The songs and score of the new film “Dicks: The Musical” are deadpan, but about as far away from dead and humanly and musically possible. It sounds like a fully fleshed-out Broadway musical brought to vibrant life on the big screen, even though it went directly from being a two-man mini-show in a New York comedy club to a movie with a traditonal-sounding, fully orchestrated song score, the scope of which is matched only by the gleeful vulgarity of the lyrics.
Creator-screenwriter-stars Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson wrote the lyrics for the songs. But when it came to lending them total-earworm melodies, or production values that sound like the Great White Way or golden-era Hollywood, those responsibilities fell to Marius de Vries and Karl Saint Lucy. The latter co-writer has been in on the job with Sharp and Jackson since they first birthed a miniaturized version of “Dicks” (then known...
Creator-screenwriter-stars Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson wrote the lyrics for the songs. But when it came to lending them total-earworm melodies, or production values that sound like the Great White Way or golden-era Hollywood, those responsibilities fell to Marius de Vries and Karl Saint Lucy. The latter co-writer has been in on the job with Sharp and Jackson since they first birthed a miniaturized version of “Dicks” (then known...
- 10/7/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Jerry Springer’s eponymous talk show may have been tasteless, but you can’t say that Springer himself didn’t have taste.
“I would never watch my show,” he commented to Reuters in 2000. “I’m not interested in it. It’s not aimed towards me.”
He may not have been interested, but plenty of people were. The hugely successful tabloid show, one of the pioneers of trash television, notched nearly 5,000 episodes during its 27-season run from 1991 to 2018. During the peak of its popularity in the mid ‘90s, it even beat The Oprah Winfrey Show in the ratings in many cities.
You could say that Jerry Springer was the anti-Oprah Winfrey Show; if aliens monitored our broadcasts in those days, they would have been hopelessly confused about whether mankind was worth preserving or not.
Springer, who died on Thursday at 79, was such an iconic figure that he even became the subject...
“I would never watch my show,” he commented to Reuters in 2000. “I’m not interested in it. It’s not aimed towards me.”
He may not have been interested, but plenty of people were. The hugely successful tabloid show, one of the pioneers of trash television, notched nearly 5,000 episodes during its 27-season run from 1991 to 2018. During the peak of its popularity in the mid ‘90s, it even beat The Oprah Winfrey Show in the ratings in many cities.
You could say that Jerry Springer was the anti-Oprah Winfrey Show; if aliens monitored our broadcasts in those days, they would have been hopelessly confused about whether mankind was worth preserving or not.
Springer, who died on Thursday at 79, was such an iconic figure that he even became the subject...
- 4/27/2023
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The BBC has confirmed that The Reckoning, a high-profile drama about the life and crimes of Jimmy Savile, will air later this year despite reports of delays.
The series stars Steve Coogan as the Top of the Pops presenter and infamous paedophile, whose prolific, decades-long history of child sexual abuse came to light in 2012, roughly a year after his death.
Due to its sensitive subject matter, the series, which is being produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, has provoked some controversy since its initial announcement.
The Reckoning was first announced by the BBC back in 2020, with filming taking place the following year.
It had originally been expected to air late last year, but the BBC is still yet to confirm a transmission date.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are currently in post-production for transmission later this year. An exact date will be announced in due course.
The series stars Steve Coogan as the Top of the Pops presenter and infamous paedophile, whose prolific, decades-long history of child sexual abuse came to light in 2012, roughly a year after his death.
Due to its sensitive subject matter, the series, which is being produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, has provoked some controversy since its initial announcement.
The Reckoning was first announced by the BBC back in 2020, with filming taking place the following year.
It had originally been expected to air late last year, but the BBC is still yet to confirm a transmission date.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are currently in post-production for transmission later this year. An exact date will be announced in due course.
- 3/1/2023
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - TV
The BBC has confirmed that The Reckoning, a high-profile drama about the life and crimes of Jimmy Savile, will air later this year despite reports of delays.
The series stars Steve Coogan as the Top of the Pops presenter and infamous paedophile, whose prolific, decades-long history of child sexual abuse came to light in 2012, roughly a year after his death.
Due to its sensitive subject matter, the series, which is being produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, has provoked some controversy since its initial announcement.
The Reckoning was first announced by the BBC back in 2020, with filming taking place the following year.
It had originally been expected to air late last year, but the BBC is still yet to confirm a transmission date.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are currently in post-production for transmission later this year. An exact date will be announced in due course.
The series stars Steve Coogan as the Top of the Pops presenter and infamous paedophile, whose prolific, decades-long history of child sexual abuse came to light in 2012, roughly a year after his death.
Due to its sensitive subject matter, the series, which is being produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, has provoked some controversy since its initial announcement.
The Reckoning was first announced by the BBC back in 2020, with filming taking place the following year.
It had originally been expected to air late last year, but the BBC is still yet to confirm a transmission date.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are currently in post-production for transmission later this year. An exact date will be announced in due course.
- 2/28/2023
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - TV
Exclusive: Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) has been tapped to develop and direct an adaptation of Steven Rowley’s acclaimed bestseller, The Guncle, for Lionsgate.
