No-one is recognised as knowing more about Hollywood and celebrities than David Hartnell MNZM. He’s not only spent a lifetime reporting on Hollywood’s trivia, gossip and scandals, but he counts many celebrities among his personal friends. Every Monday morning David will give you an exclusive weekly update on the gossip, scandals and trivia of Hollywood’s elite.
David is an award winning broadcaster and columnist he’s also the patron of The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc. Her Majesty The Queen, awarded David the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (formerly an MBE) in the Queen’s birthday Honours list 2011. In 2012 he was made an Ambassador St James Saviours, the trust formed to save the iconic Auckland theatre. In 2014 he was made an Ambassador to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.
Visit David’s Website
Known by some as the ‘Godfather of gossip’, David Hartnell MNZM has amassed a fabulous resource of detail about Hollywood and television movies and stars throughout his long career interviewing celebrities and reporting on trivia, gossip and scandals. His knowledge ranges easily from the 1950s to the present day.
Now David has written this quiz book as a celebration of the rich variety that the movies and television have brought us over many decades, and the personalities who’ve been working in both industries. Presented in an entertaining but informative fashion, the more than 1,700 questions and answers are arranged in rounds of three, with answers close by. There are also specialty feature quizzes with questions related to a single subject, such as Oscar-winning films, Lord of the Rings, Sequels and Remakes, even TV pets. Collected trivia about celebrities and stars also feature as interesting snippets through the book. People love to be an authority on celebrities – the celebrity pages are the most popular pages of any magazine.
Whether it is used for pub quiz nights, parties or even long car trips, David Hartnell’s Celebrity Quiz Book will highlight to a wide audience the important milestones in the development of this most popular of cultures, and test how well you really know the world of entertainment.
This book will appeal to everyone who watches television or film.This is his ninth book.
Available in all good books store’s and on line, published by New Holland $19.99.;
View David Hartnell
‘Written in the stars – David’s triple celebrations‘ in the NZ Woman’s Weekly. View the article here on David’s website.
Be in to win monthly DVDs
…simply answer a question correctly, from this week’s column and you will be entered into the draw.
Question: Richard Chamberlain played a doctor in which US TV series? Answer by clicking here.
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Monday 1st August 2016
I’m not one to gossip but………………… Actor Richard Wilson has announced the return of his beloved, eternally miserable alter-ego.
Richard has revealed his plans to bring back sitcom legend Victor Meldrew. The openly gay actor will resurrect the role at the Edinburgh festival fringe next month – despite the fact Meldrew was killed off in the show’s finale Wilson starred
in five series of the hit sitcom in the early 1990s, returning for a final run in 2000.
Now, Wilson says he plans to recreate the script for a classic episode called The Trial. Meldrew, now around 80, will be seen awaiting jury duty on a rainy day, with Wilson promising he has not mellowed with age.
The actor promised fans that the infamous catchphrase “I don’t believe it!” has not mellowed either. “I think Victor is around 80 now,” he said. “But I am playing him at roughly 74. He has not changed one bit. “In fact, it’s quite hard to get back to my normal, affable, loveable self after being him, even for half an hour.”
The show will be followed by a Q&A session with Wilson, discussing the role and his career in general. Last year, Wilson opened up about being outed by the press. The actor only publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time in 2013 – after being listed in a list of prominent gay people by Time Out magazine. He told the Guardian: “I was officially ‘outed’ by Time Out magazine a couple of years ago. They included me in a list of influential gays.
“I didn’t mind – because I am gay – but I did think I’d better warn my sister, who had probably guessed anyway. “As a much younger man I was very keen not to come out, like so many others, because of my family. “In any case I wasn’t leading a particularly gay life, though, of course, a lot of my friends were gay.”
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The physician to superstar Michael Jackson, Dr Murray, is one of the famous faces chosen to be in the running for this year’s TV jungle show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
His publicist Max Markson has since confirmed they’re in negotiations with ITV.
Dr Murray was Jacko’s doctor before his death in 2009, as a result of an
overdose from the general anaesthetic propfol.
