The first season of HBO's drama THE LEFTOVERS was one of the most divisive 10 episodes in recent television history. Supporters hailed it as a dark and intelligent allegory for surviving trauma, while detractors slammed it as 'grief porn.' However, Season 2 has been able to maintain the show's intense mystery, while creating a more thrilling, less depressing, motif. One of the major changes was the introduction of Erika and John Murphy and their twin teenagers. Erika, played by recent Emmy-winner Regina King, is a hearing-impaired doctor, while her husband, played by Kevin Carroll (Broadway's ANGELS IN AMERICA, TAKE ME OUT, and more) is a convicted felon turned vigilante fire captain.

The majority of Americans know Sarah Hyland as Haley, the super-hot oldest daughter of Phil and Claire Dunphey on ABC's hit comedy MODERN FAMILY. But, we theatre fans remember her as young Jackie Bouvier (who would grow to become a Kennedy) in the Tony-winning Original Broadway production of GREY GARDENS. Of course, the most astute amongst us will point out that she played Molly, the littlest orphan, in the 1999 TV movie version of ANNIE that starred Victor Garber, Audra McDonald, Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Krisitin Cenoweth, and more.

It's approaching midnight. You walk down a narrow set of stairs into a dimly-lit, yet elegant space that is surprisingly more intimate than you imagined. The guys and dolls in the crowd are dressed to impress. You order a martini, dirty of course, and unwind as only New Yorkers can; with a Broadway star, fresh off an evening performance, crooning your favorite standards, backed by a collection of some of the city's best jazz musicians. This isn't a 40s era noir film, it is the vibe you get at a Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band show, one of the New York's most unique blends of traditional cabaret and modern Broadway.

While it didn't receive quite the fanfare that some of the other new shows have this season, Steven Spielberg and Edward Burns have quietly brought one of the most unique and satisfying dramas to television in TNT's PUBLIC MORALS. The show has a decidedly cinematic look and feel with gorgeous 1960s' locations and a story that feels both sweeping and intimate.

Wednesday night's Season 4 premiere of ABC's NASHVILLE brought a heavy helping of the show's soapy best and worst. I make no bones about the fact that when it comes to TV, I have a few guilty pleasures; one is this country music, primetime soap opera, and another is ABC's lone remaining honest-to-goodness soap opera, GENERAL HOSPITAL. While NASHVILLE opens up its season with a heaping helping of delicious melodrama, I find myself becoming increasingly weary of the repetitive storylines that the show has been stuck in for the past season-plus. I think if Callie Khouri and her writers leaned in and fully embraced the show's soapy nature, it might result in a more fresh and creative product. So, I have come up with five soap-inspired rules that I think will help the NASHVILLE writers as they plot out the rest of the season.

When Disney's new live-action CINDERELLA came out in March, the reviews were reserved, but positive. Most critics praised the style, performances, and design of the film, while admitting that it did little to add to the tale's long history on screen. While not every retelling needs to be a reinvention, there were aspects of the film that I felt might have actually set Cinderella back a bit, however, the Bonus DVD extra are incredibly fun and informative.

There has not been a TV show over the past decade that has consistently brought me more pleasure than SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. The sheer joy of the artistic creation and expression that has been displayed on that stage over the past 12 seasons has been unlike anything else that you can find anywhere on TV. While it might seem hyperbolic, no show, potentially ever, has done more to advance the public consciousness of the power of art, let alone dance, than SYTYCD. I know that there have been dance shows since the dawn of TV, and I know that ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS still out-performs SYTYCD in the ratings, but not DWTS, not SOUL TRAIN, not SOLID GOLD, not AMERICAN BANDSTAND, no show has effectively brought the transformative power of dance (and in turn, the fine arts in general) to TV viewers more than SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

Andrew Rannells began his TV career in something called TAMA OF THIRD STREET: HAVE YOU SEEN MY TAMA??, from there he voiced characters on countless Japanese-animated shows for over a decade before joining the Broadway company of HAIRSPRAY in 2005. He went on to do JERSEY BOYS on tour and on Broadway, before originating the role of Elder Price in a little show called BOOK OF MORMON. Since, he has been a constant presence on TV (THE NEW NORMAL, GIRLS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER), and with the release of THE INTERN later this month, he is now setting out to conquer the world of motion pictures. 

Everyone knows the expression that dog is man's best friend, but for actress Lori Alan, her dogs have come to mean more than just having a playmate or an unconditional friend. 'By hook or by crook, this became my life's mission.'

The man who spoke that iconic line on film is equally as legendary as the words themselves. Not only did Barry Bostwick play Brad Majors in the ROCKY HORROR film, but he also originated the role of Danny Zuko in GREASE on Broadway, won a Tony for THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, and was nominated two other times. Since his beginnings on stage, he has become a nearly omnipresent face on screens both large and small for over four decades. Recently, I spoke with Bostwick while he was shooting in Vancouver about ALLELUIA!, his wildly eclectic career, and what it would take to get him back on a Broadway stage.

True story; back in January, I had an idea to talk to insanely talented Broadway stars about the TV shows that they obsess over; after all they have to have as many guilty pleasures as the rest of us, right? Then, after they answered the questions, the Broadway star would suggest another Broadway star to receive the same ridiculous TV-related treatment. Well, between Brynn starring in HONEYMOON, and me taking on all of the advertising responsibilities I mentioned yesterday, we never were able to make it happen... until now! And I have to tell you, Brynn's answers are well worth the wait!