The Guncle follows a reclusive, once-famous gay television star who takes his young niece and nephew into his Palm Springs home after their mother dies suddenly, introducing them to his outsized life and unique wisdom and bringing about healing for all three.
Lionsgate landed rights to the book from Penguin Random House’s Putnam imprint, in a competitive situation, shortly after its publication last May. Rowley is adapting the screenplay and will exec produce. Kristin Burr will produce through her Burr! Productions, alongside Rob Weisbach, with Burr! Productions’ Jessica Friedman to serve as co-producer. James Myers and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.
“Since we acquired this book last year, it’s become a favorite of readers everywhere, including Jason – who...
The Guncle follows a reclusive, once-famous gay television star who takes his young niece and nephew into his Palm Springs home after their mother dies suddenly, introducing them to his outsized life and unique wisdom and bringing about healing for all three.
Lionsgate landed rights to the book from Penguin Random House’s Putnam imprint, in a competitive situation, shortly after its publication last May. Rowley is adapting the screenplay and will exec produce. Kristin Burr will produce through her Burr! Productions, alongside Rob Weisbach, with Burr! Productions’ Jessica Friedman to serve as co-producer. James Myers and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.
“Since we acquired this book last year, it’s become a favorite of readers everywhere, including Jason – who...
- 9/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
From “Jerry Springer: The Opera” to “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” it seems musical inspiration can be found just about anywhere. Do you know which composers and lyricists found source material in your favorite childhood stories? Here are 11 musicals based on classic children’s books. “Cats”Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical is based on T.S. Eliot’s witty collection “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Eliot’s poetry introduces many of the feline characters—including Old Deuteronomy, Mr. Mistoffelees, and Gus: The Theatre Cat—that Webber would later immortalize with song, and the whimsical world created in the book is even better on stage. “Matilda”This highly successful musical from Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel of the same name follows highly a precocious 5-year-old as she navigates her terrible family and sadistic principal. What’s not to love about a young heroine whose superpowers stem from a...
- 10/13/2015
- backstage.com
Move over, the Cusacks, there's a new sister act in town. And between them they look to have the future of British musicals sewn up. This weekend Hannah Arterton makes her film debut in Walking on Sunshine, a sunny, 1980s-pop-soaked musical that is aiming to be this summer's Mamma Mia!. It will be followed in the autumn by Made in Dagenham, a big-budget West End show from the people behind Jerry Springer: The Opera and Enron, which will star Gemma Arterton.
- 6/25/2014
- The Independent - Film
Rupert Goold will direct at the Adelphi theatre with the former Bond girl taking a role played by Sally Hawkins in the 2010 film
Gemma Arterton is to star in a West End musical version of the British film Made in Dagenham this autumn, it has been confirmed.
Rumours have circulated about the former Bond girl's casting for several months, after she took part in a workshop with director Rupert Goold. Producers have now announced that the run will officially start previewing at the Adelphi theatre from 9 October.
Arterton will play Rita O'Grady, who leads her colleagues at Ford's Dagenham car plant out on strike in 1968. Sally Hawkins played the role in the 2010 film, opposite Daniel Mays as her husband. Arterton's co-star is to be Adrian der Gregorian, who starred in Sweet Smell of Success at the Arcola theatre in 2012.
Made in Dagenham, which has a book by Richard Bean, will...
Gemma Arterton is to star in a West End musical version of the British film Made in Dagenham this autumn, it has been confirmed.
Rumours have circulated about the former Bond girl's casting for several months, after she took part in a workshop with director Rupert Goold. Producers have now announced that the run will officially start previewing at the Adelphi theatre from 9 October.
Arterton will play Rita O'Grady, who leads her colleagues at Ford's Dagenham car plant out on strike in 1968. Sally Hawkins played the role in the 2010 film, opposite Daniel Mays as her husband. Arterton's co-star is to be Adrian der Gregorian, who starred in Sweet Smell of Success at the Arcola theatre in 2012.
Made in Dagenham, which has a book by Richard Bean, will...
- 3/3/2014
- by Matt Trueman
- The Guardian - Film News
Opera has always been a reflection of the cultural zeitgeist of Western society. Historical events, popular stories, real people—they’ve all inspired musicalizations which allow patrons to connect directly with cultural moments in artistic ways.
But while opera may have stopped being the most popular art form, it never stopped being a relevant one. Hats off to the contemporary composers who continue to devote themselves to breathing life into the art form (because if they don’t, who will?). Opera is an endangered species, much like pandas or stenographers, and it continues to thrive creatively by reflecting the pop culture moments—movies,...
But while opera may have stopped being the most popular art form, it never stopped being a relevant one. Hats off to the contemporary composers who continue to devote themselves to breathing life into the art form (because if they don’t, who will?). Opera is an endangered species, much like pandas or stenographers, and it continues to thrive creatively by reflecting the pop culture moments—movies,...
- 1/27/2014
- by Marc Snetiker
- EW.com - PopWatch
Producer Allan McKeown has passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 67.
He died at his home on Christmas Eve, surrounded by his family.
