The Drama League Awards, Or When Hugh Jackman Came To Me

Thanks to ModFab Gabriel's urging, I finally volunteered at this years Drama League Awards where I got to see a lot of theatre stars up close and personal! The Drama League Awards also act as a fund raiser for their Directors Project Program so it's a nice way for fans (with money) to mingle with theatre folks while raising money for a good cause, AND with Broadway currently filled with many A-list Hollywood types, the party is feeling more and more glamourous!

And since there are really only 5 actual awards with only ONE award for Best Performance, there seems to be a more congenial, less competitive feel between all the actors since there's only 1 overall winner and really, in this case, it's pretty amazing just to be nominated already. (Plus it's a free lunch with booze so picture the Golden Globes with no camera's or press, which means the stars don't have to play for the camera and let loose!)

But enough about that. Let's talk about seeing all the STARS! Luckily I got put into VIP Registration, which as I suspected, was really dealing with everyone's publicist and not the stars themselves, but since we're also essentially the gates to the VIP room, I got to see pretty much everyone pass by at close range at least.

But seriously, apparently EVERYONE has a publicist or a handler or somebody to talk to the plebes like me. Except Nina Arianda (nominated for Venus in Fur and was adorably excited to be amongst such a famous nominee list) and Hugh Jackman. Yes. HUGH FREAKIN' JACKMAN. No publicist. No manager. No entourage. Just came up to us/me (I may or may not have pushed my fellow volunteers aside and overtaken the table. I don't really remember except the gaze of Hugh's face looking directly back at me with his charming Australian smile) and registered himself (because, Hugh Jackman needs a ticket to get in. Please, he's HUGH FREAKIN' JACKMAN. He needs no ticket). Anyways, not only was he incredibly gracious and funny, he even offered us his second ticket that he didn't need. I don't remember much at that point. I think all of us had our mouths gaping open with drool slightly dripping onto the table and to be honest, all I could think of was: BLBGLDBGLDBGSDSKLJDAKSFLKFLFBLFBDALFBSLDKF. And damn, he looked amazing in his suit.

I think I told him about the media room and VIP room and other details, but I'm only sorry that I did not ask him to have my babies right there and then. Instead I just directed him to where he had to go and what he had to do. As if I'm to tell Hugh Jackman what to do. (And yet he stood listening and chatting back. Seriously, as if I didn't love him already before, now I seriously will throw my body into a volcano to save the world if he asked me to, but he would never do that. He would save the world some other way).

So other cool things I noticed. Hugh Jackman seemed to be chums with EVERYONE. He was talking with Kelsey Grammar like they were old buddies.

The legendary Angela Lansbury waved at ME! (She was being shuttled off somewhere but looked back, I waved a "Hi" and she stopped and waved back before being herded somewhere else (by her own people)). It was funny because at one point, her people were trying to find her tickets (her publicist had already picked them up). But seriously, if anybody other than Hugh Jackman doesn't need a ticket, it's Angela Lansbury! Seriously. She's motherf#$ken Angela Lansbury! She needs no ticket!

I noticed Scarlett Johansson chatting up with Superior Donuts (and ABC's upcoming Detroit 1-8-7) Jon Michael Hill! Oh, and many actresses I've met before are less impressive in person, but damn, ScarJo's skin is like porcelain. She is stunning.

I had just seen Fences on Broadway and got my photo with Viola at the stage door but she really seems professional but fun and grounded, but someone serious about her craft (hence, why she's AMAZING all the time).

Sean Hayes apparently LOVES dogs. Stopped to pet one of the security dogs on watch and talked and talked about his own dogs he's left behind in LA.

Michael Urie and Vanessa Williams hosted the awards (and both being nominated for their respective shows, Off-Broadway's The Temperamentals and Broadway's Sondheim on Sondheim, making them hosting together a perfect match of the Drama League's all encompassing awards). They did a little number which was totally fabulous and hilarious.

I sort of gasped "Oh Marin Mazzie" when she and her publicist came to the registration table. She's freaking original Mother! (Ragtime people. Ragtime). In a nice touch, she was sitting next to revival Younger Brother Bobby Steggert during the awards!

Sigh. Bobby Steggert! Love!