Markson said: “It is true. We are talking to the show’s producers about having Conrad in the jungle for the next show.”
The revelation comes just one week after Dr Murray released his memoirs called This Is It: The Secret Lives of Dr. Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson, which made some shocking claims about Jackson.
“I’m sure everyone will be fascinated to hear what Conrad has to say about his time with Michael,” Markson added.
You can say that again…
Markson added: “He’s a doctor, very calm and great with people and he has some extraordinary stories to tell. He’d be a great draw and I’m sure he’d be a fascinating guest for the show.”
Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson’s death in 2011, serving two out of his four year prison sentence, and has not been in work since. There is a rumour that a slot on British TV is his chance to rebuild his reputation.
The doctor is even said to be attempting to get his medical licence back. A source said: “He really believes he can rebuild his reputation after the controversy of the past few years. Becoming a practising doctor again is very much part of that plan.”
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Tom Daley has hinted that he and fiancée Dustin Lance Black will be
welcoming a baby after his upcoming retirement from diving.
The out gay athlete is widely expected to confirm that he will retire from
diving after the upcoming Rio Olympic Games, hinting in the press last year
that he was “definitely going to take a little bit of time off” and that
“cheesecake will definitely be on the menu”.
The Olympic diver announced his engagement last year to his screenwriter
partner, who was behind Oscar-winning gay rights biopic Milk. In an interview with the UK Sun, Daley hinted that he and Black plan to start a family.
He said: “It’s not a question of ‘if’, just ‘when.’ I’ve always said I’ll keep diving as long as my body lets me. But the beauty of being an athlete is you retire young and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.
“Once I’ve finished with diving there are going to be other avenues I’d like to explore.
“Family has always been a massive thing.”
Black explained: “I go into the bathroom to get ready for bed and come out in my underwear, and that’s when he drops down on one knee and proposes to me.”
Daley said: “I had the ring box in my underwear, and when he came out of the bathroom, I just went down on my knee and proposed.
“Then he ran off to the bathroom to get his rings, and he had this whole speech prepared, but he’s a writer so his was quite extravagant.
“But looking back, all I can remember is being completely overwhelmed, like, Oh my God, we’re now engaged.”
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Can you believe that Bindi Irwin is now 18?!
The Australian conservationist penned a beautiful note on Instagram,
celebrating her birthday. Read what Bindi wrote below:
“Hello lovelies. Well today marks 18 years of life for me, here in Australia
and I really don’t know where to begin in thanking so many people for an
unforgettable journey so far. So I think that I’ll start here, with this
photograph. This photo was taken within the first year of my life. To be
perfectly honest life has changed in a million ways since this photograph
was taken.
“Along the way we gained another incredible part of our family, my brother
Robert. Our conservation work with Wildlife Warriors took off around the
world. Our home, Australia Zoo continued to expand and has become the
greatest zoological facility on planet earth. Our Dad, Mum’s soul mate and a superhero for us all, passed away.”
However, since this photo was taken, 18 years ago, one life ingredient has remained, unchanged, unbreakable. That is the unconditional love that is shared between my beautiful little family and the loyalty we have to each other and everyone else who has taken this journey with us. I don’t think that when this photo was taken even my beautiful parents could have known what life would evolve.
“I know that I am endlessly grateful for the love and light I have been given since Day 1 of my life. I have so much happiness in my heart for the journey to come. Being 18 and embarking upon my adult years, I can’t predict what life will have in store for me. All I know is that I will try my very best to make a difference in this world with each moment that I’m given. Life is constantly evolving and I’m determined to find the light and love around every corner and share this with everyone who is a part of my story. Thank you so much to every single soul who took the time to read these last two posts, it means so much. I can’t wait to see what is yet to come.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West take the cover of the September 2016 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
Here’s what the couple had to share with the mag:
Kanye, on his favourite Taylor Swift song: “For me? I don’t have one.”
Kim, on her favorite Taylor song: “I was such a fan of hers.”