The British-born producer was the co-creator of Tracey Takes On…, which starred his wife Tracey Ullman.
His daughter Mabel paid tribute to her father on Twitter, writing:
My brilliant, funny, extraordinary father Allan McKeown passed away on Christmas Eve. Thank you all for the love. http://t.co/Pjq5p37c0d
— Mabel McKeown (@MabelMck) December 26, 2013
McKeown and Ullman also had son Johnny together.
After working as a hairdresser to the stars, McKeown started production company Witzend, becoming one of the first independent television producers in the UK.
In 1990, he became a founding member of the Meridian consortium, which won the ITV television franchise for the southeast of England.
McKeown, who married Ullman in 1983, produced 2004 musical Jerry Springer: The Opera and collaborated with Yoko Ono...
He died at his home on Christmas Eve, surrounded by his family.
The British-born producer was the co-creator of Tracey Takes On…, which starred his wife Tracey Ullman.
His daughter Mabel paid tribute to her father on Twitter, writing:
My brilliant, funny, extraordinary father Allan McKeown passed away on Christmas Eve. Thank you all for the love. http://t.co/Pjq5p37c0d
— Mabel McKeown (@MabelMck) December 26, 2013
McKeown and Ullman also had son Johnny together.
After working as a hairdresser to the stars, McKeown started production company Witzend, becoming one of the first independent television producers in the UK.
In 1990, he became a founding member of the Meridian consortium, which won the ITV television franchise for the southeast of England.
McKeown, who married Ullman in 1983, produced 2004 musical Jerry Springer: The Opera and collaborated with Yoko Ono...
- 12/28/2013
- Digital Spy
The writer of the scores for Quantum of Solace, Hot Fuzz and more how he tackles his work – and what John Barry told him
David Arnold, the James Bond composer and musical director of the London Olympics closing ceremony, is talking ghosts. The north London studios where we meet, he tells me, are haunted. Doors slam shut and footsteps are heard in studios that he knows to be empty.
In one part of the building – a former school and church – electrical equipment never works and people report sightings of two spectral schoolchildren dressed in Victorian clothing. "I'm halfway between being a real cynic and totally convinced by it," says Arnold. Our conversation is made more disconcerting by the lights switching off every 15 minutes (an eco-friendly device, not an otherwordly one).
If it sounds like a case for BBC1's Sherlock then that would be entirely appropriate – Arnold is currently working,...
David Arnold, the James Bond composer and musical director of the London Olympics closing ceremony, is talking ghosts. The north London studios where we meet, he tells me, are haunted. Doors slam shut and footsteps are heard in studios that he knows to be empty.
In one part of the building – a former school and church – electrical equipment never works and people report sightings of two spectral schoolchildren dressed in Victorian clothing. "I'm halfway between being a real cynic and totally convinced by it," says Arnold. Our conversation is made more disconcerting by the lights switching off every 15 minutes (an eco-friendly device, not an otherwordly one).
If it sounds like a case for BBC1's Sherlock then that would be entirely appropriate – Arnold is currently working,...
- 8/5/2013
- by John Plunkett
- The Guardian - Film News
Casting directors are among the most powerful figures in showbusiness, able to make or break careers. But what exactly do they do? Laura Barnett talks auditions, callbacks – and tears
Up in his office on the sixth floor of the Palace theatre, in the heart of London's theatreland, Stephen Crockett is letting me in on a secretive world. The walls are lined with posters for hit shows he has worked on: from Chicago to almost every Andrew Lloyd Webber musical; from Mamma Mia! to Jerry Springer: The Opera. His desk is buried beneath piles of newspapers, CVs and headshots. But – showing me a photograph of performer Dianne Pilkington, just cast in Mamma Mia! – he assures me it's organised chaos. This is the mysterious world of the casting director.
They are rarely interviewed. Few people outside theatre, film and TV know who they are. Yet casting directors rank among the most influential operators in showbusiness.
Up in his office on the sixth floor of the Palace theatre, in the heart of London's theatreland, Stephen Crockett is letting me in on a secretive world. The walls are lined with posters for hit shows he has worked on: from Chicago to almost every Andrew Lloyd Webber musical; from Mamma Mia! to Jerry Springer: The Opera. His desk is buried beneath piles of newspapers, CVs and headshots. But – showing me a photograph of performer Dianne Pilkington, just cast in Mamma Mia! – he assures me it's organised chaos. This is the mysterious world of the casting director.
They are rarely interviewed. Few people outside theatre, film and TV know who they are. Yet casting directors rank among the most influential operators in showbusiness.
- 5/21/2013
- by Laura Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hit musical is a savage, brilliant satire, and is making millions. So why do musicals thrive in a recession?
This week, the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon opened in London. Even before a single review had appeared, tickets were being resold at up to £350. The show has already earned millions for its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also gifted the world with South Park. It's enough to make you ask: "Crisis? What crisis?"
There's no mystery about the show's recession-busting success, in the Us and – one feels safe in predicting – here. It's simply a work of genius, so brilliantly conceived and executed that it makes astonishingly savage and sophisticated satire into joyous, hilarious, literally all-singing, all-dancing fun and glamour.