Liev Schreiber, who just always looks so serious, also stopped to pet the security dog leaving ScarJo to walk ahead and lose him.

Levi Kreis, fantabulous in Million Dollar Quartet, winked at me as he walked by the registration table!

Loved Katie Finneran's outfit!

Jessica Hecht looked so beautiful and it was nice to see all three stars from A View From The Bridge back together.

Benjamin Walker is going to be such a star! But for now, he seemed more amazed to be nominated in such illustrious company. Oh, and he's pretty tall too. And did I mention how hot he looks?

Other tidbits? David Alan Grier's publicist is outrageous (in a funny "oh no she didn't" way) which seems to match Grier's personality, especially after his GREAT speech about being the "GREATEST ACTOR IN THE WORLD"! Hilarious!

Nathan Lane, love or hate him, had a hilarious speech for his award (basically a lifetime achievement award). He knows how to bring the laughs.

Michael Urie seemed excited to meet Sean Hayes and introduced himself. Linda Lavin and Valerie Harper seemed like old friends and seemed to have a ball. Rosemary Harris was happy to be seated between (the very tall) former co-stars Alfred Molina and Christopher Walken.


Here are the winners:
Distinguished Performance Award — Alfred Molina, “Red”
Distinguished Production of a Musical — “Sondheim on Sondheim”
Distinguished Production of a Play — “Red”
Distinguished Revival of a Musical — “La Cage aux Folles”
Distinguished Revival of a Play — "A View from the Bridge”


Here's the full nomination list:

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

AFTERMATH by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, New York Theatre Workshop
A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE by Martin McDonagh, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS by Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Public Theater
CLYBOURNE PARK by Bruce Norris, Playwrights Horizons
ENRON by Lucy Prebble, Broadhurst Theatre
NEXT FALL by Geoffrey Nauffts, Helen Hayes Theatre
THE PRIDE by Alexi Kaye Campbell, MCC Theater
*RED by John Logan, John Golden Theatre* WINNER
VENUS IN FUR by David Ives, Classic Stage Company


DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL*

THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
AMERICAN IDIOT
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer; Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong; Music by Green Day, St. James Theatre
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Book by Alex Timbers; Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, The Public Theater
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
by Noel Coward; Adapted by Emma Rice/Kneehigh Theatre, St. Ann’s Warehouse
COME FLY AWAY
Conceived by Twyla Tharp; Music and Lyrics by Various Artists, Marquis Theatre
MEMPHIS
Book and Lyrics by Joe DiPietro; Music and Lyrics by David Bryan, Shubert Theatre
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux; Music and Lyrics by Various Artists, Nederlander Theatre
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Book by David Thompson; Music and Lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Vineyard Theatre
*SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM
Conceived by James Lapine; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Roundabout Theatre Company* WINNER
*The Broadway transfer of the musical FELA! was nominated for the 2009 Distinguished Production of a Musical during its Off-Broadway run, and was therefore ineligible for nomination this season.


DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY

AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, Brooklyn Academy of Music
BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS by Neil Simon, Nederlander Theatre
COLLECTED STORIES by Donald Margulies, Manhattan Theatre Club
THE EMPEROR JONES by Eugene O’Neill, Irish Repertory Theatre
FENCES by August Wilson, Cort Theatre
LEND ME A TENOR by Ken Ludwig, Music Box Theatre
A LIE OF THE MIND by Sam Shepard, The New Group
*A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE by Arthur Miller, Cort Theatre* WINNER


DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Book by Hugh Wheeler; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Walter Kerr Theatre
FINIAN’S RAINBOW
Book by Yip Harburg and Fred Saidy; Lyrics by Harburg; Music by Burton Lane, St. James Theatre
*LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
Book by Harvey Fierstein; Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman, Longacre Theatre* WINNER
PROMISES, PROMISES
Book by Neil Simon; Lyrics by Hal David; Music by Burt Bacharach, Broadway Theatre
RAGTIME
Book by Terrence McNally; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Music by Stephen Flaherty, Neil Simon Theatre


DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

Nina Arianda, Venus In Fur - Attended
Laura Benanti, In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Daniel Craig, A Steady Rain
Tyne Daly, Love, Loss and What I Wore
Hugh Dancy, The Pride
Viola Davis, Fences - Attended
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Scottsboro Boys - Attended
Colman Domingo, A Boy and his Soul - Attended
Ensemble, Aftermath** - Attended. Represented by Fajer Al-Kaisi
Ensemble, Brief Encounter**
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises - Attended
Carrie Fisher, Wishful Drinking
John Gallagher, Jr., American Idiot - Attended
Victor Garber, Present Laughter
Montego Glover, Memphis - Attended
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, The Understudy - Attended
Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles - Attended
David Alan Grier, Race - Attended
Lance Guest, Million Dollar Quartet - Attended
Jonathan Hammond, The Boys in the Band - Attended
Valerie Harper, Looped - Attended
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises - Attended
Jessica Hecht, A View From The Bridge - Attended
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts - Attended
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles - Attended
Judith Ivey, The Glass Menagerie/The Lady With All The Answers - Attended
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge - Attended
Marc Damon Johnson, The Brother/Sister Plays - Attended
Leslie Jordan, My Trip Down The Pink Carpet - Attended
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet - Attended
Nathan Lane, The Addams Family - Attended
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music - Attended
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories - Attended
Jude Law, Hamlet
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me A Tenor/The Royal Family - Attended
Marin Mazzie, Enron - Attended
*Alfred Molina, Red* WINNER - Attended
Jim Norton, Finian’s Rainbow
Rosie O’Donnell, Love, Loss and What I Wore
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away - Attended
Eddie Redmayne, Red - Attended
Roslyn Ruff, Things of Dry Hours - Attended
Tony Shalhoub, Lend Me A Tenor - Attended
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park - Attended
Anna Deavere Smith, Let Me Down Easy
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime/Yank! - Attended
John Douglas Thompson, The Emperor Jones - Attended
Michael Urie, The Temperamentals - Hosted
Tony Vincent, American Idiot - Attended
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane - Attended
Benjamin Walker, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - Attended
Denzel Washington, Fences - Attended
Ben Whishaw, The Pride
Vanessa Williams, Sondheim on Sondheim - Hosted
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music - Sadly was sick

(** The producers of Aftermath and Brief Encounter may, at their discretion, designate one cast member to appear on the dais on behalf of the full acting ensemble.)

PREVIOUS DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD RECIPIENTS
Recognized by The Drama League for their work this season (but thus not eligible to win again)

Norbert Leo Butz, Enron
Kathleen Chalfant, Family Week
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family - Attended
Hugh Jackman, A Steady Rain - Attended
John Lithgow, Mr. and Mrs. Fitch
Bebe Neuwirth, The Addams Family
Stephen Rea, Ages of the Moon
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge - Attended

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE (presented by Betty Buckley)
Macy’s Parade and Entertainment Group

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE (presented by Jerry Zaks)
Nathan Lane

JULIA HANSEN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING (presented by Denzel Washington)
Kenny Leon

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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James McAvoy Makes For A Good Friday

I'll eventually get back to talking about TV (though I'm still playing massive catch up, but I really enjoyed The Unusuals) but here's some photos of James McAvoy from the stage door of Three Days of Rain (my review here) for Good Friday. (I really have no idea how they relate but whatever, enjoy cause I probably won't have time to post anything until after the long weekend, and RJ, this is for you!) And yes, he was very polite and great with everyone. And his Scottish accent is as dreamy as you imagine!


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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So You Think You Can Dance Canada Mia Michael's Muses Lives On!

Sorry folks, no post on So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 8 Performance Show today. Mainly because I'm in New York and won't get to watch it all until next week myself (at the very earliest unless vids go up on youtube, but last week's video's were only finally up now. Oh, so to update those outside Canada, Danny and Kaitlyn were booted off, just like I predicted).

Instead, I saw Travis Wall at Barracuda last night/this morning. And like the bad gay I am, I was too chicken s#!t to talk to him/fawn/maul him/grab him into a stall in the loo. Sadly, there was no dancing (only a fab drag queen act that Mr. Wall was totally into) but the boy IS cute from close up (if not slightly small. He only goes up to my eyes (granted, I'm 6'1")). Seriously, on the same day I saw Harry Potter's wee wee on stage (at Equus), I think I'm more excited about spotting Travis at a gay club (which I guess sort of confirms things we all already knew?).

