Seven-Time Oscar Nominee Glenn Close Prepares For Her 'Sunset Boulevard' Close-Up

Glenn Close in 'Sunset Boulevard' (photo: Joan Marcus)

The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard, will star Glenn Close re-creating her Tony-winning performance.

Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford (Thoroughly Modern Millie) will make his feature film directorial debut with the movie musical, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

From Playbill:

Close starred in the original 1994 Broadway production of Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, earning a Tony for her work as faded silent-screen star Norma Desmond, as well as the acclaimed 2017 revival. The prospective project was first reported in January 2016, prior to Close taking on the Hollywood star once more at the London Coliseum before a Broadway bow at the Palace Theatre. At the time, co-lyricist and book writer Christopher Hampton hoped shooting would begin while Close was still in London.

It had been over 20 years since Close opened the original Broadway production, but the seven-time Oscar nominee used the years away from Norma Desmond to find a new window into the character.

“I'm not saying I'm getting better, but I am saying that I do have more experience,” Close told Playbill as she discussed returning to the role first seen in the 1950 Wilder film. “With more knowledge of myself and experiences I’ve had and heartbreaks I’ve had and enduring as I have—theoretically, an actor should only get better because our bodies and our minds and hearts are the material with which we build characters.”

Filming is expected to begin in Fall 2019. No other casting has been reported.

New Trailer: "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again"

Cher in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The second trailer for the upcoming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released today and it's as ABBA-tastic as you'd expect.

The original Mamma Mia film cashed in $609 million at the box office worldwide back in 2008, so it's no wonder Universal Pictures is taking another kick-ball-change with the ABBA catalogue.

In the new tease, we get more singing, more dancing, more Cher!

The film serves as both sequel and prequel in explaining just how the three dads (Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper) came into Donna's life.

And did I mention - Cher?

The movie hits theaters July 20. Watch the new trailer below.

Teaser: Aaron Tveit Sings "Come What May" From Upcoming "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

Aaron Tveit

Even as the 2018 Tony Award nominations were announced this week, music theater fans are looking ahead to Moulin Rouge! The Musical, based on the 2001 movie musical by Baz Luhrmann, which will begin its journey to the Great White Way this summer.

At Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre, audiences will get 'first look' at the new show for only 36 performances - June 27 through August 5.

Via press release:

Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France at the turn of the century, a world of indulgent beauty and unparalleled extravagance, of bohemians and aristocrats, of boulevardiers and mademoiselles, Moulin Rouge! The Musical tells the fictional story of an ambitious, lovesick writer, Christian (Aaron Tveit), and a dazzling, entrancing chanteuse, Satine (Karen Olivo).

Their lives collide at the Moulin Rouge with its many characters including the host of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler (Danny Burstein); the brilliant and starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah); the greatest tango dancer - and gigolo - in all of Paris, Santiago (Ricky Rojas); the tempting Nini (Robyn Hurder); and The Duke of Monroth (Tam Mutu), the wealthy and entitled patron of the club who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including love.

As in the film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical celebrates some of the greatest popular music of the last 50 years. The stage musical features many of the iconic songs from the movie and also includes recent hits released since the movie premiered 15 years ago.

Check out leading man Aaron Tveit singing "Come What May" from the upcoming musical below.

GREASE 40: Billboard Magazine Remembers The Movie Musical's Massive Music Hits

On the 40th anniversary of the massive movie musical hit, GREASE, Billboard Magazine's Chuck Arnold remembers the impact of the film's music.

An excerpt from Billboard:

In the past two years, soundtracks to musical films like The Greatest Showman, La La Land and Beauty and the Beast have scored big on the Billboard 200 chart. But even those success stories can't compare to the blockbuster Grease soundtrack, which everyone was hopelessly devoted to after it was released 40 years ago on April 14, 1978.

The double-LP companion to the smash movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John—which didn't hit theaters until two months later, on June 16—was certified 8-times platinum (and has sold more than 6 million copies since the start of the Nielsen Music era in 1991), notched four top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Grease," No. 1; "You're the One That I Want," No. 1; "Hopelessly Devoted to You," No. 3; "Summer Nights," No. 5), and earned an album of the year Grammy nod. Whether you've ever seen the screen romance of '50s high-school sweethearts Sandy and Danny, chances are you've heard some of the music from one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time.