Remarkably, despite the fact that there's barely a moment's respite from robust engagement with issues generally guaranteed to provoke hysterical controversy, The...
This week, the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon opened in London. Even before a single review had appeared, tickets were being resold at up to £350. The show has already earned millions for its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also gifted the world with South Park. It's enough to make you ask: "Crisis? What crisis?"
There's no mystery about the show's recession-busting success, in the Us and – one feels safe in predicting – here. It's simply a work of genius, so brilliantly conceived and executed that it makes astonishingly savage and sophisticated satire into joyous, hilarious, literally all-singing, all-dancing fun and glamour.
Remarkably, despite the fact that there's barely a moment's respite from robust engagement with issues generally guaranteed to provoke hysterical controversy, The...
- 3/23/2013
- by Deborah Orr
- The Guardian - Film News
London — Broadway sensation "The Book of Mormon" has landed in London, to a warm reception from theatergoers and mixed notices from critics
Reviewers delivered their verdicts on the show Friday, after an opening night that counted celebrities including "Homeland" star Damian Lewis and Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon among the audience.
The exuberantly profane show by "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and "Avenue Q" composer Robert Lopez tells the story of two Mormon missionaries sent to spread the word in Uganda.
Most critics praised the production's skill and energy, though the Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer said "its mixture of satire and syrup ultimately proves repellent."
Daily Mail critic Quentin Letts was even less enthusiastic: "I tired of it after 10 minutes."
And the Guardian's Michael Billington judged it "mildly amusing. ... a safe, conservative show for middle America."
Reviewers were full of praise for stars Gavin Creel and...
Reviewers delivered their verdicts on the show Friday, after an opening night that counted celebrities including "Homeland" star Damian Lewis and Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon among the audience.
The exuberantly profane show by "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and "Avenue Q" composer Robert Lopez tells the story of two Mormon missionaries sent to spread the word in Uganda.
Most critics praised the production's skill and energy, though the Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer said "its mixture of satire and syrup ultimately proves repellent."
Daily Mail critic Quentin Letts was even less enthusiastic: "I tired of it after 10 minutes."
And the Guardian's Michael Billington judged it "mildly amusing. ... a safe, conservative show for middle America."
Reviewers were full of praise for stars Gavin Creel and...
- 3/22/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Once was a surprise cinema hit – a micro-budget romance about an Irish busker and a Czech flower seller. Who better to adapt it for stage than self-confessed misanthrope Enda Walsh? The playwright recalls his journey from cynic to proud, emotional wreck
We don't do musicals in Ireland. Well, not much. We like to keep our actors and musicians separate at all times. In separate counties, even. There is possibly a musical theatre company hidden on Sherkin Island doing a production of Wicked right now, but they haven't been found yet. And when they do find them, it will be a heavy dose of Samuel Beckett for those grinning fools. Why break into song and dance to exorcise your inner emotions when you can talk yourself through it? Over the years, I've added my own fair share of words to Irish theatre. You can't help it as an Irish person. We talk.
We don't do musicals in Ireland. Well, not much. We like to keep our actors and musicians separate at all times. In separate counties, even. There is possibly a musical theatre company hidden on Sherkin Island doing a production of Wicked right now, but they haven't been found yet. And when they do find them, it will be a heavy dose of Samuel Beckett for those grinning fools. Why break into song and dance to exorcise your inner emotions when you can talk yourself through it? Over the years, I've added my own fair share of words to Irish theatre. You can't help it as an Irish person. We talk.
- 3/18/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Pitch Perfect helmer Jason Moore will direct ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot Pulling, based on the praised 2006 British series. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky wrote the adaptation, produced by ABC Studios and Kapital Entertainment. Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, creators of the original series, executive produce with Eisenberg, Stupnitsky and Kaplan. Pulling revolves around three dysfunctional women in their 30s living their lives the way they want, even if society tells them they should have it all figured out by this point. This is Moore’s second ABC/ABC Studios comedy pilot this season — he also directed Trophy Wife starring Malin Akerman. On the feature side, Moore is next set to direct the new Tina Fey comedy The Nest for Universal, following the success of his feature directorial debut with Pitch Perfect, which cost $17 million and went on to gross more than $108 million worldwide. Wme-repped Moore is best known for his extensive Broadway work,...
- 2/7/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
30 Rock may have finally – sniff – left the air, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of Tina Fey. Nope, the multi-talented comedienne has a development deal for another show but, with the day-to-day duties of running a series on hold, can devote time to her film career. She’s mulling a few options, including The Nest, which she’s producing and which now has Jason Moore in talks to direct. The Nest, written by Paula Pell (who worked with Fey when she was on Saturday Night Live and is still part of the writing staff), finds two thirty-something sisters who come home to discover that their parents’ house has been put on the market.To drown their sorrows, they decide to spend a last wild weekend at home together, feuding, fighting, and finally maturing a little.Moore, who last directed successful a capella-com Pitch Perfect, comes from...
