News for 5/1/2003


People Magazine Names '50 Most Beautiful'


NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's official, Halle Berry, the actress whose star has risen in recent years thanks to an Oscar win and a stint as a Bond girl, is beautiful.

People magazine named the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in its latest issue, which hits newsstands on Friday, with Berry's face on the cover.

The Oscar-winning actress made the list for the seventh time, while fellow Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts made the list for an eighth time, the magazine said.

First on the list of men was Ashton Kutcher of "That '70s Show," who described himself in the magazine as "a guy's guy... I don't comb my hair unless I have to."

Also listed were actresses Nicole Kidman, singer Britney Spears, who said her beauty secret was "lots and lots of sleep," actress Susan Sarandon and her daughter, actress Eva Amurri, actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Aniston, Queen Latifah, Julianne Moore, 16-year-old twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and singer Norah Jones.

Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis whose debut album has just been released, was also on the list and admitted to little beauty discipline.

"I smoke, I don't do yoga ... I bite the hell out of my nails," Presley said.

Also on the list were Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, actors George Clooney, Hugh Jackman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Peter Krause, Colin Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, professional basketball player Tony Parker, flamenco dancer Farruquito and jockey Gary Stevens.

Comedic actor and writer Steve Martin was also named as a hunk, but joked his beauty "is actually a burden."

"Sometimes I go to a party and not one of the other 49 most beautiful people is there," he said in the magazine. "That makes me feel very solitary and alone, because it means I am the most beautiful person in the room."



Weekend Boxoffice


Box Office Finds "Identity"


By Bridget Byrne

Audiences accepted a new Identity this weekend.

The fright flick about murder mayhem among a motley crew stranded at a murky motel debuted as the number one movie with an estimated $16.2 million.

That was just enough to bump the popular yukfest Anger Management down to second place with $15 million. But that total was enough to push the Adam Sandler-Jack Nicholson shtick to a three-week gross of $103.5 million, making the Sony release the fourth film released this year to pass the official hit $100 million mark.

Identity, also a Sony release--but R-rated unlike the PG-13 laffer--features an ensemble of horror bound transients including John Cusack, Rebecca De Mornay, Ray Liotta, Alfred Molina and Amanda Peet. Debuting at 2,733 sites it averaged $6,220 per screen, compared to the $4,376 average still being pulled in by Anger Management at 3,656 locations, 86 more than last weekend.

A trio of other wide releases opened at somewhat fewer screens. The most successful was Confidence although it only managed fifth place. Lions Gate's R-rated drug world sting drama, starring Ed Burns, Rachel Weisz, Andy Garcia and Dustin Hoffman, could only nab an estimated $4.6 million from a $2,439 screen average at 1,871 sites.

Even less popular was It Runs in the Family, the Douglas family love fest, starring Michael, his dad Kirk, his mom Diana and his kid Cameron, as a multi-generation clan trying to get along. In ninth place, the PG-13 MGM release earned only $2.8 million from a $2,323 average at 1,207 sites.

In tenth place was The Real Cancun, the real take on hedonistic coeds' spring break. The R-rated New Line release licked up only $2.1 million from a $933 average at 2,261 sites.

In limited release the top screen average among newcomers was the $34,000 earned at just five sites for People I Know, the R-rated Miramax release starring Al Pacino as a sleazy publicist whose life and career are unraveling. At just three locations, Paramount Classic's House of Fools, the Russian movie about a mental patient embroiled in the madness of war, who dreams she's engaged to pop star Bryan Adams, averaged $2,410 per screen for a total of $7,229.

Overall the top 12 films in this interlude before the summer blockbuster season kicks in grossed an estimated $71.2 million, according to receipt-tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. That's six percent higher than this time last year.

Here's a recap of the top 10 weekend films:

1. Identity, $16.2 million
2. Anger Management, $15 million
3. Holes, $12.6 million
4. Malibu's Most Wanted, $7.3 million
5. Confidence, $4.6 million
6. Bulletproof Monk, $4.4 million
7. What a Girl Wants, $3.2 million
8. Phone Booth, $3 million
9. It Runs in the Family, $2.8 million
10. The Real Cancun, $2.1 million



News for 4/23/2003


Weekend Boxoffice


Easter Bunny Delivers "Anger"


Forget Peter Cottontail and that basketful of Easter joy nonsense--moviegoers preferred to deal with some Anger Management issues this holiday weekend.