Kanye, on Kim’s favorite selfies: “I love her nude selfies. Like, I love the ones from the side, the back ones, and the front. I just love seeing her
naked; I love nudity. And I love beautiful shapes. I feel like it’s almost a
Renaissance thing, a painting, a modern version of a painting. I think it’s
important for Kim to have her figure. To not show it would be like Adele not singing.”
Kim, on her tweets: “I don’t regret any tweets. I’m not a tweeter and
deleter. So I have no regrets.”
On a personal note, I feel that both Kim and Kanye will stoop to anything to keep their so-called celebrity profile up there in the media. What can I say but that old saying – they don’t make stars and celebrities like they used to!
For more from the couple, visit HarpersBazaar.com.
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Greg Louganis in his diving prime can be seen this summer on boxes of
Wheaties breakfast cereal on supermarket shelves right through America.
And he doesn’t mind one bit that the year is 2016 and not 1988 or 1984.
‘It means more now than it probably would’ve then, because they would’ve
been celebrating the athlete (back then).
‘I’m a gay man living with HIV. I feel like I’m being embraced as a whole
person, and not just a part of me.’
The Wheaties box went to Louganis’ fellow Olympians Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner) and Mary Lou Retton even though he was widely considered the greatest diver of all time.
He won two gold medals in 1988, two in 1984 and a silver medal in 1976 while still in high school.
Although he did not come out publicly as a gay man until 1994, Louganis was rumoured to be gay and that seemed to hurt his commercial endorsement opportunities.
He shared with the world that he is HIV-positive in 1995 in his autobiography and has gone on to be an outspoken activist for HIV awareness and LGBTI equality.
Now 56, Louganis works with US diving as a mentor and was recently the focus of the Emmy-nominated documentary Greg Louganis: Back On Board.
He shared his philosophy on life: ‘Never give up. Never give up on yourself, never give up on your dreams. You never know what’s going to happen.’
Louganis also reflects on all that has happened since his last Olympics as a competitor. ‘So much as changed in the world. We’ve come so far as far as marriage equality and so many things that I’ve really kind of fought hard for, so it
really does mean a lot,’ he says. ‘I got married, which was tremendous because I never thought I’d see the day that I would be able to get married.’
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Rumours that he and Angelina are splitting have been circulating in the US
tabloids, but in actuality they have no marital problems. It so happens
gossip tabloids have to make up headlines that are not litigious….surprise –
surprise! Of course the big deal is that Brad and Angelina sell magazines
whether the story is fact or fiction.
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The UK prison where Oscar Wilde served time for ‘gross indecency’, will have an art exhibition dedicated to him. The famous playwright and poet, who had a string of male lovers, was famously arrested and sent to Reading Gaol in
1895 for gross indecency with men, under the UK’s historic anti-gay laws.
Wilde served two years behind bars in Reading Gaol, penned the work ‘De
Profundis’ from behind bars.
His time in prison was the basis for his final ever work The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long poem that reflects on the harsh rhythms of his daily prison life. But more than 120 years after Wilde was sent to the prison, things have changed: and rather than treating him as a criminal because of his sexuality, he is now set to be celebrated there as an artist.
In one of his final acts as Justice Secretary, departing Conservative minister Michael Gove gave permission for an art exhibition to be put on at the UK HM Prison Reading, which was closed in 2013. The exhibition Inside – Artists and
Writers in Reading Prison will see a number of famous artists and actors celebrate Wilde’s works inside the Gaol.
Through September and October, esteemed performers including Ralph Fiennes, Maxine Peake and Ben Whishaw will pay homage to the prison’s most famous inmate, reading his works in the prison chapel. Meanwhile, artists including
Nan Goldin, Marlene Dumas, and Steve McQueen have submitted works for an exhibition, alongside contemporary Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.
A release says: “We are excited to be opening up Reading Prison with such a remarkable range of artists, writers and performers responding to the imposing Victorian architecture and the continuing resonance of De Profundis, written by Wilde in his cell as Prisoner C.3.3. Inside – Artists and Writers in Reading Prison will offer the public an opportunity to
reflect, in a particularly powerful place, on the implications for the individual when separated from society by the state.