- 2/4/2013
- EmpireOnline
Simon Cowell has praised the forthcoming X Factor musical after previewing the show. The ITV talent contest's former judge and mentor announced that he was attending a workshop for the production via Twitter today (January 25) and later told his followers that he had enjoyed the performances. "The X Factor musical is sensational! It's a yes from me," he tweeted. The music mogul then responded to a fan who asked whether he thought the Harry Hill-penned show was better than West End hit Jerry Springer: The Opera. "Yes. I really think it is," Cowell said. "The songs are fantastic and the story is really funny." Earlier this week, Cowell - who is back in the UK filming (more)...
- 1/25/2013
- by By Alison Rowley
- Digital Spy
The rising price of comedy, Harry Hill post-TV Burp – plus, a new Bill and Ted adventure, and your take on the week's comedy
Comedy news from Edinburgh
It's week two of the fringe, and unease about low audience figures continues to thrum beneath the surface jollity. Richard Herring broke cover at the end of last week, writing on his blog about his own experience of low sales for his Underbelly show Talking Cock. "It's a shame that I have taken the chance on a bigger venue," he writes, "in the year when the Olympics/the recession/the dissatisfaction with high prices of everything in Edinburgh (delete or add as applicable – there's no definitive answer) has sucked out all the punters as if someone opened the door on a spacecraft."
In a thoughtful rumination on the subject, Herring predicts that the Edinburgh comedy bubble is about to burst. "It's open...
Comedy news from Edinburgh
It's week two of the fringe, and unease about low audience figures continues to thrum beneath the surface jollity. Richard Herring broke cover at the end of last week, writing on his blog about his own experience of low sales for his Underbelly show Talking Cock. "It's a shame that I have taken the chance on a bigger venue," he writes, "in the year when the Olympics/the recession/the dissatisfaction with high prices of everything in Edinburgh (delete or add as applicable – there's no definitive answer) has sucked out all the punters as if someone opened the door on a spacecraft."
In a thoughtful rumination on the subject, Herring predicts that the Edinburgh comedy bubble is about to burst. "It's open...
- 8/15/2012
- by Brian Logan
- The Guardian - Film News
Harry Hill has revealed that he is aiming to launch his X Factor musical in autumn 2013. The TV Burp comic claimed that the show would be both a "celebration" and a "piss-take" of the Simon Cowell entertainment series. "I was watching the last X Factor final, drunk, and thought it was a good idea," Hill told The Telegraph. "[Simon Cowell] liked it, so we're doing it. It's like a TV Burp treatment... to get the lovers and haters in. It's not caustic, like Jerry Springer: The Opera. That would be quite an easy route to take, but we want it to be funny above everything." Hill is writing the production with his friend Steve Brown, who is penning the music. The comic has also confirmed his plans to make a film in 2013. "I've (more)...
- 8/14/2012
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
The nominees and special award recipients for the 43rd annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, honoring distinguished achievements in L.A. theater during 2011, were announced on Monday. Ebony Repertory Theatre Company's revival of Lorraine Hansbury's classic drama "A Raisin in the Sun," currently restaged at the Kirk Douglas Theatre with one lead role recast, and the Chance Theater's Southern California premiere of "Jerry Springer: The Opera" both lead the nominations with a total of eight each.Other shows receiving several nominations are the Odyssey Theatre-Evidence Room co-production of Len Jenkin's noir-inspired "Margo Veil" with five, and the zany world premiere tuner "Re-Animator the Musical" with four. Leading production companies were Center Theatre Group, which netted 10 nods, for shows at its Ahmanson and Kirk Douglas Theatres and the Mark Taper Forum. Eight nominations each went to Ebony Repertory Theatre, Chance Theater, and Rogue Machine. Geffen Playhouse received seven.The awards ceremony.
- 1/30/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Les Spindle)
- backstage.com
Her life was like a soap opera. Now it's an actual opera. Anna Nicole Smith is the subject of a brand-new opera, simply titled Anna Nicole, set to premiere Thursday at London's Royal Opera House. Here, People.com has a sneak peek at Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role. The piece was written by British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, and the libretto by Richard Thomas, whose previous credits include Jerry Springer: the Opera. While the reviews aren't in yet, a trailer for the opera promises a salacious spectacle. (Watch it below.) Its cast list reveals, among many characters, four lap dancers,...
- 2/17/2011
- PEOPLE.com
Anna Nicole, an opera about the late blonde bombshell Anna Nicole Smith, will make a controversial debut in London on Thursday.
Described as "a celebrity story of our times that includes extreme language, drug abuse and sexual content," the opera will run for six sold-out shows beginning Feb. 17 at the prestigious Royal Opera House, according to the venue's official site. Mark-Anthony Turnage, the man behind 2003's Jerry Springer: The Opera, also composed Anna Nicole.
Read More >...
Described as "a celebrity story of our times that includes extreme language, drug abuse and sexual content," the opera will run for six sold-out shows beginning Feb. 17 at the prestigious Royal Opera House, according to the venue's official site. Mark-Anthony Turnage, the man behind 2003's Jerry Springer: The Opera, also composed Anna Nicole.
Read More >...