For the second straight weekend, the Adam Sandler-Jack Nicholson yukfest retained its chokehold on the box office, scoring an estimated $25.5 million between Friday and Sunday, according to preliminary studio estimates, to hold off a slew of newbie releases.

For its 10-day run, the PG-13 Sony/Revolution Studios flick about a wrongfully persecuted mild-mannered secretary and his button-pushing counselor, has grossed more than $80 million and should top the $100 million mark by next weekend. For the Easter weekend, Anger Management averaged a solid $7,171 at 3,570 theaters.

That was actually less than the number two flick, Disney's big-screen take on Louis Sachar's hugely popular kid book Holes. Starring newcomer Shia LeBeouf as one of a group of juvenile delinquents forced to dig in the desert for some mean adults (played by Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight), Holes opened big, tallying $17.1 million and exceeding Disney's own expectations. With little competition for the family-friendly dollar, Holes also shoveled up the best per-screen average in the top 10, with $7,336 at 2,331 sites. Can you say sequel?

At number three was another new entry: Jamie Kennedy's wannabe whitebread rapper farce Malibu's Most Wanted. The PG-13 Warner Bros. spoof, inspired by Kennedy's hidden-camera WB hijinks, hip-hopped its way to a solid $13.1 million, easily eclipsing the fourth-place film, Bulletproof Monk. Based on a comic book, MGM's PG-13 martial-arts buddy action comedy, mismatching Chow Yun-Fat's supermonk and Seann William Scott's wisecracking pickpocket, only managed to kick up $8.6 million. Since opening on Wednesday (to take advantage of both Passover and Easter), Monk has grossed just $11.7 million.

With a budget of only $15 million, Malibu will turn a tidy profit for Warners. Monk, on the other hand, proved to be the latest disappointment for struggling MGM.

Debuting just outside the top 10 were two flicks in smaller release: Chasing Papi and A Mighty Wind.

Papi, 20th Century Fox's nominal comedy about an unrepentant ladies man who gets his comeuppance at the hand of his three girlfriends, finished in 12th for the weekend with $2.21 million. Targeting the Latino audience, Papi averaged $3,778 in 585 cinemas.

A Mighty Wind, Christopher Guest's latest mockumentary, this one focusing on some washed-up '60s folkies reuniting for a TV benefit concert and featuring an on-screen musical reteaming of Guest and Spinal Tap mates Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, was thisclose to catching Papi, grossing $2.2 million for Warners. But Wind blew away Papi in the per-screen battle, scoring the best average of the weekend: $16,541 in just 133 theaters. Warners plans on rolling out the film wider in the coming weeks.

Since opening Wednesday, Papi has grossed $3 million and Wind, $2.8 million.

Finally, recently coronated Best Picture Chicago saw its tally hit the $160 million mark this weekend, making it the top-grossing film in Miramax's history, surpassing Scary Movie.

The top 12 films grossed $90.2 million, according to the receipt trackers at Exhibitor Relations, up 7 percent from last weekend but down 3 percent from the same period last year.

1. Anger Management, $25.6 million
2. Holes, $17.1 million
3. Malibu's Most Wanted, $13.1 million
4. Bulletproof Monk, $8.6 million
5. Phone Booth, $5.7 million
6. What a Girl Wants, $4.8 million
7. Bringing Down the House, $3.3 million
8. A Man Apart, $2.6 million
9. Chicago, $2.5 million
10. House of 1,000 Corpses, $2.4 million



News for 4/19/2003


Cobb Joins Y&R


This is no science fiction! Fresh from his stint on Andromeda, Keith Hamilton Cobb, who made hearts swoon as All My Children's streetwise Noah Keefer, is back in the daytime biz on The Young and the Restless. Cobb is Damon Porter, a disarmingly charming chemist who's certain to stir up emotions in Genoa City. "He's a self-assured man who's happy with his place in the universe," Cobb says. "He understands innately how things go together and the effect they have on one another, whether he's creating a perfume or concocting the perfect seductive dinner."

Cobb's return to the daytime screen may be a surprise for many. When he left his popular AMC role in 1996, it seemed that daytime would not be a return destination. He chuckles at the notion. "Acting is acting, no matter what medium you do it in, as long as they let you do what you do," he declares. "The Y&R executives outlined this role with the greatest enthusiasm and excitement, and I thought, 'This is the time to do this.'" Getting the chance to work on daytime's highest rated show didn't hurt either. "They have stayed at the top of the game for a long time. It was reassuring to me that they had achieved this status," he states. "There's a degree of quality in the results."

