US personality Joan Rivers poses for photographers as she presents "Comedy Roast with Joan Rivers", during the 25th MIPCOM (International Film and Programme Market for TV, Video, Cable and Satellite) in Cannes, southeastern France, Monday, Oct 5, 2009.LIONEL CIRONNEAU/The Associated Press
LIGHTS OUT
It took some last-minute wrangling, but at least seven Broadway theatres will dim their lights in memory of the late Joan Rivers.
According to the New York Times, seven of Broadway's 40 theatres will dim their marquee lights at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday night to honour the late comedian, who passed away in New York last Thursday.
But the decision to fete Rivers with the lofty theatre tradition – which in the past has been bestowed upon Lynn Redgrave and, more recently, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Williams – only came following an outcry from theatre producers.
On Monday, the Times reported that a committee of the Broadway League made the decision not to dim the lights to honour Rivers.
The reason given: Rivers was not closely associated enough with Broadway to warrant the honour – even though Rivers had performed on the Great White Way on three occasions and even earned a Tony Award nomination in 1994 for her performance in the play Sally Marr…and Her Escorts.
"When you say Joan Rivers, you don't think comedy, television and Broadway, you think comedy and television," Broadway League executive director Charlotte St. Martin told the Times. "It's certainly nothing against her."
Shortly after the announcement, off-Broadway producer Tom D'Angora launched an online petition demanding a reversal of the decision. Within hours, the petition had garnered close to 2,000 signatures.
On late Monday night, Jordan Roth, owner of the Jujamcyn Theater chain, which operates five of the seven theatres that will dim the lights, went on Twitter (@Jordan_Roth) to announce, "In memory of the legendary Joan Rivers, we will dim the lights of our Jujamcyn Theaters marquees, Tuesday at 6:45 p.m."
In separate announcements, Disney announced it would dim the lights at the New Amsterdam Theater, where the musical Aladdin is currently playing.
Fittingly, the independently owned Helen Hayes Theater, the former venue for Sally Marr during its mid-nineties run, has also announced it will dim its lights on Tuesday night.
But that still leaves 33 Broadway theatres that won't be lowering their lights Tuesday night to show respect for Rivers – which seems an unkind sendoff to the woman who told New York magazine, "If you don't go to Broadway, you're a fool. On Broadway, off Broadway, above Broadway, go! Don't tell me there isn't something wonderful playing."
NOSE NEWS
Do not adjust your set if you think Seth Meyers looks a little different these days: The comedy veteran has a broken nose. On Monday night's edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host revealed that he broke his beak while playing street hockey with friends in Boulder, Colo., last weekend. "A friend smashed me in the nose with his stick and I hit the ground and immediately knew that my nose was broken," said Meyers. "My friends couldn't hear me because they were all laughing. So much laughter! As much laughter as blood!" Meyers admitted to his audience that he was wearing makeup and concealer until the bruising fades.
Source: E!
SICK DAYS
Cher has announced that she will postpone two upcoming concert dates due to illness. In a statement released to E! News, the 68-year-old singer said that she requires bed rest for several days to recuperate from an acute viral infection. Cher was scheduled to perform in Albany, N.Y., on Sept. 11 and in Manchester, N.H., on Sept. 13. Those shows have been rescheduled for Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, respectively. All other dates on Cher's Dressed to Kill tour are expected to remain unchanged.
Source: E!
MACCA MUSIC
A diverse musical lineup including Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and KISS will perform their favourite Paul McCartney songs on an upcoming tribute album. Slated for release on Nov. 18, the album titled The Art of Paul McCartney will feature Dylan singing the early Beatles song Things We Said Today and Joel performing Maybe I'm Amazed and Live and Let Die. Kiss will cover the Wings' medley Venus and Mars/Rock Show. On Tuesday, Rolling Stone provided fans with a sneak peek of the album by putting the music video for the song Hello Goodbye – as recorded by The Cure and McCartney's son, James McCartney – on their website.
Source: USA Today
BEST BOYFRIEND EVER
Juliette Lewis has revealed the best perk that came with dating Brad Pitt back in the nineties: The option of wearing his clothes. In an interview with HuffPost Live, the 41-year-old actress was shown photos of her and Pitt together and commented, "I was wearing his shirt and some random pants from my closet. I love that there was no styling…it's like when you look back at old Oscar pictures and people are wearing ruffle prom dresses." In the same interview, Lewis also touched on Pitt's recent nuptials with longtime partner Angelina Jolie. "He did get married," said Lewis. "And how awesome is that?"
Source: Us Weekly
TAKE TWO
Steven Spielberg and the Fox Network will mount a TV sequel to the 2002 sci-fi feature Minority Report. The original film, which was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick and was directed by Spielberg, took place in 2054 and starred Tom Cruise as a "precrime" cop who arrested criminals before they committed crimes with the assistance of precognitive helpers, or "precogs." The TV version will take place 10 years later and focus on a precog attempting to lead a normal human life. No casting decisions have been announced for the series, which is expected to go into production in early 2015.
Source: Hollywood Reporter