“HM Prison Reading opens for the first time to the public as artists, writers and performers respond to its most notorious inmate, Oscar Wilde.
“At this resonant site, the penal regime Wilde suffered is explored through archive material and the installation of new works by artists such as Nan Goldin, Marlene Dumas, and Steve McQueen.”
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STAR CAST ANNOUNCED FOR NEW ROCK OPERA – IT’S RAW AND REAL, HAS LOTS OF LAUGHS AND A FEW TEARS
The producers of the rock opera STATE HIGHWAY 48 today announce that television personality Shane Cortes and one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s favourite performers, Delia Hannah, will play the lead roles in the critically acclaimed home-grown production.
STATE HIGHWAY 48 is a New Zealand original work, tracking the life and times of an everyday family and their friends as they navigate the treacherous road of middle age. Changes in the family, workplace, and friendship are set against the backdrop of the recession and brought to life by 26 original songs.
STATE HIGHWAY 48 opens in just three weeks at the Clarence St Theatre in Hamilton before heading to Napier, Wanganui, Rotorua, Taupo, Putaruru and Tauranga. Tickets are on sale now and are strictly limited.
Shane – known for his roles in Nothing Trivial, Outrageous Fortune and The Almighty Johnsons – plays Dave the dad, a character who takes everyone on a journey through his good and bad days, having been bitten by the black dog of depression.
New Zealand’s first lady of musical theatre, Delia, will play Dave’s wife Sharon – a suburban housewife: fragile, lost, loving, disenfranchised. Beautiful.
“Delia is amazing,” says producer and writer Chris Williams. “She was cast by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the UK tour of Aspects of Love, and has toured Australia and Asia extensively, starring in all the big shows including Mamma Mia!, Cats, Chess, Blood Brothers and Disney’s production of Mary Poppins.
This unique, touching and universally relevant rock opera is raw and real, has lots of laughs and a few tears.
“It’s funny, dramatic, emotional and entertaining. A reminder about the important things in life; the dangers of not facing up to depression and a celebration of the everyday.”
STATE HIGHWAY 48 will have nine performances from August 19; then in October will tour the central North Island. “We want to start the tour in the provinces before taking on the big centres,” says Williams. “In 2017 we will be in Auckland, Wellington and the South Island.”
“The show is a 21st century story that tracks the life and times of an everyday family and their friends as they navigate the treacherous road of middle age. Changes in the family, workplace, and friendship are set against the backdrop of the recession with the black dog of depression taking the driver’s seat in Dave, the lead male’s life, taking everyone on a journey.
It’s funny, dramatic, emotional and entertaining. A reminder about the important things in life; the dangers of not facing up to depression and a celebration of the everyday. “
www.sh48.co.nz
www.facebook.com/statehighway48
Delia Hannah
Delia is New Zealand’s most highly acclaimed music theatre performer with an amazing list of international credits.
She was cast by Andrew Lloyd Webber to star in the UK tour of Aspects of Love and has also toured extensively through Australia and Asia, including China.
Along with this, Delia has starred in Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, Westside Story, Beach Blanket Tempest, The Buddy Holly Story, Chess, Blood Brothers, Cats, Into the Woods, The Wizard of Oz, Three Penny Opera, Mary Poppins and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Season details:
Hamilton August 19-27 Clarence St Theatre
Ticketek
Napier October 5 Municipal
Theatre Ticketek
Wanganui October 8 Royal Opera House
Rotorua October 12 & 13 The Civic
Taupo October 14 Great Lake
Centre
Putaruru October 21 & 22 The Plaza
Tauranga October 27 – 29 Baycourt
Ticketek
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Brendan O’Carroll (Mrs Brown) talks to the Mirror UK paper about how he and his wife took in needy kids – and why he never takes his TV alter ego home with him.
She made him a fortune and has been his alter ego for 24 years, but Brendan O’Carroll recoils at the thought of ever bringing Agnes Brown home with him.
