Today, in honor of this week's InDepth InterView with Kathy Griffin celebrating her Broadway debut in KATHY GRIFFIN WANTS A TONY - which opens tonight - we are taking a look at the impressive list of comedic talents who will be virtually taking over the Great White Way this Spring. In addition to Griffin, two of the biggest comedians in the country, Dane Cook and Chris Rock, will also be settling in to a Broadway run in Neil LaBute's FAT PIG and Stephen Adly Guirgis's THE MOTHERF*CKER WITH THE HAT, respectively; and two of the biggest actor/comedians on the planet, Ben Stiller and Robin Williams, will be appearing in dramatic roles in the revival of John Guare's THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES and the new play THE BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, respectively. Perhaps more than any other moment in Broadway history, we're sending in the clowns - in more ways than one! Five, to be precise.

For this week's FLASH FRIDAY we have a host of Harry Connick, Jr.-related clips, including a special look at his new CD/DVD and Blu-Ray ON BROADWAY, which is available now and currently showing on PBS Great Performances. From New Orleans jazz done with Broadway flair in clips featuring material from his stage musical THOU SHALT NOT, to trailers for the stupendous film version of Tracy Letts's Off-Broadway play BUG, directed by William Friedkin, that he co-stars in with Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, to COPYCAT co-starring Sigourney Weaver to some fun music videos and soundtrack contributions and much, much more inside! Plus, check out Harry's appearances on THE COLBERT REPORT and TODAY from earlier this week if you missed them live!

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!

This week, in honor of our InDepth Interview series of articles on the Public Theater Shakespeare LAB production of TIMON OF ATHENS featuring Richard Thomas and Barry Edelstein, we are setting out to prove that all the world's a stage and we are, indeed, merely its players with a collection of clips featuring the work of William Shakespeare. Leonardo Dicaprio to Anthony Hopkins to Russell Brand; Ian McKellen & Judi Dench and more await with many marvelous visions for weary eyes and ears to behold and be bequeathed. TITUS, ROMEO & JULIET, THE TEMPEST and MACBETH are merely a taste of the grand banquet!

This week, we are going to go a bit off of the beaten path in an attempt to remove the doom and gloom of midwinter as the snow nearly suffocates the Great White Way and take a look at some truly gloriously guffaw-inducing items from the legendary fifty-year-career of Broadway and Hollywood comedy icon Joan Rivers who is also this week‘s InDepth InterView participant. Ed Sullivan to Johnny Carson, red carpets to talk shows to her two weekly TV series FASHION POLICE and JOAN & MELISSA: JOAN KNOWS BEST? - as well as her best and most outrageous comedy special to date and an interview with Lucille Ball herself!

We are kicking off 2011 in true Hollywood style, by showcasing and reviewing a number of films coming out this Oscar season - in theaters and on DVD/Instant Watch - with a particular emphasis on the films featuring stage talents - such as Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Liev Schreiber and more - and what to watch out for on Oscar night. From black swans to boating to rabbit holes and just everyday life, there is sure to be something here to strike even the ficklest of fancies.

In this super special edition installment of FLASH FRIDAY, we are taking a look at this weekend's featured performer on BroadwayWorld, the incandescent star of stage and screen, known for his roles in everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim to Pinter and Mamet, the one and only Raul Esparza. We have some of his personally chosen favorite moments from his career, as well as some highlights from his phoenix-like rise to the very top of Broadway. Sondheim and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE to "There's A Sucker Born Every Minute", TABOO, CAROUSEL and more, this column is a perfect compliment to the exhaustive, 10,000 word interview with Raul Esparza, his most comprehensive interview to date, available only on BroadwayWorld. Also, we even have a preview of what we can expect in his upcoming emceeing duties and performance at this year's ASTEP CHRSTMAS IN NEW YORK benefit, with his inimitable performance of "O Holy Night", which is available in pristine audio form on the stupendous album on Sh-K-Boom.

In this special edition of FLASH FRIDAY we are taking a look at a number of TV appearances by Tony-winning Broadway star and this week's InDepth InterView participant Alice Ripley in celebration of the tour of the Pulizter prize-winning rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL kicking off in Los Angeles starring the incandescent original Broadway leading lady herself. SUNSET BLVD, SIDE SHOW, LES MIZ, LITTLE FISH and NEXT TO NORMAL are just a few of the many marvelous faces of the multi-talented Alice Ripley.