- 2/16/2011
- by Hanh Nguyen
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Our critics pick the season's highlights. From Elisabeth Moss on stage to Adele's new album, these are the dates for your cultural diary
January
5 Film 127 Hours
Danny Boyle's 10th film tells the story of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco who severed his own arm with a penknife to escape after becoming trapped while hiking in Utah.
7 Film The King's Speech
Colin Firth is introverted monarch George VI, battling a debilitating stutter with the aid of an extroverted therapist (Geoffrey Rush). The ensuing friendship is touching – and, when the second world war breaks out, of national importance.
9 Classical Hollywood Rhapsody
The Bbcso and Chorus celebrate Hollywood's golden age. Composers include Korngold, Waxman, Rózsa; films range from The Wizard of Oz to Gone with the Wind. Barbican, London. 9 Jan only.
11 Theatre Twelfth Night
To mark his 80th birthday, Peter Hall returns to the National theatre, which he ran until 1988. He directs his daughter Rebecca,...
January
5 Film 127 Hours
Danny Boyle's 10th film tells the story of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco who severed his own arm with a penknife to escape after becoming trapped while hiking in Utah.
7 Film The King's Speech
Colin Firth is introverted monarch George VI, battling a debilitating stutter with the aid of an extroverted therapist (Geoffrey Rush). The ensuing friendship is touching – and, when the second world war breaks out, of national importance.
9 Classical Hollywood Rhapsody
The Bbcso and Chorus celebrate Hollywood's golden age. Composers include Korngold, Waxman, Rózsa; films range from The Wizard of Oz to Gone with the Wind. Barbican, London. 9 Jan only.
11 Theatre Twelfth Night
To mark his 80th birthday, Peter Hall returns to the National theatre, which he ran until 1988. He directs his daughter Rebecca,...
- 12/26/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Stewart Lee is known for pushing the boundaries of comedy, even going so far as to write controversial stage show Jerry Springer: The Opera, and now he's branching out into another medium with his first comic strip.
Lee, who was born in Shropshire and raised in Solihull, has penned a strip called The Property for CLiNT, the new monthly comic from Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar.
It tells the partly autobiographical tale of a boy who falls in love with comics, only for his obsession to drive him to extremes in adulthood. In an article to accompany The Property, Lee explains how his own love affair with comics began.
"Sometime around 1973 or 74, when I was five or six years old," Lee says, "I was spinning the lower rungs of a rack of soft porn and True Detective magazines in a newsagents on the Stratford Road, just outside Birmingham, when an issue of Captain Marvel jumped out.
Lee, who was born in Shropshire and raised in Solihull, has penned a strip called The Property for CLiNT, the new monthly comic from Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar.
It tells the partly autobiographical tale of a boy who falls in love with comics, only for his obsession to drive him to extremes in adulthood. In an article to accompany The Property, Lee explains how his own love affair with comics began.
"Sometime around 1973 or 74, when I was five or six years old," Lee says, "I was spinning the lower rungs of a rack of soft porn and True Detective magazines in a newsagents on the Stratford Road, just outside Birmingham, when an issue of Captain Marvel jumped out.
- 12/7/2010
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Auntie will broadcast the latest Royal Opera House production by the co-creator of Jerry Springer: the Opera on BBC4 early 2011. Anna Nicole will have its world premiere at Covent Garden on February 11. The ex-stripper and Playboy model married 89-year-old oil tycoon J Howard Marshall, more than 60 years her senior, in 1994. She was then embroiled into a long-running legal battle to claim a share of his estate. Smith died of a prescription drugs overdose in 2007, aged 39. Christians protested outside BBC offices when it aired Jerry Springer: the Opera on TV in 2005. One Christian group attempted to sue BBC boss Mark Thompson for blasphemy. The Royal Opera House is billing Anna Nicole as “a celebratory story of our times that includes extreme language, drug abuse and sexual content”. Expect the viewer complaint hotline to be ringing off the hook.
- 8/25/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
Stewart Lee has admitted that he no longer tries to appeal to all people. The comedian told Metro that he returned to stand-up after failing to make a living from the controversial Jerry Springer: The Opera, despite its success. Lee said: "A lot of what I thought of as limitations of stand-up suddenly seemed like advantages after working on Jerry Springer: The Opera. You can write something in the morning and perform it that night. "I thought I could mess with the format more and decided instead of being really popular I should aim for the people who liked me and I'd be alright. It suddenly seemed really simple whereas Jerry Springer: The Opera didn't add up financially. I thought if I could just get 4,000 people to see me once a year I'd be all right." He added: "Comedy was supposed to be the new rock 'n' (more)...
- 8/18/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Chris Morris, the wonderfully demented mind behind some of television’s greatest comedies including The Day Today, Jam, Brass Eye and Nathan Barley is returning very soon with a new masterpiece.
Four Lions is the story of four British Muslims determined to go down in history as master terrorists. Unfortunately, they’re utterly terrible at everything they do, seeing them attempt to place bombs on crows, the internet and finally, the London Marathon.
