Rialto Chatter - Page 16

Despite numerous reports picked up on the rumor patrol, it seems that the particularly juicy one suggesting that Scarlett Johanssen will be starring in the upcoming Broadyway production of Promises Promises is in fact just that: rumor.

'Tis been the season of exciting news. RENT and IN THE HEIGHTS are setting out on National Tours. Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta Jones have finally been confirmed for the Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and celebrity imports like Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig and Jude Law are hanging around town while staring in A STEADY RAIN (Jackman and Craig) and HAMLET (Law). But alas, every industry has its underbelly, which was clearly manifested in actor Randy Quaid's arrest in Malfa Texas last Thursday for skipping out on a California hotel bill in excess of $10,000, the Texas cops are reporting.

The gossip blogs are abuzz this morning with news that Lily Allen has decided to retire from singing. The singer has 'confirmed' that she will be taking time off from music indefinitely and will thus not be recording a follow-up album to her wildly successful 'It's Not Me, It's You' or tour any further with this current record.

According to the New York Daily News, David Mamet originally tapped comedian Chris Rock to star in his production of RACE, premiering on Broadway this fall. David Alan Grier is cast in Rock's alleged 'would-be' role.

The Clyde Fitch Report addresses today a nasty he-said-she-said between the Washington Times on the one side and the lobbyist group Americans for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts on the other.

WhatsOnStage.com is reporting that the hit Broadway revival of HAIR is eyeing a West End transfer. The site indicates the show is hoping for a run at either the Piccadilly or Cambridge Theatre.

Theatre favorite Liev Schreiber talks about fatherhood and his children in a new PEOPLE article.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, is to have a new big screen transfer. According to the Risky Biz blog, Universal Pictures is keen to follow-up the phenomenal success of last year's 'Mamma Mia!' film, and is turning to 'Superstar' to make that happen.

The Broadway real estate game is in full swing with the news that the Marriott Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway), current home to 9 to 5: The Musical, will soon be available. The big question now is what might be going into that theatre.

Enormously popular 1980s Latin boy band Menudo might be headed to the Broadway stage. According to reports, Menudo founder Edgardo Diaz is preparing a musical utilizing songs made famous by the group. The context in which the music will be used is not yet known. The production is said to be produced on a grand scale, and casting will take place all over Latin America. The show is scheduled to premiere in Caracas, Venezuela this November.

Pop superstar Justin Timberlake may be headed to the silver screen in Guy Richie's upcoming remake of GUYS AND DOLLS. The performer is said to have agreed to star in one of Richie's new films, and the pair 'shook hands over a whisky at the Punch Bowl pub in Mayfair' to confirm the arrangement, reports Britain's The Sun.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has now confirmed that Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight will star in a Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor. The production will be directed by Stanley Tucci and is looking at a February, 2010 Broadway opening.

With Michael Jackson's untimely death yesterday, the fate of a previously announced Broadway musical adaptation of THRILLER seems uncertain.

With Michael Jackson's untimely death yesterday, the fate of a previously announced Broadway musical adaptation of THRILLER seems uncertain.

Amanda Seyfried has found her pursuit of a stage career discouraging; The 'Mamma Mia!' film star has not been able to get past auditions for a Broadway show.

Tony Award winner John Lloyd Young might be eyeing a return to the stage. In a Tony night interview with Young and Frankie Valli, the actor stated that he and Valli have been discussing a return to JERSEY BOYS. Young said that while he recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue other opportunities, he hopes to return to the blockbuster show at some point.

Hollywood Superstars Zac Efron and Jake Gyllenhaal are both vying to star in the film adaptation of ROCK OF AGES, according to New York Magazine. It is thought that the two stars are contending for the role of 'Drew', a character originated onstage by Tony Award Nominee Constantine Maroulis.

When times are tough, the tough sell their Tony Awards. That is Jane Gaynor's plan, anyway. Gaynor, a producer of the 1978 original Broadway production of 'Ain't Misbehavin', is selling the Tony Award, and a slew of other theatrical artifacts, to the highest bidder in an effort to raise funds for those close to her.

Might Jessical Biel be headed to a New York stage? The actress, soon appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in a concert version of 'GUYS AND DOLLS', indicated her interest in a recent interview with People Magazine.

The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye is reporting that The Phantom Of The Opera sequel, Love Never Dies, is re-evaluating schedules for the debut of the stage show at the Adelphi in London and the as of yet undisclosed theatres where the production will 'haunt' in Toronto, New York and the Far East.