So You Think You Can Dance Canada - Top 10 Results - The Cut from 10 to 8

Here was the Top 10 Group Dance from last week's results show. Choreographed by Mia Michaels. (who was a guest judge on the Top 8 this week along with Dan Karaty)
Song: "Any Other World" - Mika



Doesn't it seem a little reminiscent of the Top 6 dance she did, incidentally with Travis Wall and co.? Here, compare (SYTYCD S2 Top 6 with Travis Wall, Benji, Ivan, Donyelle, Heidi, and Allison):


Seriously. Travis is simply one of the best, if not THE best dancer on the show so far (and you know I love some of my other dancers a LOT). Why DIDN'T I kidnap him tonight? Dangit.

So back to Canada:

So the bottom 3 were Kaitlyn, Natalli, Miles and Danny. Exactly as I fearfully predicted. WTF Canada? I might just not come back.



Here was the elimination:


So we say goodbye to Kaitlyn Fitzgerald and Danny Arbour. Another couple gone AGAIN. And Izaak is STILL around. Good thing I'm NOT in the country or else I'd be hopping mad.




For More So You Think You Can Dance:
Check here for the most Recent current postings and Latest News on SYTYCD

For more on So You Think You Can Dance Canada:

Top 10 Performances
Top 12 Performances, Results 12 to 10
Top 14 Performances, Results 14 to 12
Top 16 Performances, Results 16 to 14
Top 18 Performances, Results 18 to 16
Top 20 Performances and Results
Introducing Canada's Top 20

Auditions:
Toronto Week - The Cut to the Top 20
Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary, Montreal - West, East, Middle and Quebec
Toronto - Toronto's Best Foot Forward
The Judges, The Host, The Teaser, All Photos from CTV

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 4:
Finale
Top 4 Performances
Top 6 Performances and Results 6 to 4
Top 8 Performances, Results 8 to 6
Top 10 Performances, Results 10 to 8
Top 16, 14 and 12 Weeks Recaps by Vance again
Top 12 Performances, Results 12 to 10 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 14 Performances, Results 14 to 12 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 16 Performances, Results 16 to 14 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 18 Performances, Results 18 to 16
Top 20 Performances, Results 20 to 18
Introducing the Top 20

Auditions:
Callbacks in Las Vegas - The Top 20 Revealed - What Happens In Vegas
Milwaukee, WI - How The Midwest Was Won
Charleston, South Carolina and Washington D.C. - S.C.D.C. The New Electric (Boogaloo) Term!
Salt Lake City and Dallas - Yeehaw Utah!
Los Angeles - It's Time To Put On Those Dancing Shoes Again Kids!

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 3:
Live Tour - Toronto, Pasha's Solo Video, Neil's Solo Video
Finale - Winner Result
Top 4 Performances - Finals
Top 6 Performances, Top 6 Results
Top 8 Performances, Top 8 Results
Top 10 Performances, Top 10 Results
Top 12 Performances, Top 12 Results
Top 14 Performances, Top 14 Results
Top 16 Performances, Top 16 Results
Top 18 Performances, Top 18 Results
Top 20 Performances, Top 20 Results

For So You Think You Can Dance Season 2:
Favorite Video Clips
Song List Live Tour 2006 - Toronto
Live Tour 2006 - Buffalo, Pics, More Pics

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And I Thought She Was Just Voluptuous

I saw a lot of Broadway celebrities over my week in New York that made ME excited (but most people will be like... who? like Danny Burstein (South Pacific), wife Rebecca Luker (Mary Poppins), Larry Pressgrove! ([title of show]), and Brian Kerwin (August: Osage County) at A Catered Affair, Robin de Jesus (In The Heights) and Elaine Stritch at Damn Yankees, Alexandra Socha (Spring Awakening), Barrett Foa (Spelling Bee, Avenue Q) and the dude that played Boq when I saw Wicked last December all at South Pacific, Lin Manuel Miranda (In The Heights) at Virgin Records, Noah Wiesberg (South Pacific) and Seth Stewart (In The Heights) on the streets, all in addition to stagedooring to stalk adore Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Heidi Blickenstaff, Larry Pressgrove, Susan Blackwell and Michael Berresse at [title of show], Cheyenne Jackson, Jane Krakowski and the hot chorus boys at Damn Yankees, Jackie Hoffman, Kerry Butler, Curtis Holbrook, and Mary Testa at Xanadu, Mary McCormack, Bradley Whitford, Katherine Hahn, and Christine Byranski at Boeing Boeing and Emily Bergl and Tom Cavanagh at Some Americans Abroad)!