While addressing the 2014 graduating class at her alma mater, Dartmouth University, the great American auteur Shonda Rhimes said, “You want to be a writer? A writer is someone who writes every day — so start writing.”

The cast of The CW's new musical comedy series, Rachel Bloom, Broadway alum Donna Lynne Champlin (BILLY ELLIOT, SWEENEY TODD), Vincent Rodriguez III (HERE LIES LOVE, ANYTHING GOES National Tour) and Pete Gardner launched a Tap Dance Challenge last Friday to benefit Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. Before busting out into an impressive routine, the CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND cast 'tapped' Broadway favorites, THE FLASH's Jesse L. Martin, MODERN FAMILY's Jesse Tyler Ferguson, SUPERGIRL's Jeremy Jordan, NCIS:LA's Barret Foa (SPELLING BEE, Off-Broadway's GODSPELL) and MADAM SECRETARY's Bebe Neuwirth.

The Gen Y Productions' Florida premiere of the hit film adaptation HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL enters its final weekend at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL. Crowds and critics have raved about the production (click here to read my review), and many have come in costume and carrying croquet mallets and Corn Nuts at every performance. As they prepared for their Opening Night, I sat down with the show's stars Nicola Visco (Veronica), Thomas Sanders (J.D.), Lindsey Wells (Heather Chandler), Caroline Drage (Heather Duke), and Jillian Gizzi (Heather McNamara) and chatted about the show, their roles, and what they were like in high school. Check out the video below.

In 2013, Actor Friend published his/her first book #SOBLESSED, with the follow-up #GRATEFUL available this year just in time for the holidays. With the success of #SOBLESSED, and its star-studded audio version, A.F. brought the book to the stage in concert form. After two sold-out runs at 54 Below, the show is back for what might be its final performance ever, Monday, July 27th at 9:30 pm. As always, the show benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Paris Je t'dore! And Vive La France! French-flavored Broadway shows and songs are tres magnifique. The romantic 'City of Lights' and the lure of romance with a French accent has served as the inspiration for many musicals through the years. And since France and all of the world's Francophiles celebrated Bastille Day earlier this week, BroadwayWorld's Jeff Walker and Matt Tamanini are taking a look at the shows and tunes that make us go 'oo-la-la!'

Pop quiz hotshot: what do you get when you take a Marvel movie and remove the fun, action, compelling characters, emotional stakes, and everything else that makes it recognizable as a Marvel movie? Time's up. Did you say FANTASTIC FOUR? If so, congratulations, you can skip this impossibly useless film and wait until February's release of DEADPOOL. If you didn't come up with the correct answer, your punishment is to watch this movie and all pre-WINTER SOLDIER episodes of MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. on repeat until all character rights revert back to Disney and Marvel Studios.

So, this month, I am taking over sole duties that I normally share with Jeff Walker, and composing a list of 10 showtunes all about births and birthdays.

With the release of Marvel's latest film ANT-MAN just around the corner (July 17th to be precise), MorphCostumes (the inventors of Morphsuits) has created an infographic to take 'little' look at Marvel's smallest Superhero. You can also take an exclusive look at the Ant-Man Morphsuit. 

THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, a new musical by Atlanta performers Jeremiah Parker Hobbs and Jessica De Maria, was recently selected as an invited show to perform at the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival. The musical will will play at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City on July 25th and 27th. 

On March 20, Netflix released its newest critically acclaimed drama BLOODLINE. This dark and twisted tale, which feels like a Southern Gothic novel, tells the story of one seemingly stable family in the Florida Keys, and how their world comes crashing down with the return of the family's black sheep. Recently, I spoke with Norbert Leo Butz about working on such an intense show, collaborating with the incredible cast, the recently announced second season.

Launching in conjunction with the Orlando International Fringe Festival is THE REPUBLIC. This unique, one-of-a-kind production is the brain-child of Sarah Elger; with experience working for Broadway producers, as a dancer, set designer, architect, theme park creative, and a self-described 'video game nerd,' Elger is merging all of her passions into a theatrical experience that she hope speaks to a segment of the Central Florida community that is looking for a new form of entertainment.

You know that fever dream where you walk onto a stage in front of a huge audience and you are nearly completely naked? Well, throw in a cello, a ukulele, pop and musical theatre mashups, and a healthy dose of laughs, and you've got The Skivvies.

Happy Valentine's Day! Oh, it's not a happy Valentine's Day for you? Well, I'm sorry, but as you are probably all to aware of then, misery loves COMPANY; and yes, I am talking about the revolutionary 1970 Sondheim musical. Like all things, the lonliness, anger, and depression that is sometimes associated with being alone on this most Hallmark of holiudays is always made better by show tunes.

Despite being a ratings disaster, there were a number of positive things that came out of SMASH's run on NBC; Megan Hilty's star turn, endless internet memes, and Annoying Actor Friend. The internet phenomenon @Actor_Friend 'werked' its way to the forefront of the theatre community's consciousness with its biting, but honest critiques of the musical melodrama's two-year TV run.