Today we are taking a look at a complete anomaly. An oddity. Is it a music video? Is it a short film? Is it an actual musical? Is it the modern movie musical masterpiece of the millennium? Yes. Yes. Yes. And: oh, yes. It is Kanye West's RUNAWAY - the forty minute promotional film accompanying his forthcoming MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY album, which will be released at the end of this month - and any fan of music, film, theatre or entertainment in general would be best advised to set aside some time - immediately - to enter this strange and spellbinding world that West has created with Hype Williams in this masterful, unforgettable genre-bending enterprise exhibiting the absolute essence of great entertainment synergy and bringing all the fine arts together in one beautifully presented, elegantly wrapped and jewel-encrusted gift of genius. It has everything and, yes, it is that good. See for yourself.

This week, as a supplement to Broadway World's upcoming exclusive interview with mega-star comedienne, actress, producer, talk show host, humanitarian and Broadway star Rosie O'Donnell we are taking a look at some of the best clips from her self-titled television show featuring the brightest stars and best shows - flops and famous - to grace her great studio soundstage. THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW was best-known for it's stunning Broadway-related performances and the clips herein - including appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and more - are proof positive of the top-tier talent her appealing and engaging talk show attracted for the better part of a decade for audiences of all ages. Also, we have a taste of TABOO and a few special surprises as well! From hosting the Tony Awards to toasting Broadway's best, no one has done more for the popularization of the Broadway name in the late-late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century more than Queen of Nice and founder of Rosie's Theater Kids (formerly Rosie's Broadway Kids), Rosie O.

This week we are taking a look at some down home country charm and crooning courtesy of Broadway leading lady - late of HAIRSPRAY, WICKED and LEGALLY BLONDE - the country/pop crossover chanteuse and comedienne known to friends and fans as LBB - but, to the world, three names barely even begin to say it all when it comes to her raw talent, vocal timbre and comic timing: Laura Bell Bundy. In this special FLASH FRIDAY in honor of LBB's nomination for 'Breakthough Artist Music Video of the Year' for her hit single 'Giddy On Up' from her double-disc debut solo album ACHIN' & SHAKIN' at the upcoming American Country Awards in November, we are gearing up for the hottest (and most hilarious) hay-ride of the Halloween season thanks to these risque and occasionally raunchy clips from LBB's self-made and self-starring YouTube channel Cooter County. All of this is in anticipation of the upcoming InDepth InterView: Laura Bell Bundy coming next week! For now, just a tiny taste of the whole peach pie!

Today we are taking a look at both versions of last night's live episode of the every-award-winning NBC comedy 30 ROCK starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski with a special emphasis on the theatrical elements - such as a newly written (or at least lyric-ized) theme song performed by two of Broadway's best, a musical montage infomercial, and some shrewdly-placed stage tricks - and the many memorable moments from the slightly different, but equally effectively excellent, episodes aired on either coast. It was an event quite unlike any other before or since and even guest stars Jon Hamm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Matt Damon, Chris Parnell and Rachel Dratch got in on the game-changing nature of the live television event and hammed it up for the live studio audience. Surely, if absolutely nothing else, the two versions of the theme song - one sung by Jane Krakowski for the East Coast feed, the other sung by Cheyenne Jackson for the West Coast - are more than enough to generate some interest and excitement from the Broadway babies out there who are destined find a lot to love in this unprecedented live show and the overall allure of 30 ROCK itself! In addition to a thorough discussion of the two shows and side-by-side clip comparisons, also included in this article are links to the complete episodes so you may compare and contrast them yourself in their entirety. Without further ado, let the live hilarity ensue!

This week, in collusion with the premiere of BroadwayWorld's new intensive songwriting discussion series Modern Music Masters, comes a stirring collection of stunning clips from the various live performances - and many, many covers - that have made singer/songwriters Nellie McKay and Jason Mraz known to fans around the globe! We take a look at some of McKay and Mraz's best live performances as well as cast a glance at how their work has been used in other media - in films (RUMOR HAS IT), on television (AMERICAN IDOL, WEEDS) and in live performance - as well as take a look at next week's GLEE cover of the Grammy-winning Mraz-penned duet 'Lucky' which will be performed on the show by Dianna Agron and new cast member Chord Overstreet! Be sure to pick up McKay's HOME, SWEET, MOBILE HOME and Mraz's LIFE IS GOOD EP which were released in stores and on iTunes earlier this week! Be sure to pick both of them up - and check out the Modern Music Masters interviews and Sound Off reviews while you're at it! After all, BroadwayWorld is the world's number one source for all the most cutting-edge live music news, theatre news and GLEE news!