Cobb's new role has him in direct contact with Victoria Rowell's Drucilla, an experiment that's sure to ignite some sparks. "I've known her for sometime, but we've never worked together. I had my first scenes with her, and everyone's jazzed about it." Cobb is also sporting a new look. Gone are his signature locks. "Long, short, it's still me," he comments. "I've never defined myself by my hair."

Look for Cobb to debut May 27.



Whitney Houston Gives 'Public' Performance


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - One of America's biggest pop stars will join a potential future pop star on the season finale of "Boston Public."

Whitney Houston will take her first acting role in several years when she guest-stars as herself on the FOX series. A Winslow High student writes her a 10-page letter asking if she'll be his prom date, and to everyone's surprise, she accepts.

Houston will also work with former "American Idol" finalist Tamyra Gray, who's wrapping up her recurring role as the shy but talented student Aisha. She's set to sing at the prom, but when she hears Houston -- her idol -- will be there, she gets stage fright.

Houston does her best to help Aisha get over her nerves, giving an unplanned performance of "Try It on My Own," her latest single.

A six-time Grammy winner, Houston has sold more than 120 million albums in her career. Her acting credits include "The Bodyguard," "Waiting to Exhale" and, most recently, ABC's 1997 musical "Cinderella."

The "Boston Public" season finale is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Monday, May 12.



Scribe Antwone Fisher Set to Foster Comedy


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Screenwriter Antwone Fisher, who chronicled his harrowing childhood and troubled youth in the self-titled Fox Searchlight feature, is turning to comedy for his next project.

The untitled New Line project, described as "Big Daddy" meets "Problem Child," is set in the world of foster care and revolves around the comedic dynamic between a foster child and his unqualified caretaker.

Fisher, who grew up in foster care, will draw on some of the real goings-on in foster care for the script. The project is designed as a starring vehicle for a black star.

"Since everyone had such a big cry (with 'Antwone Fisher'), I want to give everyone a big laugh," Fisher said in an interview. Robert Simonds will produce.

The project reunites Fisher and Simonds, who worked together on the comedy "00 Soul," which Fisher co-wrote with Chris Tucker, who was going to star. The project was set up at Universal Pictures with Mariah Carey co-starring, but it never came to fruition. Fisher also has worked with New Line, having done some uncredited rewrites on the Tucker vehicles "Money Talks" and "Rush Hour."



NBC's "Fame" Game


Just like the song says, Fame's gonna live forever.

Or at least it seems that way.

Following in the (dancing) footsteps of Fame (Alan Parker's 1980 movie musical), Fame (the 1982-87 TV series), Fame: The Musical (the stage version launched in 1988) and Fame L.A. (the ill-fated 1997 TV retread) comes Fame, the reality show.

Looking to relaunch the indomitable franchise yet again (NBC aired the first season of the original TV show before it moved into syndication) and more importantly come up with its own rival to American Idol, the Peacock this week announced that it had green-lighted the series for a summer run.

But where the original film, TV series and musical all focused on kids at New York's High School of the Performance Arts, NBC's reality version--breathlessly touted at the "ultimate talent search" in a network press release--will encompass a "nationwide auditions search of the finest singers/dancers with real star potential."

Tapped for the Simon Cowell role: choreography whiz and veteran Fame player Debbie Allen, an alum of both the original film (opposite Irene Cara) and the first TV show (in which she starred with a young Janet Jackson).

Allen will canvass the country to recruit talent (ages 16 and up) who can dance and sing. At each audition performers get to choose from a lineup of songs and rap tracks (oddly enough, neither the Oscar-winning title cut nor any other tune from the Fame soundtrack is on the approved list).

Allen will select a group of semifinalists and put them through a "boot camp," in which they'll rehearse routines in front of a panel of as-yet unrevealed celebrity judges, along with friends and family. Per reality-show tradition, viewers at home will determine the one who, as NBC puts it, "ultimately travels the path all the way to Fame."

"The enormous success of the movie Chicago, as well as talents like J. Lo, Usher and Justin Timberlake have rekindled the country's appetite for performers who sing, dance and have that bigger-than-life presentation that have helped them achieve fame," says Allen in a statement. "I am looking forward to finding the best of the best!"

