Todd Haimes, who led a theater company to Broadway, dies
Todd Haimes, who led the Roundabout Theatre Company from an off-off-Broadway company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy into a major theatrical force with works on five stages — including three Broadway theaters — and dozens of Tony Awards, has died.
Martin, McDonald, Porter join stars in telethon for Ukraine
A roster of film, TV and theater all-stars — including Steve Martin, Annette Bening, Billy Porter, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Chenoweth, David Hyde Pierce and Rosie Perez — have signed up for a 10-hour telethon to raise money for the victims of the war in Ukraine.
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Tony-nominated Broadway star Rebecca Luker dies at 59
FILE - Rebecca Luker, left, and her husband Danny Burstein arrive at the 73rd annual Tony Awards in New York on June 9, 2019. Luker, 59, a three-time Tony nominated actor who starred in some of the biggest Broadway hits of the past three decades, died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, said Sarah Fargo, her agent. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Soprano Rebecca Luker, a three-time Tony nominated actor who starred in some of the biggest Broadway hits of the past three decades, died Wednesday. Her death was announced by her husband, veteran Broadway actor Danny Burstein, who said in a statement “our family is devastated. Luker made her Broadway debut in 1988 in “The Phantom of the Opera” first as an understudy to Sarah Brightman and then playing Christine opposite the legendary Michael Crawford.
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Despite bleak 2020, celebrities make effort to brighten year
(AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Yes, 2020 may seem like a complete fail with all the constant bad news and tragic moments. It’s been filled with gloom and doom(scrolling), but some celebrities and those inspired by them have tried to brighten a bleak year. He reassigned his 10 seamstresses in New York to produce thousands daily for health care workers on the frontlines. The singer and husband Emilio Estefan's restaurant Estefan Kitchen served up homemade meals for health care workers in Miami. The challenge coordinated offers by celebrities and athletes to raise funds to feed those in need during the pandemic.
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Zemeckis’ ‘The Witches’ heads to HBO Max for Halloween
The Robert Zemeckis adaptation of “Roald Dahl’s The Witches” has found a new home on HBO Max this month just in time for Halloween. Warner Bros. said Friday that “The Witches” will debut on the subscription streaming service, owned by parent company WarnerMedia, on Oct. 22. Dahl’s 1983 novel about an orphaned boy who discovers a coven of witches that hate children was previously adapted for the big screen in 1990 by director Nicolas Roeg. It starred Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson and was a box office flop, despite its critical acclaim. This new version has actor Jahzir Bruno playing the boy who must try to stop the witches from turning the world's children into mice.

Kristin Chenoweth Enlists Dolly Parton for New Cover of 'I Will Always Love You'
On her seventh studio album, Kristin Chenoweth is bringing together musics most influential and favorite female singers, from Barbra Streisand to Linda Ronstadt. One such record is I Will Always Love You, originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton and famously covered by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard soundtrack. Now, Chenoweth is offering her take on the 1973 song with a new, stripped down rendition that features Parton herself -- and ET has the exclusive debut. I really wanted to pay homage to all the women singers who have influenced me over the years, Chenoweth explains. I wanted to make something that men could also enjoy, but this is by the girls and for the girls.

Kristin Chenoweth Shares Touching Story About Late Descendants Co-Star Cameron Boyce
Following Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce's shocking death on Saturday, those who knew him best are sharing their stories. "I did the Descendants movies and all those kids are my kids," she told the shows hosts. "Just like Glee kids are, just like the Hairspray kids are, but Cameron Boyce was one of my babies." "I remember that we were 5-6-7-8, rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing and that kid never ran out of energy and I said, 'Youre like Justin Timberlake. "A spokesperson for the Boyce family confirmed to ET that the actor died of a seizure in his sleep on Saturday night.