"I think the songs are timeless," Newton-John tells Billboard. "They're fun and have great energy. The '50s-feel music has always been popular, and it's nostalgic for my generation, and then the young kids are rediscovering it every 10 years or so, it seems. People buying the album was a way for them to remember those feelings of watching the movie and feelings of that time period. I feel very grateful to be a part of this movie that's still loved so much."

New Trailer For Hugh Jackman's "The Greatest Showman"

Inspired by the creative genius of P.T. Barnum, Hugh Jackman's upcoming The Greatest Showman looks to be the next great movie musical.

The film tells the tale of Barnum who rose to worldwide fame with nothing but drive and a vision of entertainment never before imagined.

Directed by Michael Gracey, the film's A-list cast includes Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson. The score of original songs was penned by La La Land Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

The Greatest Showman arrives in theaters December 20. Watch the new trailer below.

News Round-Up: June 28, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news stories you may have missed:

• I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the "dude and dog" days of summer. See what I did there...?

• Britney Spears is pissed off people don't think she sings live in her concerts. Honey, shush...

• Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson was ejected from a Department of Justice LGBT Pride event saying the event was closed to the media. Similar events were open to press throughout the Obama administration.

• Netflix is currently developing a 10-episode sequel of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City with original 1993 series stars Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis set to star.

• A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows 63% of Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of the Senate Republicans' healthcare bill, while only 16% approve.

• Check out this thrilling new trailer for the upcoming Hugh Jackman musical flick, The Greatest Showman, due in theaters this December 25. Also starring in the original musical are Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya. The original score features songs by the Academy Award winning lyricists of La La Land.  I expect the featured song, "This Is Me," to take off as a new anthem for everyone who finds pride in who they are.

Trailer: "Hello Again"

Glad to see Michael John LaChiusa’s musical HELLO AGAIN finally coming to the big screen. I remember seeing the original Lincoln Center production on Broadway in 1994 and loved it.

The musical consists of a series of two person scenes. Each actor appears in back to back scenes as a similar character, and as the scenes play out, each actor drops for a new one. So, for example, scene one features actors A and B; scene 2 features actors B and C; scene 3 features actors C and D, and so forth. And each scene changes time periods.

Throughout the characters flip from being the pursuer to the pursued. And the music is terrific.

From the press release:

SPEAKproductions, in association with TBD Productions and Martian Entertainment, have just released a sneak peek at the first trailer for HELLO AGAIN.

The highly anticipated film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical. HELLO AGAIN chases 10 fleeting love affairs across 10 periods in New York City history.

The ensemble cast features six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Emmy Award-winner and Tony nominee Martha Plimpton, Emmy and Drama Desk nominee T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis, Cheyenne Jackson, SAG Award-winner and Grammy nominee Jenna Ushkowitz, Teen Choice Award-winner Tyler Blackburn, Sam Underwood, Nolan Gerard Funk and Al Calderon. HELLO AGAIN, directed by Tom Gustafson, features a screenplay by Cory Krueckeberg and music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa.

Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1896 controversial play, Der Reigen, and the classic 1950 Max Ophuls film La Ronde, the film HELLO AGAIN is based on the Michael John LaChiusa stage musical of the same name. HELLO AGAIN was first presented on stage by Lincoln Center Theatre in 1994 featuring John Cameron Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Malcolm Gets, Carolee Carmello, Michael Park, Michelle Pawk, John Dossett and Judy Blazer.

The film closed Italy’s Lovers Film Fest last night and will be seen on the film festival circuit throughout the summer.

Watch the trailer below.

Daily Dance: 100 Movie Dance Scenes "Uptown Funk" Mashup

Pretty fantastic. Some great movie moments mashed up with the Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson jam.

Among the movies included : Risky Business, Napoleon Dynamite, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Grease, Despicable Me, Saturday Night Fever, Sister Act, Airplane!, Slumdog Millionaire, School of Rock, Magic Mike, The Great Gatsby, Beetlejuice, Night at the Roxbury, American Pie, Dirty Dancing, Ms. Doubtfire, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Borat, Star Wars, and The Breakfast Club.

'The Sound Of Music' Turns 50

The AP reports:

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer attend the TCM Classic Film Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the much loved musical, 'The Sound Of Music,' and reflect on why they think it's such a iconic film.

(via AP)