"Fame" is the latest in a slew of TV talent contests that have emerged after the success of Fox's smash hit "American Idol." NBC also has "America's Most Talented Kid," which wraps its first season May 2. The network is also expected to debut "America's Most Talented Senior" this summer, while CBS is currently airing a revival of "Star Search."

USA network has its "Nashville Star" series in full swing, while MTV will debut "MTV's MC Battle" on May 14, and VH1 premieres "Born to Diva" on April 28. In addition, Fox will launch "American Juniors" (formerly titled "Junior Idol for singers ages 6-to-13, with the show set to premiere May 27.

The following are the dates and locations for "Fame" auditions:



Eligibility requirements and an audition song list can be found on the NBC Web site: NBC.com



News for 4/16/2003


TV's big black-white divide narrows


Gary Levin
USA TODAY


As networks add diversity to their prime-time casts, blacks and whites share more favorite series than ever, an annual study of viewing habits reports today.

Nine of the top 20 series among black households also are favorites among whites, the most overlap in at least 10 years, says the latest study of black viewing trends from ad-buying firm Initiative Media. Most are dramas such as ER, Law & Order, CSI and Judging Amy, but Monday Night Football and 60 Minutes also made both lists.

''In the past there has always been a polarization; the top 20 lists were very different,'' Initiative's Stacey Lynn Koerner says. ''Now what we're seeing is there are more shows these ethnic groups have in common.'' Why? ''One of the reasons is the shows themselves are depicting multiethnic casts and multiethnic situations.''

Though fewer shows feature predominantly black casts -- NBC and WB have none -- 51 of last fall's series included ethnically diverse casts, up from just 13 in 1995, the study says. Other findings:


Although the overall audience for those sitcoms was nearly 80% black, other black-led series showed popularity among a more diverse audience. Cedric's audience was 52% black, compared with 39% for Bernie Mac and just 24% for ABC's Damon Wayans sitcom, My Wife and Kids.



News for 4/14/2003


Weekend Boxoffice


Audiences Mad for "Anger"


A little Anger went a long way at the cineplex this weekend.

The blockbuster pairing of Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler made for blockbuster box office, as Anger Management raged into theaters with a huge $44.5 million over the three-day weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

The Columbia-Revolution Studios tag-team comedy, starring Sandler as a mild-mannered guy tortured by his button-pushing court-appointed counselor Nicholson, single-handedly righted the movie biz, which had been in the midst of four down weekends in a row thanks to a combination of war in Iraq and plain bad flicks.

Not only did Anger Management gross more than the rest of the top 12 movies combined, it scored the highest debut of the year (beating Daredevil's $40.3 million), the biggest April debut ever (topping The Scorpion King's $36.1 million last year) and the best opening for both Nicholson (whose previous was 1989's Batman with $40.5 million) and Sandler (Big Daddy's $41.5 million in 1999).

Anger Management opened in a whopping 3,551 theaters, one of the widest debuts in Hollywood history, and averaged $12,532 per, tops among the weekend's major films.

It's also the third comedy to open at number one this year, following the $100 million-plus Steve Martin-Queen Latifah smash Bringing Down the House and the Chris Rock-Bernie Mac political comedy Head of State.

With Anger storming in, last week's chart-topper, Phone Booth, slipped to second with just $7.5 million.

The only other major newcomer to surface over the weekend was Rob Zombie's long-dead House of 1,000 Corpses, which opened in seventh place with $3.4 million.

Originally slated for release in summer 2001, the shock rocker's directorial debut was shelved by Universal. Zombie said studio suits found the gorefest too disturbing; but studio insiders said they felt the film was just plain horrible. Zombie bought back the film and secured a distribution deal with Lions Gate, which released Corpses in 595 theaters, where it pulled in horror lovers and averaged a solid $5,714 per.

On the art-house circuit, the Sundance hit Better Luck Tomorrow, about a group of bored suburban Asian-American teens looking for trouble, had a huge premiere. Playing in just 13 theaters, the MTV Films/Paramount release tallied an impressive $398,489 to average $30,653--tops among all movies this weekend.

Powered by the Adam-Jack attack, the top 12 grossed $86.9 million, according to receipt-tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. That's up 6.3 percent from last year and, as previously mentioned, ends a four-week skid.

