a chemistry professor to research his role.

• Carol Channing will release a documentary centering around her career on Jan. 20, 2012. The film, "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life," will address the actresses lifetime accomplishments, as well as talk to those closest to the star. Read more at Playbill.com.

• Minorities may make up one-third of the U.S. population, but according to research conducted by several civil rights organizations, they only own 7.2 percent of all U.S. radio and TV stations. Read more about these findings at The Wrap.

• Actor Bill McKinney, who was featured in the 1972 "Deliverance," passed away. He was 80 years old. See his obituary at CBS News.

Pictured: Carol Channing (Photo: Getty Images)

YouTube Emulating TV; Daytime President Leaving

• YouTube has given itself a redesign. The makeover includes categorized channels, similar to those on TV, and the website plans to include more original content from big names, like Jay-Z and Madonna. Check it out at CNN.

• Brian Frons, ABC daytime president who played an instrumental part in the decision to cancel "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," is leaving the alphabet network in January. In light of Fron's departure, ABC has decided to merge its daytime and syndicated development into one unit named Times Square Studio. Read the story at Deadline.

• Hulu will make available all the seasons and most recent episodes of  "Community" on Hulu Plus, according to The Wrap. The NBC comedy has been receiving some attention due to its upcoming absence from the network's mid-season schedule. Though NBC has said it has no plans to cancel the comedy, Hulu may be thinking ahead and setting up a core audience of people who come to Hulu for its "Community" fix. More non-TV networks are seeking to have original content. Netflix just agreed to air new episodes of the cancelled Fox series "Arrested Development."

• Edwin Judd Woldin, a musical composer best known for working on the Tony Award-winning musical "Raisin," an adaptation of "A Raisin in the Sun," passed away. He was 86 years old. Read his obituary at Playbill.

New EP for 'General Hospital'; Web Killed the TV Star

• Jill Farren Phelps, Emmy Award-winning executive producer of "General Hospital," has been replaced with Frank Valentini, former showrunner of the cancelled soap "One Life to Live," reported Vulture. The soap opera business has not exactly been booming, especially given the recent cancellations of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." Still, ABC is apparently trying to give "General Hospital" a chance to stay on the air by hiring Valentini. He was able to boost the ratings of "One Life," albeit not enough, before its demise. Vulture also cites that Valentini has been known for keeping his shows under budget, which definitely appeals to ABC. Much of the reasoning behind replacing soaps with alternative daytime programming, such as the cooking and talk show "The Chew," is that the latter is cheaper to produce.

• For the first time in Nielsen's 41-year survey history, the number of households with a TV set will decline. The decrease is likely related to the struggling economy and more people using the Internet to view content. Entertainment Weekly and Yidio sound off on Nielsen's findings.

• Broadway's "The Mountaintop" will allow people 30 years old or younger to purchase $30 tickets to the December 7 show at 8 pm. The production, which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Basset, is the third show to take part in 30 for $30, a special intitivative from NY1 and Playbill.

• Judy Lewis, former actress who penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta Young, passed away. She was 76 years old. Read her obituary at The New York Times.

Pictured: Jill Farren Phelps (Photo: Getty Images)

Gotham, NYFCC Award Winners; CBS Stars on Stage

• "Beginners" and "The Tree of Life" both won best feature at the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. Check it out at Back Stage and Deadline. Also, "Margin Call" was named best first feature by the New York Film Critics Circle, which announced its award winners via Twitter feed. 

• Just like Netflix, Microsoft is looking to break into the scripted television industry, reported Deadline.

• Two emmy-winning CBS stars will be headlining shows in New York next year: Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" will portray Elwood in the Broadway revival of "Harvey" this spring and Alan Cumming of "The Good Wife" will play every role in a National Theater Scotland production of "Macbeth." According to The New York Times, the one-man show will come to Lincoln Center from July 5 through 14.

• Entertainment Weekly discusses a new book about Hedy Lamarr, a beautiful actress from the 1930s and 1940s who was also a brilliant scientist.  I'm calling that there will be a movie based on this book within five years and may actually be good.

Pictured: Jim Parsons (Photos: Getty Images)

'Twilight' Causes Seizures; Buy Dunder Mifflin Paper

•"Twilight" causes seizures? That’s right! According to The New York Times, two reported cases of "black outs" and "epileptic attacks" occurred after viewers watched “Breaking Dawn." The cause seemed to be flashing strobes on the screen during the famous "'child-birth scene," in which Bella (Kristen Stewart) delivers her husband’s vampire baby.

•The filmmaker and writer of “Women in Love” and “The Devils,” died this Sunday at the age of 84. Ken Russell was known for his controversial views and his thirst to breach the limits of "good taste" as much as possible. Read his obituary at The New York Times.

•If you like “The Office” and perhaps own an office yourself, you can now buy supplies on-line from Dunder Mifflin. Staples' Quill.com recently struck a deal with NBC to be able to market merchandise under the Dunder Mifflin name. Check it out at The Wall Street Journal.

•The producer of “Paranormal Activity” Jason Blum opened up to The LA Times regarding his career and low-budget strategy, particular not taking "no" for an answer.

Pictured: Robert Pattinson (Photo: Getty Images)

Julliard and Signature Partner; Landis Films at BAM

• Starting in Fall 2012, the new home of the Signature Theater company will host an annual residency for Julliard's drama students, reported The New York Times. This collaboration coincides with the formation of a Julliard's new master's program in theater to help students transition into a working actor's career.

• "Arrested Development" will return on Netflix, reported Los Angels Times. Along with "House of Cards," this makes two original series that Netflix will stream, notice I didn't say air because it's not TV. I just hope this isn't one of Job's illusions.

• It's possible you haven't heard of John Landis, but you know something of his work: "Animal House," "Blues Brothers," and "Trading Places." BAM is screening eight of Landis' films next week. Read his interview with The New York Times.

• Judd Apatow wants an Oscar category for Best Comedy. In other words, he wants a shot at winning an Oscar without writing a drama or a comedy so good it's nominated for Best Picture. Check it out at Los Angeles Times.

Gervais to Host Globes; 'Newsies' in Macy's Parade

• Ricky Gervais will officially host the Golden Globes in January. Some people found the British comic's material a bit insulting at last year's ceremony, but nevertheless he will return and promises to justify any offense taken. Check it out at Los Angeles Times. 

• "Newsies" will be coming to Broadway on a limited run in 2012, and you can catch the cast of musical in the Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 24. Read the story at Playbill.

• Speaking of Thanksgiving, Los Angeles Times discusses three movies hoping to nab families during the holiday weekend. My money is on "The Muppets."

• The New York Times  looks at the protagonist of the picture book "A Very Young Dancer." As she grew older, her time at the School of American Ballet was not as idyllic as the book.  My favorite quote: "when she was really angry at a particular teacher, she would rise out of a plié, her hand extended outward, her middle finger up." You can't teach class like that.

• According to The Hollywood Reporter, there is a Woody Woodpecker movie in development. Let's hope it doesn't go the route of "The Adeventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle."

Pictured: Ricky Gervais (Photo: Getty Images)