We also saw Will Farrell come out of the Boeing Boeing door.

But I also bumped into (almost literally) Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn at The 39 Steps and I thought, boy, I didn't realize Rebecca was pregnant. Then my friend informed me she's not. Voluptuous then?

Apparently I was right! She WAS a little pudgy (but I'm speaking in model terms, she was still beautiful and skinny by regular standards).

By the way, they are a TALL GOOD LOOKING COUPLE. DAMN THEM. Does this mean they will have ugly kids as karmic payback?

Rebecca was at LEAST my height (I'm 6'1") and Jerry was a good 3-4 inches taller than her. Holy cow he's tall. What happened to the short and pudgy Vern?

Still, with the baby weight (and TWINS?), Rebecca was still totally hot looking.

(Twins!? Does that mean it was inseminated? Cause that is TOO much a coincidence for EVERY celebrity to have twins. No? I know it must be the "thing" to do in LA but you can't WILL twins like you can order the latest must-have-purse can you?)

More After the Jump...

It's Hot All Of A Sudden

(Somehow life and work got crazy busy again so even though I have posts in the works from finally catching up with The Office, Beauty and the Geek, and most of Gossip Girl and Greek (damn you Canadian channels for still not putting these two shows ontime along with their US counterparts) plus reviews of Saved the Musical, Altar Boyz (again, this time with SYTYCD3's Neil Haskell, see below), and The Visit (the musical at the Signature in DC), plus my Best of TV post, a Crushworthy Broadway Boys post (in addition to this one) and more on Men in Trees (the show, not actually men in trees. I wish) it will all have to wait. In the meantime, here's some cheap gratuituous photos for your enjoyment!
I was in DC over the weekend where it was quite hot, and now that I'm back in Toronto, the weather has (finally) turned really warm too! Woo!

So just in time for the HOT weather, AfterElton has announced their Hot 100 for this year (nice segue eh? Not subtle at ALL).(Well apologies to my straight male readers or lesbian female ones. That list probably won't interest you. Maybe this one will.)

Since I haven't actually produced any posts, this will be it for now, because it's easy and I'm shallow. So discuss (the hot 100, not my shallowness).

Here's a starter: Luke MacFarlane (Brothers & Sisters) jumped from non-existent on the list to #3. Nice! (and 2 CDN's made the Top 10!)

Incidentally, these two candid (stalkerish paparrazzi photos I took creepily while waiting for my friend in front of the New World Stages Theatre in New York the previous weekend) photos show two of my favorite hotties that didn't make the list (well, they are too obscure in the general public but kind of known to the gays that fawn over them).

The weird thing about the first photo was that I had JUST discovered Jeffrey Self's hilarious youtube videos, where he seems to be friends with half of Broadway including Hunter Bell ([title of show]) and Michael Arden. Then there he was (back turned to the camera), with Michael Arden (Bare: A Pop Opera, The Return of Jezebel James), on 50th Street.

And then Neil Haskell joined them (he and Arden co-starred in The Times They Are A Changin'). Sadly he was in a rush to get to the theatre (for the Altar Boyz performance I was seeing) because if he hadn't been so quick I would have taken a better picture/kidnapped him for my own pleasure:

I also just had to add these photos of Jamie Bamber who made it onto the Hot 100 list... just because..

Here are some other Crushworthy's:
Cheyenne Jackson, Damn, Xanadu Me!
Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westin in Burn Notice
Fernando Meirelles and Slings & Arrows

More After the Jump...

Little New York

(UPDATE: My sister just emailed me and she just passed Neil Haskell on the street at 50th and 8th on his way to the New World Stages. He must be in rehearsals already!!! Sadly she didn't get pics because she almost ran into a lamppost stalking admiring/following him).

