Allan Carr News

Perhaps the greatest sequel ever told (and then set to music); the much loved cult movie musical GREASE 2will finally join the ranks of screen-to-stage musicals in concert and for one night only at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on Monday 27 January 2014.

Today we are talking to the daughter of one of the most iconic performers in entertainment history, Judy Garland, who has made a name for herself in show business over the course of an impressive fifty-year career comprising starring roles...

Today we are talking to a veritable legend in her own time - arguably the most influential and recognizable female stand-up comedian of all time, the one and only Joan Rivers. Opening up and revealing her trademark, impossible-to-top wit all the while, Rivers and I discuss many aspects of her life and career, with a particular focus on her many current projects - most importantly, the third season of her smash hit reality series JOAN & MELISSA: JOAN KNOWS BEST? on WE TV. What will happen when Joan, Melissa and company visit Colonial Williamsburg? What illicitness will they discover on Willie Nelson's former tour bus? Will Joan get arrested for protesting her book being banned at a big retailer? Answers to these questions all will be arrived up on Saturday. In addition to all about JOAN & MELISSA Season Three and the current series-high ratings run of FASHION POLICE, Rivers and I take a look back at many of the remarkable figures she has encountered and worked with over the course of her career - among them: Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Woody Allen and many more - and she generously shares candid backstage stories and remembrances as only she can. Of paramount interest to theatre fans may be the announcement of a revival of her one-woman play SALLY MARR… AND HER ESCORTS, which she will be reviving in a special weekly pop-up theatre space on Broadway later this year. Also, as if all of that were not enough, Joan gives us the 411 on her new uncensored web series, IN BED WITH JOAN, as well as her cute new pet lover's web project, MY FAT PET. Plus, her fashion forecast for 2013 and best current trends, favorite films of awards season, thoughts on Broadway today and her picks for the best shows to see as well as much, much more awaits in this career-spanning conversation!

Today we are shifting our focus from the stages of Broadway and beyond to the stages of the previous 84 Academy Awards telecasts that have transpired to date, in anticipation of Sunday night's big, big, big show. After all, this year's Academy Awards is of particular interest and excitement to theatre fans around the globe, especially because super-producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are behind it - the men responsible for the hit stage-to-screen adaptations of CHICAGO and HAIRSPRAY, as well as the small-screen successes GYPSY, LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME & MY SHADOWS, ANNIE, and, most recently, NBC's musical series SMASH, to name a few of their many marvelous musical-friendly credits. They told me themselves earlier this week that this year's telecast would be the most music-packed Academy Awards show to date, and, just judging from the announced tributes, performers and presenters thus far it is clear to see that they were not kidding - reunions of the casts of the film versions of CHICAGO and LES MISERABLES live onstage, singing their film's most famous songs to Jennifer Hudson leading a DREAMGIRLS tribute all the way to a James Bond 50th anniversary celebration featuring Adele and Shirley Bassey on some famous Bond themes, as well as Barbra Streisand herself singing 'The Way We Were' in memory of friend and collaborator, three-time Oscar-winner Marvin Hamlisch.

Largely responsible for the movie musical revolution of the 21st century, setting the stage first with their mega-successful work on TV in the 1990s like GYPSY, CINDERELLA and ANNIE, then, with their feature film entries since - beginning with CHICAGO and continuing with HAIRSPRAY and many more - executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have bridged the gap between Broadway and Hollywood like no other producers - and, all the while, on their own terms. Opening up about a vast array of projects, ranging from the aforementioned modern classic TV musicals all the way through to the films and stage shows - successful revivals of PROMISES, PROMISES and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING included - and their affiliation with NBC's musical drama series SMASH, Zadan and Meron paint a vivid portrait displaying their fierce dedication to the performing arts and desire for excellence in all of their many, many endeavors. Plus, most importantly, Zadan and Meron clue us in on what we can anticipate from this Sunday's Academy Awards telecast, which they are producing - such as their experiences collaborating with controversial triple-threat host Seth MacFarlane, amassing the starriest assortment of musical performers in Oscar history (Barbra Streisand, Adele, Shirley Bassey, Norah Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Hudson among the performers announced so far), creating spectacular tributes to both James Bond in his fiftieth year on film and the modern movie musical revolution (showcasing no less than the reunions of cast members from CHICAGO, DREAMGIRLS and this year's multi-nominated hit LES MISERABLES) as well as what will make this show truly unique. Additionally, Zadan and Meron shed some light on their current and future plans and productions, among them: a BONNIE & CLYDE miniseries for the History Channel starring Emile Hirsch; the currently-running second season of NBC's musical drama series SMASH; two original movie musicals in development and original stage projects, too. All of that, memories of the remarkable LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME & MY SHADOWS, Lifetime's record-breaking broadcast of a new STEEL MAGNOLIAS, comments on DROP DEAD DIVA's recent cancellation, news on the upcoming e-book edition of Zadan's peerless SONDHEIM & CO. biography, the NBC TV version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC starring Carrie Underwood and much, much more!