Four Lions was originally designed as a TV comedy, but every channel passed up on it out of fear. Expect it to be as gloriously offensive as defecating on a stranger on their birthday. Trailer is below:
If you’re unfamiliar with the works of Chris Morris, get to know him sharpish. The man has a keen eye for observing the very worst in people, and nowhere is this highlighted better than the utterly peerless Brass Eye.
Four Lions is the story of four British Muslims determined to go down in history as master terrorists. Unfortunately, they’re utterly terrible at everything they do, seeing them attempt to place bombs on crows, the internet and finally, the London Marathon.
Four Lions was originally designed as a TV comedy, but every channel passed up on it out of fear. Expect it to be as gloriously offensive as defecating on a stranger on their birthday. Trailer is below:
If you’re unfamiliar with the works of Chris Morris, get to know him sharpish. The man has a keen eye for observing the very worst in people, and nowhere is this highlighted better than the utterly peerless Brass Eye.
- 3/23/2010
- by Adam Mason
- Movie-moron.com
Anna Nicole Smith's life is being turned into an opera. The former Playboy model, who died in 2007 after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs aged 39, will be the focus of the production which will be shown at the Royal Opera House in London. The opera will be entitled 'Anna Nicole' and has been written by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, who created the controversial 'Jerry Springer: The Opera', based on the outspoken talk show host and his shocking guests. It will debut at the esteemed venue on February 17, 2011, with the role of Anna played by Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek. The Royal Opera House said the premiere would be "a major event in the UK arts calendar". Details of...
- 3/11/2010
- Monsters and Critics
London – There's an especially starry knight in Britain's latest round of royal honors.Patrick Stewart — "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" Capt. Jean-Luc Picard — becomes Sir Patrick in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year honors list, which also includes a knighthood for theater and film director Nicholas Hytner."This is an honor that embraces those actors, directors and creative teams who have in these recent years helped fill my life with inspiration, companionship and sheer fun," said 69-year-old Stewart, who recently returned to the British stage following a long career in Hollywood that included playing Professor Charles Xavier in three "X-Men" films.Erich Reich, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe who organized last year's 70th anniversary of the "Kindertransport," which brought 10,000 children to wartime Britain, also received a knighthood.A separate honors list in New Zealand bestowed a knighthood on the king of Middle Earth — "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson.
- 12/31/2009
- backstage.com
Just a few days after the two-year anniversary of her passing, it's been announced that London's Royal Opera House is planning an opera based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith, scheduled to debut in 2011 at the historic Covent Garden Theatre. Yeah, seriously.According to England's Guardian.com, music and storyline for the opera will be provided by acclaimed orchestral composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, with "Jerry Springer: The Opera" co-writer Richard Thomas penning the libretto. Veteran English operatic Director Richard Jones will helm the project."It is not going to be a horrible, sleazy evening," Elaine Padmore, director of Cove ...
- 2/13/2009
- by By Actress Archives
On Friday, February 20th, The Spotlight Cabaret will present an incredible cast of Broadway and Off-Broadway performers performing new music by Julia Meinwald. Everything is Nice features Manoel Felciano (Broadway's Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and Jesus Christ Super Star), Nick Blaemire (Broadway's Cry Baby, Things to Ruin at the Zipper), Katrina Dideriksen (Hairspray Las Vegas, Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall), Lauren Worsham (Candide at City Opera, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beer, Weston Playhouse's Light in the Piazza) and Dustin Sullivan (Reduced Shakespeare Company, Ann of Green Gables with TheatreWorks), with Liz Carbonell and Mary Ann Shaub.
- 2/13/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
From the guy who brought you Jerry Springer: The Opera comes the latest collision of high and low culture: an opera based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith. Britain's Royal Opera has recruited composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and Springer co-librettist Richard Thomas to create an opera about the Playboy model and octogenarian's wife who died of an overdose in 2007. Despite the subject matter, the show "is not going to be tawdry. It is going to be witty, clever, thoughtful and sad," company director Elaine Padmore tells Britain's Guardian newspaper. "It is not just a documentary about her," she says, "but...
- 2/12/2009
- PEOPLE.com
The creators of hit musical Jerry Springer: The Opera have started work on a new opera based on the life of tragic star Anna Nicole Smith.
The production is being written by Richard Thomas and Mark-Anthony Turnage, and will be staged at London's Royal Opera House, accompanied by a 90-piece orchestra.
The story will focus on Smith's life story and end with her tragic death from a drugs overdose in 2007.
And Thomas insists the late glamour model is the perfect subject as she is a modern pop culture icon.
He says, "It's an incredible story. It's very operatic and sad. She was quite a smart lady with the tragic flaw that she could not seem to get through life without a vat of prescription drugs.
"For me, (the story) ends when she does. It's an American story. I love American culture. Especially for the opera, the stories seem to work on a grander more epic scale."
Jerry Springer: The Opera, based on Springer's TV talk show, ran in London from 2003 to 2005. The musical made its Broadway debut earlier this year with Harvey Keitel in the title role.
The production is being written by Richard Thomas and Mark-Anthony Turnage, and will be staged at London's Royal Opera House, accompanied by a 90-piece orchestra.
The story will focus on Smith's life story and end with her tragic death from a drugs overdose in 2007.