This week, in honor of the world premiere exclusive reveal of the first image of Mother Gothel from Disney's newest animated feature film TANGLED starring the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy as Gothel, we are taking a look at the trailer and some exciting new interviews and clips from the modern-day take on the classic Grimms' Rapunzel fairy tale as an action-packed 3D musical adventure featuring songs by five-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken along with lyricist Glenn Slater and directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. BroadwayWorld has been chosen as the premier site for TANGLED-related premieres and be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks for exclusive InDepth InterViews with Donna Murphy, Nathan Greno, Byron Howard and other hair-raising excitement!

This week, in honor of true triple-threat trouper Kristin Chenoweth, we are featuring clips from her many stage and TV performances, as well as some clips from her new Disney feature film comedy YOU AGAIN co-starring Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Victor Garber and Betty White, in addition to some of her most GLEEktastic moments portraying April Rhodes on Fox's smash hit musical comedy series GLEE. We'll also take a look at what makes her a Broadway baby at heart and why the stage will always be the place where her feet are most firmly - and fabulously - planted, as adaptable as she undoubtedly is to all media. She can certainly hold her own on screens large or small, as her Golden Globe-winning performance on PUSHING DAISIES and her Emmy-nominated work on both GLEE and THE WEST WING certainly proved. She can do it all - and do a mean "Nessum Dorma" and "Glitter and Be Gay" to boot - absolutely anywhere - and she's everywhere to be seen in this Glinda edition of FLASHBACK/FLASHFORWARD FRIDAY!

Today, in honor of the Broadway premiere of the hardest rocking musical of all-time - yes, that includes AMERICAN IDIOT, RENT and TOMMY - we have a host of clips from the daring and divine BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON. Check out last night's performance from LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON as well as the exclusive BWW TV: Behind The Scenes video in addition to the slick, attention-grabbing - and curiosity-provoking - Bruce Springsteen-inspired commercial. PLUS maybe a special surprise or two!

This week we are taking a look at some past performances in everything from PARADE to THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW to a cut song from Disney's ALLADIN presented by the very subject of this week's SOUND OFF: All Good Things, West End leading man Stuart Matthew Price! Yesterday, BWW exclusively premiered a brand new Jason Robert Brown song, the album's title song, "All Things In Time", as well as some others from NEXT TO NORMAL and a brand new West End musical called IN TOUCH, so here is some fabulous video content to go with the astounding aural content of yore! Be sure to check out SOUND OFF: All Good Things if you haven't for a complete review and generous preview of the content of the solo debut of the decade! That was Thursday, this is Friday - time to do the time warp!

Today we are taking a listen and a look at the wildly imaginative music and lyrics of Nellie McKay. Her new album HOME SWEET MOBILE HOME drops this month and in this column you will find a sneak preview HD live performance capture of McKay performing her new hit single from the album, "Caribbean Time" in addition to some of her past triumphs. Mckay is in a class - and a world - all her own and the wit, charm and dexterity both in her compositional and performance abilities are truly awe-inspiring to behold whether you are a Broadway baby or a pop music fan - or virtually anyone else, for that matter. See if you don't agree! McKay is AOK!

Bringing together the subject of this week's InDepth InterView, Liza Minnelli, and this week's Sound Off, Stephen Sondheim, is today's Flashback Friday taking a look at some fantastically spectacular performances of Ms. Minnelli singing and words and music of Stephen Sondheim throughout the years. A song from FOLLIES given a Pet Shop Boys face-lift, a trip down MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG lane, a jazzy Mel Torme gem from DICK TRACY and a lot more than you could have ever wished for given the blazing talent and astonishing accomplishments of both legends. When Sondheim's intellectual artistry meets Liza's extroverted actorly introspection it is a combustible combination with the results more mind-blowing than you would ever even think possible even loving both! Indeed, both individuals are the very, very best of Broadway. So, see why when they meet it is pure Broadway magic.