And while I've already revealed my sister in the previous post (plus another post last year), I might as well post this because we were SOOOOOO excited when we bumped into them near Times Square after leaving Macbeth on Broadway.

Yeah, we saw Patti LuPone on stage, Patrick Stewart at the stage door, I literally RAN INTO Judith Light (Ugly Betty, Who's The Boss) in the lobby at Gypsy (she was sweet about it and even laughed when I gasped after recognizing who she was), then passed Canadian comedian Rick Mercer (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Rick Mercer Report) on the way to the loo at Gypsy, and we had previously seen everyone from Lauren Graham, Ellen Pompeo, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie O'Donnell etc etc etc, plus I see people on set all the time, but...

this made us SOOOOOO EXCITED!!! Like yah but no but yah but no but ya but no but yah!!!

These two guys (Matt Lucas on the left, David Williams on the right) ROCK! And after I had stepped on one of their feet too. Oops. Still, SO nice and even re-arranged themselves to centre us in the photos. So sweet! I wonder if they were in the country to film Little America Britain USA? I was about to ask but some gibberish came out of my mouth and I just stopped myself before I embarrassed myself even more.

If you don't know who these guys are, rent/buy Little Britain. But I warn you, you may injure yourself after falling on the floor laughing.

Oh yeah, and Giles (Anthony Head Stewart) is in it too!

I've got a pic too but sorry, unless you've facebooked me, I've got to keep myself annonymous for fear that I might slag someone I end up working with in the industry, past, present and future. Or for spilling secrets.

Still, if you can find me on facebook, feel free to add me (just let me know you're a reader or something).

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RIP Heath Ledger

At this point I'm sure you all know that actor Heath Ledger, 28, has died since every blog, radio, and TV station has already broken the news this afternoon.

So sad. So shocking. I'm truly shocked. 

When the talented but troubled Brad Renfrow past away last week, I was sadly not that surprised. This Heath Ledger news, I am.

It's not that I loved Heath but I did think he was a pretty cool actor that chose good roles (like in Monster's Ball) and he was one of those actors I just wanted to do well. 

My sister was just mentioning that 10 Things I Hate About You is almost nearing 10 years now (good god, how old am I?) and I still remember Heath making a pretty good introduction into my awareness. Loved that movie!

Then of course Brokeback Mountain, which I truly thought was the best movie from 2 years ago (and was totally robbed at the Oscars), with Heath Ledger creating the now iconic role of Ennis Del Mar. 

He truly had a great future ahead of him but I guess the news of his death is all the more shocking since he was quite private and not exactly known as a partyer that might have been prone to an early death, but I guess everybody is vulnerable and life is fragile.

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Career Watch - Lucas Grabeel

The much talked movie biopic about gay activist Harvey Milk has just cast my baby my favorite High School Musical cast member Lucas Grabeel in the role of Dan Nicoletta, Milk's close friend.

I'm so proud of our little dancing queen Lucas, who played the we-assume-is-gay Ryan Evans in the High School Musical juggernaut, and had played gay on Veronica Mars.

Lucas Grabeel on Veronica Mars (from the episode Versatile Toppings #S02E14):


Um, which is not to say he's gay. It's just nice to see Lucas get a role in Gus Van Sant's Milk that seems to be the must-do movie for male actors right now, which has Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, as well as Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men), Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild), James Franco (Spider Man), Victor Garber (Alias, Eli Stone), Denis O'Hare (Brothers & Sisters, A Mighty Heart), Stephen Spinella (Spring Awakening, 24, Angels in America) as well as just-cast Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien), and Douglas Smith (Big Love).

It's exactly the clout Lucas Grabeel needs in his career to expand his repertoire from Disney stuff. Not that I'm complaining since I just discovered his version of Disney's Hercules song "Go The Distance" (from the Disney Mania 5 album) on my iPod that my sister must have thrown on, and I LOVE IT!

Lucas Grabeel - "Go The Distance" from the album Disney Mania 5 (Originally from Hercules soundtrack)


I mean, he already rocked Ryan Evans and "I Don't Dance" (video after the jump below) was one of the most not-really-that-subtle-and-it's-so-cheese-it's-gay song from High School Musical 2 that cemented Lucas Grabeel as my favorite character in the series (yes, over Zac Efron, a little girl must have just died as I said that).

Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu - "I Don't Dance" from High School Musical 2


Anyways, Lucas Grabeel is also back with the rest of the cast for High School Musical 3 and here's hoping for more songs like "What I've Been Looking For", the duet Ryan does with sister Sharpay (a fabulous Ashley Tisdale) from the first High School Musical.

Lucas Grabeel and Ashley Tisdale - "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop To the Top" from High School Musical


He even cartwheels with one arm! And if that wasn't comedic genius, I don't know what is!

So let's hope Grabeel's career is on the up an up and he gets at least a fraction of the attention Zac Efron has been getting.

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Je T'aime

Okay, I'm here watching Dirty Sexy Money and while it's been sort of amusing, I think I've had more fun playing around with facebook and finding out that Jamie Hodgins, the Triple Sensation finalist somehow found my original quote ("I loved Jamie Hodgins who is cute as a button") and posted it on facebook. Hilarious... shoot... I knew I should have said more. I was actually holding back for the next episode. Or maybe it's good I didn't say more.

However I just saw something during the commerical breaks that made me go WHAT THE HELL? There, in the Yoplait commercial was Margot Martindale and not even in the main part. WHAT THE HELL? What is she doing in a Yoplait commercial in the same year she deserves to get a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her work in Paris Je T'aime?

Her performance in the segment 14ème arrondissement directed by Alexander Payne is simply magnificent, funny and heartbreaking. All in 6 minutes. I found the clip on youtube and I've posted it after the jump but you really must watch the whole film. It's really wonderful:

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Big Brother Trifecta - Queen of California

So what happened? I missed last nights episode but figured Daniele won Veto, took herself off the block thus forcing Zach to put up Jameka and leaving Daniele with sole control over voting Jameka off and saving her dad. Then new HOH which means unless Zach wins, he's screwed. Leaving Daniele to win next week? Was I right? (Not quite but close, and at this point, Daniele, as annoying as she may be sometimes, is the best player this year).

Go find out all the hilarious details at QTA, who was so kind to switch nights with me so that I could get these pictures of Kevin Zegers at last nights TIFF party at Casa Loma (for King of California) who showed amazing promise (and a smooth heiny) in TransAmerica (but sadly, I did not become BFF with Catherine Zeta Jones):

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Cover Stories - Jodie Speaks Out But Not Out

Well, the new Fall TV Preview edition of Entertainment Weekly is out today! WOOHOO!!!

No surprise that Addy, Kate Walsh hit the cover, thus covering both a new show (Private Practice) and an old show (Grey's Anatomy).

However, did anybody read last week's cover story interview with Jodie Foster? I know there's little love for her and her refusal to come out, but since I don't really care about that, I'll let it go. Her interview was still quite candid for a Hollywood star about other things including Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, and admitting some of her previous movies weren't the best. I like that she can be honest in the media about that. I'm so used to PR driven interviews that it's nice to hear something where the publicist is probably banging her head outside the door (although is it any surprise it is Pat Kingsley, superagent that hid crazy Tom Cruise for all those year until he fired her before the couch-jumping incident"?)

I love that she essentially already admits her new movie The Brave One has a bad title that doesn't explain the movie AT ALL and is quite misleading.

EW: Then why is it called The Brave One?
JF: That's a really good question! [Laughs] That's many, many memos ago. The whole time we were like, ''You guys, this title is bad, this is misleading.'' I don't really know how to explain it except that it's the first title the script ever had and [producer] Joel Silver really believes that it has a strong feeling to it. Which it does. It's not wimpy. It would be a beautiful title for another movie. My only defense is that there are a lot of really good movies that have bad titles. Gone With the Wind. That was a bad title. The Way We Were. Terrible title!

On quality of her previous movie:
EW: I watched Inside Man again recently —
JF: Did you like that movie?
EW: Fun popcorn flick. Did you?
JF:I think that script was really, really good. It's not as exciting as I was hoping, but my character's great, even though if you cut her out of the movie it would not matter one iota.

