Jessica Lewis - Page 134

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, The Donmar Warehouse will play special tribute to Stephen Sondheim in honor of his 80th birthday this year with a host of special events, including a production of Passion starring Elena Roger and directed by Jamie Lloyd opening September 10, Michael Grandage and Sam Mendes in conversation about staging Sondheim at the Donmar on September 16, and Stephen Sondheim in conversation about his life and career on October 11. Today, Baz Bamigboye reveals in the UK Daily Mail that concert versions of Company and Merrily We Roll Along presented by the Donmar will play the West End at the Queen's Theatre. Merrily will play two performances on October 31, with evening and matiness shows. Company will play the same schedule on November 7. The concerts were initially scheduled to be performed at the Donmar's own space, but have been moved to accommodate more patrons.

Last night, July 8, LeBron James announced - after weeks of speculation and internet campaigns from fans across the country - that he would be signing with the Miami Heat. The momentous occasion was not lost on the theater community, as this past week saw internet campaigns from SHREK, BILLY ELLIOT, and PROMISES, PROMISES enticing the basketballer to sign with their hometowns.

As BroadwayWorld reported earlier today, the Tony Awards may take up residence at the United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights (175th and Broadway) for the 2011 ceremony, now that their 13 year occupation of Radio City Music Hall in midtown is complete. (Radio City will be occupied with a Cirque du Soliel production during Tony time next year). While the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, who present the Tonys, have not yet released an official statement on the move, published reports suggest that CBS, the Tonys broadcasting network, has confirmed the 3,400+ seat United Palace Theatre as the new ceremony space.

Eight exceptional drama and music teachers from schools around the country will participate in the first-ever BROADWAY WELCOMES AMERICA'S TEACHERS AT THE FIRST FREDDIE G THEATRE EXPERIENCE July16-18 in New York. They will be hosted by Freddie ('G') Gershon, Chairman and CEO of Music Theatre International to honor schools, instructors and teachers for their outstanding performances of school productions of Broadway shows during this year's MTI Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta this past January.

UNCHAIN MY HEART, the Ray Charles Musical, which was scheduled to open at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway on November 7, will now open in the Spring of 2011 at a Shubert Theatre to be announced. The principal cast is expected to stay with the production. Producer Stuart Benjamin cited logistical reasons for the change in date.

Christine Pedi of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY put her impression skills to work for a parody of Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' video channelling Liza Minnelli and Carol Channing in the places of Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Click Below to view her take impression of 'Minnelli and Channing do 'Telephone.'

The campaign wars amongst major US cities continues for free agent LeBron James. Click below to see Chicago's BILLY ELLIOT and SHREK make their case for James to sign with the Chicgo Bulls!

Billboard's Top Cast Albums chart for week ending 7/10/2010.

ABC announced the following Fall premiere dates for the 2010-2011 season today. All times listed are ET.

Karen O'Hara, one of the key architects behind popular Syfy Saturday Original Movies such as Dinoshark, Lake Placid 3, Carny and Meteor Storm, has been promoted to Vice President, Original Movies, it was announced today by Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming/Original Movies, Syfy, to whom she reports.

ABC Family's breakout hit of the summer, 'Pretty Little Liars,' delivered series highs in Adults 18-34 (961,000) and Viewers 12-34 (1.9 million), and garnered its 2nd best numbers to date in all other key targets, including Total Viewers (2.6 million), Women 18-34 (743,000), Adults 18-49 (1.3 million), Women 18-49 (993,000), Females 12-34 (1.5 million) and Teens (896,000).

Just when you thought it was safe to leave your house this summer, the wrestlers of Lucha Libre will be landing at your doorstep. Beginning Friday, July 16 at 10pm ET/PT, MTV2 will bring Lucha Libre to America for the first time ever with a new original weekly series 'Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors' with an encore presentation on MTV Tr3s on Saturday, July 17 at 10 pm ET/PT. This show marks the first time that Lucha Libre matches will be filmed in the U.S. and broadcast in English bringing this entertaining and beloved Mexican sport to American mainstream audiences.

ION Television achieved continued ratings growth in second quarter 2010, up every single night of the week in primetime (Monday through Sunday, 8:00-11:00 PM), versus last year this time. Year over year, ION Television's primetime household ratings were up 56%; up 58% among Household Impressions (809,000 vs. 512,000); and up 60% in total viewership, bringing in an average of 1,050,000 total viewers (vs. 657,000 in 2009). Second quarter 2010 also marked ION Television's most watched primetime night ever (Monday through Sunday, 8:00-11:00 PM) among households, delivering 1,520,000.

HISTORY announced the winners of a special contest for teachers connected with its landmark 12-part television series, AMERICA THE STORY OF US, which premiered on April 25, 2010 and concluded on Memorial Day. The Innovation in History Education contest invited teachers to submit outstanding American history lesson plans for a chance to win a total of $25,000 in prizes. The contest emphasized the use of technology to develop engaging and content-rich history lesson plans for today's 21st century students, and was open to Middle School and High School teachers, with 1 Grand Prize Winner and 2 First Prize Winners in each category.

Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants special, 'The Clash of Triton' (Monday, July 5, 8 p.m., ET/PT), raked in 5.2 million total viewers and ranked as the night's top show on broadcast and basic cable TV with kids 2-11, kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14. With total viewers, the special's 5.2 million tally (+140% over last year) placed number two in its time period against broadcast TV (only behind ABC's The Bachelorette) and for the night on basic cable (only behind History Channel's Pawn Stars). Guest-starring Victoria Beckham, John O'Hurley and Sebastian Bach, the special posted triple-digit gains over last year across all demos, averaging a 7.7/2.8 million K2-11 (+148%); 9.2/2.0 million K6-11 (+179%); and 7.2/1.5 million T9-14 (+188%).

Oxygen counts down Jersey's Top 25 celebrities who were either born in, raised in, or have lived in the hottest of states when Oxygen's '25iest: Jersey Celebs' premieres on Tuesday, July 20 at 11pm ET/PT. The one-hour special follows the season finale of original series of 'Jersey Couture,' featuring the Scalis (New Jersey's 'First Family of Fashion').

On a hotly competitive summer night of programming, the second season premiere of Syfy's Warehouse 13 was the #1 scripted drama on cable Tuesday, July 6, delivering 1.58 million Adults 25-54 and 1.35 million Adults 18-49. The series beat new telecasts of TNT's Hawthorne and Memphis Beat and ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars as well as FX's Rescue Me in both key demos.

This August, Planet Green and the Cousteaus head to the Gulf of Mexico for the second installment of the month long programming event BLUE AUGUST. As underscored by the recent events in the Gulf, an urgent need exists for appreciation and protection for all the planet's bodies of water. During BLUE AUGUST, Planet Green will offer a wealth of topical programming that examines the nature of our water -- and the various pressing issues that threaten it.

Now fans have the opportunity to pay tribute to their favorite well-known dance routines from videos, television shows and movies in the new, ten episode series, YOUR CHANCE TO DANCE, premiering Friday, July 23 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT. Each one-hour episode, hosted by TV personality Mark L. Walberg, features five contestants putting their unique spin on popular video dance moves before a live studio audience, who then votes to determine which contestant will win the $10,000 prize.

Alice Ripley will present a solo concert, Daily Practice with Alice Ripley, at BACKSTAGE dopo teatro (125 West 44th street) on Saturday, July 31 at 9:30pm. The intimate solo concert, which is already sold out, will feature an eclectic mix of well known songs, as well as a few original compositions. Due to popular demand, a second concert has been added on Saturday, August 28 at 11:00pm.