And Thomas insists the late glamour model is the perfect subject as she is a modern pop culture icon.
He says, "It's an incredible story. It's very operatic and sad. She was quite a smart lady with the tragic flaw that she could not seem to get through life without a vat of prescription drugs.
"For me, (the story) ends when she does. It's an American story. I love American culture. Especially for the opera, the stories seem to work on a grander more epic scale."
Jerry Springer: The Opera, based on Springer's TV talk show, ran in London from 2003 to 2005. The musical made its Broadway debut earlier this year with Harvey Keitel in the title role.
- 4/4/2008
- WENN
LONDON -- A Christian Evangelical pressure group has seen its attempt to sue the BBC for blasphemy over the decision to air Jerry Springer: The Opera thrown out by the High Court.
Two judges ruled that the program, which the BBC aired in 2005, did not constitute an attack on Christianity.
"As a whole (it) was not and could not reasonably be regarded as aimed at, or an attack on, Christianity or what Christians held sacred," Lord Justice Hughes and Mr. Justice Collins said in their ruling, according to wire reports.
The Christian Voice group was attempting a private prosecution against BBC director general Mark Thompson, a practicing Catholic, about the show, which depicted Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, God and Satan as contestants on a fictional edition of The Jerry Springer Show.
The BBC welcomed the ruling and said it should not have had to waste public money defending the case.
"We are pleased to note the High Court's decision today."...
Two judges ruled that the program, which the BBC aired in 2005, did not constitute an attack on Christianity.
"As a whole (it) was not and could not reasonably be regarded as aimed at, or an attack on, Christianity or what Christians held sacred," Lord Justice Hughes and Mr. Justice Collins said in their ruling, according to wire reports.
The Christian Voice group was attempting a private prosecution against BBC director general Mark Thompson, a practicing Catholic, about the show, which depicted Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, God and Satan as contestants on a fictional edition of The Jerry Springer Show.
The BBC welcomed the ruling and said it should not have had to waste public money defending the case.
"We are pleased to note the High Court's decision today."...
- 12/6/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- U.K. comedy production giant Avalon Group has purchased factual production outfit Liberty Bell, Avalon announced Thursday. Avalon, whose recent credits include the television adaptation of Jerry Springer: The Opera, said the deal sees Liberty Bell, the company behind comedy documentary Grumpy Old Men, become part of the group. Financial details were not disclosed. Liberty Bell founder Stuart Prebble, former chief executive at ITV, will remain Liberty's managing director, while Avalon joint managing directors Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner join the Liberty Bell board.
- 8/11/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The BBC's board of governors announced Wednesday that it has rejected more than 63,000 complaints over the BBC's decision to air controversial stage show Jerry Springer: The Opera. But the five-member complaints committee was unable to deliver a unanimous decision on the show, which aired Jan. 8. One governor said she "profoundly disagreed" with the majority view, BBC representatives confirmed. The committee backed BBC director general Mark Thompson's decision to air the controversial work, citing its "outstanding artistic significance" as the justification for broadcast.
- 3/31/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The BBC's board of governors announced Wednesday that it has rejected more than 63,000 complaints over the BBC's decision to air controversial stage show Jerry Springer the Opera. But the five-member complaints committee was unable to deliver a unanimous decision on the show, which aired Jan. 8. One governor said she "profoundly disagreed" with the majority view, BBC reps confirmed. The committee backed BBC director general Mark Thompson's decision to air the controversial work, citing its "outstanding artistic significance" as the justification for broadcast. The governors conceded the program -- in which Jesus is at one point depicted wearing a diaper -- had offended viewers. "In all the circumstances, the outstanding artistic significance of the program outweighed the offence which it caused to some viewers and so the broadcasting of the program was justified," complaints committee chairman Richard Tait said in a statement. "The BBC is committed to freedom of expression and has a duty to innovate, to reflect new and challenging ideas and to make available to its audiences work of outstanding artistic significance."...
- 3/30/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- BBC director of television Jana Bennett on Monday defended the BBC's decision to air controversial material such as Jerry Springer the Opera and warned against the consequences of broadcasters bowing to editorial pressure from lobbying groups. In a speech delivered at St Anne's College, Oxford, Bennett warned of the dangers of giving in to the climate of moral outrage she said had swept America, pointing out that broadcasters' freedom of expression was increasingly coming under pressure from moral lobbying groups. The film of the London stage play generated over 49,000 complaints, mostly from Christian groups, when televised by the BBC last month.
Jerry Springer - The Opera's impending run on Broadway, New York, has been cancelled following a Christian fundamentalist group's campaign against the award-winning show. This latest development comes after religious organization Christian Voice pressured cancer charity Maggie's Centers into rejecting proceeds of $19,000 from a gala performance of the expletive-laden show in London. As a result, the controversial musical has been stopped from crossing the Atlantic - because the financial backer of the New York run has pulled out. The show's producer Jon Thoday says, "At the moment it's off... because of the furor." An autumn UK tour of the musical also lies in jeopardy - one theatre has already withdrawn and others are considering their position.
- 2/28/2005
- WENN
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.