On Mel Gibson:
EW: How did it feel watching your costar Mel Gibson take a bath in the press after his drunk-driving arrest?
JF: I love him. I knew the minute I met him that he was going to be my friend for the rest of my life. I don't often feel that way, and I certainly never feel that way about actors. I know Mel extremely well, and anybody who has even remotely met him knows what a severe alcohol problem he's had his entire life. This is a man who almost died.

On religion:
EW: Are you religious?
JF: No, I'm an atheist. But I absolutely love religions and the rituals. Even though I don't believe in God. We celebrate pretty much every religion in our family with the kids. They love it, and when they say, ''Are we Jewish?'' or ''Are we Catholic?'' I say, ''Well, I'm not, but you can choose when you're 18. But isn't this fun that we do seders and the Advent calendar?''

Basically calling out that Russell Crowe is flaky:
EW: Are you still going to direct Sugarland, about migrant workers in Florida?
JF: It just fell apart again. And that was a great part for Robert De Niro. That's the story in Hollywood. You make personal movies and they're really hard to get off the ground. S--- happens. Usually it's actors who screw you. That's what happened on Flora Plum [a Depression-era story about circus performers Foster first tried to shoot in 2000]. Russell Crowe had that accident [he injured his shoulder while prepping for the film], it shut down, there was a [potential] strike, I lost my financing, we got it together again with [someone else], he left, it was done. But on Sugarland, I said, ''I'm going to write this part for myself so that I'm in it and at least I'll have one actor I can count on for financing who's not flaky.'' So I did that and the studio pulled the plug despite that.

I kind of love her for that. She also states that she did Flight Plan because her agent told her to in the end, because it would do well (it did) even though the script wasn't there yet (it wasn't). Okay, maybe not the STRONGEST of females if you can't stand up to Pat Kingsley but who can? I'd be scared of Pat too? Look what happened after Tom Cruise fired her?

More After the Jump...

Rory Gilmore's Boys

I knew once the floppy hair was gone, I could take him more seriously. Though I did like him as Jesse on Rory's bad boy paramour.

Of course here I am helping Heroes promotion again just as I was saying it didn't need any more promotion on The TV Addict.

Onto Rory's first love, I finally saw the Supernatural episode Hollywood Babylon that has the great line about seeing the stars of Gilmore Girls as the Winchester brothers take a tour of a Hollywood backlot and we pan on Jared Padalecki, who was Dean on Gilmore Girls, rival to Jesse (Milo Ventimiglia).

By the way, how tall is Jared anyways? He towered over the folks from High School Musical at last nights Teen Choice Awards. Look at him crouching down to Vanessa Hudgens (ZAC. EFRON. OMG!) (BTW, I ended up buying those tickets to see High Schoool Musical on tour. OMG I CAN'T WAIT!).

More Milo pics after the jump.


Milo Ventimiglia at the LA Times Image Party.

More After the Jump...

I Only Stalk Celebrities (like Jonathan Groff) On Broadway

Here's a few more pictures of the talented Broadway folks my sister and I stalked admired last week in New York during our musical marathon. Funny, I work around celebrities a lot now (Antonio Banderas? Yawn. Monica Belucci, eh (though she is one smart cookie!). Hilary Duff? Boring.) and usually I couldn't care less but stick me outside a stage door and I become a fourteen year old school girl.

But mainly it's because I needed to post more of Jonathan Groff.

Non-Jonathan Groff pictures after the jump.

Nick Adams as Larry in A Chorus Line in a Dustin shirt.


Michael Berrese as Zach in A Chorus Line


Tamyra Gray as Mimi in Rent

I have a lot more including ones with Kerry Butler, Mary Testa, Cheyenne Jackson, Curtis Holbrook, Tony Roberts and Jackie Hoffman from Xanadu (wait, that's almost the entire cast), and the rest of the Spring Awakening cast but my sister and I are in them and I like to keep my secret double life (and I already revealed my sister in the other post) hehe (again, I'm associated with a show that some cast members from Spring want to be on, ironically enough, while everyone on this show is trying to get into that show, with an erroneous rumour already out that one person was in fact going to be).

See also
One Jonathan Groff To Live
One More Jonathan Groff To Live
No More Jonathan Groff To Live
Broadway Marathon

More After the Jump...