NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Stokes Mitchell jokingly sings a bluesy rendition of “Stairway to Heaven” by the time he reaches his dressing room on the fourth steep floor of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. “And she’s BUY-ing a stairway to HEA-ven,” he warbled between some huffs and puffs, still managing a wide smile … Continue reading
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Actor Ryan Reynolds is showing his support for a Salt Lake City movie theater cited under a Utah obscenity law for serving drinks during a screening of his movie “Deadpool.” Reynolds gave $5,000 to a fundraising website set up to help the theater called Brewvies with its legal bills on … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — “Tuck Everlasting,” the new musical that deals with eternal life, has wisely been put in the hands of someone whose work on Broadway never seems to die — director Casey Nicholaw. Nicholaw has three hit shows running concurrently — “The Book of Mormon,” ”Aladdin” and “Something Rotten!” — and his fourth … Continue reading
Prince accepted a standing ovation as he strolled out carrying a cane and rocking an Afro to present the 2015 Grammy for album of the year. Then he stole the show with a line that reminded everyone he was more than just a pop superstar; he was a black activist. “Albums still matter,” he said. … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charlie Sheen’s lawyer urged a judge to reject a request by the actor’s ex-fiancée to extend a temporary restraining order, calling the filing a publicity stunt intended to keep an unrelated civil case in the news. Sheen’s attorney, Martin D. Singer, wrote in a court filing Monday that Sheen has not … Continue reading
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alicia Keys will debut new music from her next album during the first-ever live musical performance as a part of the opening ceremony for the UEFA Champions League Final in Italy next month. UEFA and Pepsi announced that the Grammy-winning singer will be the first musical act to perform as a … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Before the Syrian refugee crisis spilled across Europe, first-time feature filmmakers Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching were in Jordan’s Zaatari Refugee Camp with their cameras. There at the camp where more than 80,000 live, Martinez and Ching found a more intimate portrait of the people displaced by civil war than usually … Continue reading
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Batman and Superman aren’t the only superheroes at odds this year, but while the setup might be similar, their messy “Dawn of Justice” showdown doesn’t even compare to the pure blockbuster joy of “Captain America: Civil War.” Walt Disney Studios showed the film Wednesday morning to a rapt audience of theater … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — Sean Penn’s “The Last Face” about aid workers in Africa will compete at the Cannes Film Festival this year — along with movies about interracial marriage in 1950s America, illness and poverty in working class Britain and cannibal fashion models in Los Angeles. The festival’s high glamour yet socially conscious lineup, announced … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Anne Jackson, a Tony Award-nominated theater actress who often appeared onstage with her husband, Eli Wallach, in comedies and classics, died early Tuesday of natural causes at her home in Manhattan, said her son, Peter Wallach. She was 90. Jackson and Eli Wallach were a formidable acting duo, starring in a … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Posters for the new Broadway revival of “The Crucible” feature a photo of Saoirse Ronan, looking absolutely witchy as Abigail Williams. She’s awfully good in it, but the real sorcery is delivered by Ben Whishaw. The English actor is astounding in Arthur Miller’s classic tale about the Salem witch trials. He … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — A sold-out Carnegie Hall audience joined a children’s chorus in a singalong to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Thursday, a sweet end to a tribute concert that turned into a memorial through some bizarre timing. Jakob Dylan, Michael Stipe, the Flaming Lips and Heart’s Ann Wilson were among the artists who joined … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — You’d never guess from watching her, but Kristine Opolais says that while she’s singing her heart out as Madame Butterfly she asks herself: “Oh, why, for what, all this suffering?” And when it’s over, she thinks: “I’m finished with this role, because it takes everything.” “But then, the reaction of the … Continue reading
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — She might not get top billing in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” or even very much screen time, but Wonder Woman still manages to steal the show from her caped counterparts in the superhero spectacle. It’s not a moment too soon either. Despite the popular 1970s television series starring Lynda … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — From 1992 to 1998, the six-season run of Garry Shandling’s “The Larry Sanders Show” was little-watched, little-rewarded and yet became one of the most influential TV shows of the last 25 years. It was a quiet landmark, airing on HBO before “The Sopranos” or any other shows more famously revamped television. … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 