This week, we are following in the steps of SOUND OFF and showcasing some other productions of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical that was just so rapturously received in both it's Tony-winning 2008 Broadway revival but also Wednesday night's Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of the final performance starring Kelli O'Hara and Tony-Award-winner Paulo Szot. It was a night beyond compare as far as live theatrical filmings go, and included will be a taste - as well as the tropical sights and sounds of some other iterations of the legendary musical. Check it out.

This week we are taking a look at the trailer for the upcoming movie musical BURLESQUE starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, as well as checking out two of Christina Aguilera's solo songs from the soundtrack - one classic Etta James cover featured in a new clip just released from the film and an especially exciting, entirely new composition 'Spotlight' written exclusively for Christina for the film - in the backstage tuner that is currently set to be released nationwide on Thanksgiving. The film also stars Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming, Julianne Hough, Cam Gigandet, Peter Gallagher and Eric Dane. Though last Christmas brought the unfortunately unsuccessful $80-million-dollar NINE, perhaps this year's quotidian singular musical entertainment from Hollywood will fare far, far better - it certainly could not be much different in casting, content, style, tone or marketing from what we have seen so far and can see here! But, be forewarned: looks can be deceiving... and what deceptively delicious looks we have here to sample courtesy of Pussycat Dolls headmaster and director Steve Antin and BURLESQUE!

This week, in conjunction with SOUND OFF, we are taking a look at Sunday evening's starry West End salute to Stephen Sondheim which was broadcast in the UK on TV and everywhere on the BBC website, BBC PROMS: SONDHEIM AT 80. This unforgettable event stars Dame Judi Dench, Maria Friedman, Bryn Terfel, Caroline O'Conner, Julian Ovenden, Daniel Evans, Jenna Russell and Simon Russell Beale singing selections from Sondheim's entire oeuvre - among them: "Send In The Clowns", "Broadway Baby", "Children Will Listen", "Move On" and "Side By Side". Dame Dench's recreation of her Desiree Armfeldt - a role currently essayed by Bernadette Peters who opened this week in the replacement cast of the Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, replacing Tony-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones - is merely impossibly elegant decoration on a decadently rich, rewarding, fulfilling and entertaining gateau of celebratory Sondheimian greatness. A piece of birthday cake like few others. Come see and hear some clips from it for yourself if you haven't already!

Following in the fierce and fabulous footsteps of Ruthie Henshall's candid InDepth InterView with me this week, we are taking a look at some of her best work that has been preserved on DVD. From LES MISERABLES and "I Dreamed A Dream" to some Sondheim ala "Unworthy of Your Love" in a duet with John Barrowman from ASSASSINS via PUTTING IT TOGETHER, to some razzle dazzle from CHICAGO, to performing alongside Bernadette Peters at HEY! MR. PRODUCER in a song from GYPSY; Ruthie Henshall is in a class of her own and can light up any stage or screen, big or small. Watch and see - and watch her steps!

Today, we are taking a look at some classic clips featuring the music and arrangements and conducting of legendary Maestro Marvin Hamlisch. Mr. Hamlisch is also the subject of today's InDepth InterView and perhaps now is no better time to showcase some of his lesser known - and endlessly entertaining - appearances on television in the 70s with appearances on Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW alongside Bing Crosby and Ray Bolger on "The Entertaininer" from THE STING, as well as Barbra Streisand's legendary television concert FROM FUNNY GIRL TO FUNNY LADY in which she performers perhaps the best ever rendition of Hamlisch's legendary Oscar-winning title song from THE WAY WE WERE. Plus, an extra-special treat from the Tony Awards performance of SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS!

Today, we are taking a look and a listen to some splendid performances of material written by Frank Loesser, the Broadway composer/lyricist best-known for his musicals GUYS & DOLLS and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING as well as Hollywood songs like 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' (which won an Oscar) and 'Heart and Soul'. He won 2 Tony Awards for Best Musical and HOW TO SUCCEED won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama - or, as Loesser candidly called it, 'the Putz-ular Prize' - and his work is some of the jazziest and jauntiest ever to grace the boards. With some help from Michael Feinstein, Bette Davis, Bob Hope, Doris Day and Loesser himself we have some fantastic fireworks of melody and merriment to enjoy this July 4th weekend thanks in no small part to Frank!