Today, in honor of Sunday's Oscar telecast, we are going to take a look at some of the most memorable opening numbers and musical montages from the Academy Awards over the years, with a special focus, of course, on theatrically-related presentations and performers. The 2012 night of Oscar gold marks the return of frequent host Billy Crystal, so we are sure to be in for some truly terrific movie parodies and unscripted asides to have us rolling in aisles over the course of the hotly anticipated award show's three hours - Hollywood's night of nights. From the infamous Allan Carr-produced show in 1989 to some of the best moments from Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, this collection of clips surely has something to please all the movie buffs, Broadway babies and all-around entertainment enthusiasts out there reading this who will be tuning in to the big show this weekend - from 1965 to 2011, we have it all. Plus, after all, how could we possibly miss a night this big? Whether the top winner of the night ends up being THE ARTIST, THE HELP, HUGO or THE DESCENDANTS, Billy Crystal is guaranteed to make the night run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible - and, potentially, much much more (as the following clips clearly show). As for the rest of the night's proceedings? Well, we will have to wait and see what happens!

Today we are highlighting the work of multi-Tony and Oscar-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice, putting a particular emphasis on his work with Disney. From ALADDIN to THE LION KING to AIDA and THE ROAD TO EL DORADO and beyond - with even a song or two for the stage version of BEAUTY & THE BEAST thrown in for good measure, we cover it all! Of course, all of this in preparation for our forthcoming exclusive InDepth InterView: Tim Rice, coming later this weekend! Stay tuned, it is not to be missed!

Growing up as the daughter of one of the most iconic comediennes of all time could not have been easy, yet Melissa Rivers has managed to carve her own place in the Hollywood landscape as a producer and television personality herself, coming after nearly a decade of co-hosting the red carpet fashion rundowns on E! and the TV GUIDE channel with her mother Joan. Her (mostly) behind-the-scenes work as a producer on E!'s weekly FASHION POLICE show starring Joan is just half of her duties, as she also stars in and produces the new WE reality series JOAN & MELISSA: JOAN KNOWS BEST? Also, she manages to find the time to be a single mom and confidant to her legendary mother - and clean up after camera crews. I was lucky enough to speak to Melissa over the weekend in anticipation of tonight's special edition FASHION POLICE: SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS on E! and Tuesday's JOAN KNOWS BEST? on WE. Also, be sure to check out my weekend feature interview with Joan Rivers, as well.

One of the most elegant spots in New York City is The Players Club. This Gramercy Square mansion is the home of the exclusive organization which Edwin Booth, the greatest American actor of the 19th century, founded as a place where, in Booth's words, 'actors could mingle with gentlemen.'

Rydell High hits the Upper West Side on Wednesday June 30 at 8:30 PM, with a newly-restored print of the classic high school musical GREASE, the 1978 hit movie version of one of Broadway's long-running musicals, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Rydell High's most famous graduating class is going back to school. A newly restored print brings the highest-grossing musical of all time, GREASE (1978), to the big screen as a sing-along. Join Danny and Sandy with your own crew of T-Birds and Pink Ladies for a carnival ride back to those amazing summer nights!

Rydell High hits the Upper West Side on Wednesday June 30 at 8:30 PM, with a newly-restored print of the classic high school musical GREASE, the 1978 hit movie version of one of Broadway's long-running musicals, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post and series producer Susan Haskins.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post and series producer Susan Haskins.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post and series producer Susan Haskins.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post and series producer Susan Haskins.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post, and series executive producer Susan Haskins.

Theater Talk, the series devoted to the world of the stage, is co-hosted by Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post, and series executive producer Susan Haskins.