1. Anger Management, $44.5 million
2. Phone Booth, $7.5 million
3. What a Girl Wants, $6.7 million
4. Bringing Down the House, $4.6 million
5. A Man Apart, $4.5 million
6. Head of State, $4 million
7. House of 1,000 Corpses, $3.4 million
8. Chicago, $3.3 million
9. The Core, $3.2 million
10. Basic, $2.2 million



News for 4/10/2003


Tamyra Takes Off


Former Idol makes her mark on TV's Boston Public

by Kate O'Hare
Zap2it


If singer Tamyra Gray had nerves about acting, they're not showing during filming of an episode of FOX's Monday high-school drama Boston Public.

It's chilly in Manhattan Beach, Calif. -- though downright toasty by the standards of the show's setting in Boston -- and cast and crew are bundled into coats and jackets watching Gray shoot a scene in front of a small outdoor set of the entrance to Winslow High.

A small girl who wowed the crowd with her huge voice and wound up a finalist (and the judges' favorite) in the first season of FOX's American Idol, Gray made her acting debut in an initial four-episode arc playing shy student Aisha, whose life changed radically when teacher Marylin Sudor (Sharon Leal) urged her to seek the lead in the school's production of Leader of the Pack, The Ellie Greenwich Musical.

As Aisha's confidence and popularity have grown, so have the problems with her jealous and controlling boyfriend, J.T. (DeJuan Guy). In the scene shooting this evening -- with Gray's mother and a younger brother in attendance -- Aisha is shocked when J.T. suddenly presents her with an engagement ring.

Since filming this episode, Gray has signed on for an additional three installments, airing this month, that follow Aisha's continuing attempts to adjust to the changes in her life.

"It's about confidence," Gray says of her character. "It's about her gaining confidence and seeing her work and overcome obstacles, which a lot of teenagers go through."

"I found myself, when I was reading the script, thinking, 'Do teenagers really go through abusive relationships like this?' That's unfathomable to me. I can't see somebody trying to take me away from something I love for selfish reasons."

"I guess that's probably why it never happened when I was in high school, because whenever a guy came around, I was like, 'This is what I do.'"

"Aisha's boyfriend is very jealous, but [my] character has a sense of empowerment and strength. It lets you know that you can walk away. You don't have to put up with that. You're worth more than that."

Gray's own confidence and willingness to learn impressed her new Boston Public bosses. "She's very together," executive producer Jonathan Pontell says. "I directed the first episode she was in and just had a blast. She was wonderful. It's interesting, because she's very new to this, and she took to it very well. She's very smart, which you need to be, has a lot of presence and not a bad voice."

Asked how Gray did as an actress, Pontell says, "It's challenging. She's very bright, and she gets it. Initially, she did certain things that inexperienced actors do, and you strip that away a little bit. The notes I gave her were basically to just keep it very simple, keep it very real, keep it very conversational, get rid of the acting."

"You do that with very experienced actors. 'That was great, now do it without acting.' Sometimes new actors will tend to use a lot of gestures, be very physical. It's always, keep it very simple, keep it real, talk to her. She caught on very quickly."

"The story line is relatable and real," executive producer Jason Katims says. "It's, on the one hand, a good platform for her to get started in dramatic acting, and luckily for the audience, it allows us also to see her musical talents."

"I remember when I first pitched her the whole arc -- which included her stage fright and having to get over that -- and her response was, 'Well, this was me. I went through all of this.' So that, of course, made me feel good."

While Gray didn't have any romantic difficulties in high school like Aisha does, she does say she was "pretty much a loner, but I think it was because I was constantly seeking. I was like, 'This isn't the end. There has to be something more than this, there has to be something more than what I'm feeling right now, more than my insecurities, more than my fears.'"

Of course, there were those who doubted Gray in high school. "I saw that person already," she says. "I wasn't bitter. I'm not bitter for anything, because I look at it like everything happens for a reason. So, if you doubted me then, you only made me push myself that much harder, which is true for everything."

"So when I saw that person, I was like, 'Hey, how you doing? You didn't think I'd be here.' This is what I'm thinking, but of course I'm not saying that. Just you showing a bit of grace in the situation is going to make them feel a whole lot worse."

Gray's future Boston Public experiences will be worked around her recording contract with 19 Recordings, the company headed by Idol mastermind (and Gray's manager) Simon Fuller. Gray wants her fans to expect the unexpected on her first CD.

"In order to truly represent yourself to the fullest extent," she says, "you have to combine everything. I'm not just R&B; I'm not just pop; I'm not just alternative. I'm a little bit of everything. I'm even a little bit of other music I can't even understand."

"Right now, I have that O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and I love it."



'West Wing' Diggs Taye


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Hard working leading man Taye Diggs will do a guest spot on "The West Wing" in two episodes that will air during May sweeps.

Diggs will first appear in the episode "Commencement" and will play a secret service agent assigned to watch over First Daughter Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) at her college graduation and subsequent trip to Europe. The last high-profile actor to play a "West Wing" body guard was Mark Harmon, whose character briefly flirted with press secretary CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) before getting killed in a convenience store robbery last season.

This spring, Diggs will appear on the big screen in "Basic" and "Malibu's Most Wanted." Last year, his seeming movie-a-week pace included "Brown Sugar," "Equilibrium" and a co-starring role in "Chicago." His big breaks came opposite Angela Bassett in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and on-stage in the original cast of "Rent."

His television credits include a sting on "The Guiding Life" and a guest spot on "Ally McBeal."



Grammy Nominee Angie Stone to Join Broadway's 'Chicago'

R&B singer Angie Stone will join the Broadway company of Chicago April 14.

This will mark the Broadway debut for the two-time Grammy Award nominee, who will play the role of Matron 'Mama' Morton. Stone will replace B.J. Crosby, who currently portrays the jail warden in the award-winning Kander and Ebb musical. Others in the Broadway company currently include Chicago veteran Belle Calaway as Roxie Hart, Smokey Joe's Cafe Tony nominee Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly, Clarke Peters as Billy Flynn, D. Sabella as Mary Sunshine and P. J. Benjamin as Amos Hart.

Best known for such recordings as 'Black Diamond' (Arista) and 'Mahogany Soul' (J Records), Angie Stone has also appeared in the Touchstone film 'The Hot Chick' and will co-star in Paramount Pictures' 'Fighting Temptations' this summer.

Chicago won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 as well as awards for actors Bebe Neuwirth and James Naughton, director Walter Bobbie, lighting designer Ken Billington and choreographer Ann Reinking. The original production was directed and choreographed by the late Bob Fosse.

Chicago plays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 7 PM. The Ambassador Theatre is located at 215 West 49th Street. For ticket information, call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.



Toni Braxton Is 'Aida'


Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton will return to Broadway this summer.

Braxton, who made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, will join another Disney hit, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. Beginning June 30 Braxton will star in the title role of the musical for a four-month engagement.

In a statement, Braxton said, 'I am very excited to be coming back to Broadway as Aida. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been a fan of Elton John's music, and to be able to sing the wonderful score he wrote with Tim Rice will be a terrific challenge both as a singer and as an actress." Composer Elton John returned the compliment: 'Toni Braxton has one of the best voices anywhere. It's a voice I've fallen in love with ever since her first album. I think she is going to be amazing as Aida."

Aida - at the Palace Theatre - features a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang, sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, choreography by Wayne Cilento and direction by Robert Falls. The company currently features Adam Pascal as Radames, Felicia Finley as Amneris and Simone as Aida. Former Full Monty star Will Chase will replace original cast member Pascal in June.

The Palace Theatre is located at Broadway and 47th Street, and tickets are available by calling the Disney hotline, (212) 307-4747. A Dutch language production of Aida opened in Amsterdam in the fall of 2001, and a touring company is currently making its way across the country. On Broadway, Aida plays Tuesdays at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 PM and Sundays at 3 PM.



Sullivan in Groove for 'Barbershop' Sequel


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The director of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" has cut a deal to direct "Barbershop 2," which is set for a summer start in Chicago.

Kevin Sullivan replaces Tim Story, who directed the first installment of the MGM hit and was on board for the sequel but later fell out in favor of "Date School" at DreamWorks.

"Barbershop" told the story of a day in the life at a barbershop on Chicago's South Side. Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas, Michael Ealy and Troy Garity led the ensemble cast, and all are on board for the sequel, with new cast members expected to join shortly.

The studio envisions "Barbershop 2" as a cross between "The Godfather: Part II" and "It's a Wonderful Life," offering a look back at the origin of the barbershop as well as an account of the gentrification of the neighborhood where it's based. Don Scott penned the screenplay.

"The story is a lot smarter than the first one and a lot more complex," Teitel said Bob Teitel, who will serve as a producer with his partner at State Street Pictures, George Tillman, Jr. "We are really excited about it."

Since 1998's "Stella," Sullivan has focused on directing TV projects such as "The Guardian" and "Watching Ellie."