“Oh Jaysus!” he laughs. “If that happened I’d get a slap. I hang up the fat
suit, me bra, I take me knickers off, and she stays in the theatre.”
That slap would come from Brendan’s wife Jennifer Gibney, who stars alongside Brendan in riotous sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys – as his daughter.
Agnes may have to remain firmly on stage, but her love of family is perhaps the one characteristic she and Brendan share.
He speaks adoringly of his three grown-up children by first wife Doreen – his first born, Brendan, died of spina bifida as a baby – and his six grandsons.
He and Jennifer, 52, who married 11 years ago, never had children and Brendan, 60, has spoken of their regret that the timing just wasn’t right for them. But today he movingly reveals how they chose to build an alternative family by inviting young people into their home who were in need of love and guidance.
“In our own way we have fostered,” Brendan explains. “People who had nowhere to go at that time, youngsters we met, and we reared them, we looked after them – and we got more out of them than they got out of us, believe me.
“They call themselves our ‘lost boys’. One girl Jenny brought home, she was coming out of a theatre and she was in a doorway with a six-month-old child.
“She was on the streets, she’d had a dispute with her family over the baby, she was 17 at the time. She is happy with her family now, married with three children.”
To protect his “lost” kids the comic does not want to reveal too much, but he explains there were “three or four” young people who came to live with him and Jennifer over the years. “Anyone in difficulty,” he adds.
He explains his own children would “let us know about someone they knew who needed a bit of a hand and we would step in.” He adds: “They’re all grown up and married now. Hopefully we continue to be a parent to them. A lot of children out there need a leg-up. To say: ‘You know what, you’re great, and you’re going to be even greater.’ A bit of guidance, that’s all, and we’re delighted to do that.”
Family means everything to the star, who created Mrs Brown on a radio show in 1992. Originally, Agnes – based on his late mother, Maureen – was to be played by an actress, but when she phoned in sick at the last minute, Brendan stepped in.
The character became a theatre show, a series of books and a film, before launching on TV in 2011.
The BBC sitcom has drawn in ratings of 12 million. And this Saturday it will broadcast its first live TV episode.
As always, as well as Jennifer, other members of Brendan’s real-life family will star alongside him, including his daughter Fiona as Maria and son Danny as Buster.
The anticipation leaves Brendan with a mixture of “excitement and terror.” He says: “Half of me can’t wait to get there and half of me wishes it was over.
“But we’ll all suffer together! It does help having family there – but the funny thing is, when we’re on stage, I don’t think about them as being family.
“On stage it has never dawned on me that they’re anything but the character that they are. As soon as we walk into the door of the theatre I give Jenny a kiss and say, ‘see you later’. Even when you come off and everyone is hugging we go to
give each other a peck and it’s too weird, too weird.”
The star grew up the youngest of 11 in a tight-knit Dublin family raised by his mum after his father Gerard, a carpenter, died when Brendan was young. He remembers how a charity, the Society of St Vincent de Paul, would help.
“We had a place called the penny stew house and you got a bowl of stew and a bowl of semolina afters,” he says. “But I don’t remember being hungry. Because everyone around us was the same.”
The memories remain vivid enough to drive Brendan to give away chunks of his reported £8million fortune on a regular basis. At Christmas he gave money for more than 2,000 Christmas dinners to the Society of St Vincent de Paul. This year he has also given more than £24,000 to the family of a pregnant woman, Sarah Paino, who was killed in a car crash in Tasmania, although her unborn baby survived. Brendan heard about the tragedy while touring there.
“It is important to me to give back. You have to remember where you come from,” he says. Brendan left school aged 12. He worked as a waiter among other jobs, before running a pub in Dublin with a friend, Kevin Moore. But in 1989 he returned from holiday to find Kevin had run off with all the cash.
Brendan, with debts of £96,000, was declared bankrupt. Worse, Kevin hanged himself. It was later revealed he had HIV and was struggling with the secret – but before suicide was confirmed, Brendan was under suspicion and arrested.
They were dark times. At one stage, despair hit so hard he visited a fortune teller. Incredibly, she told him he would achieve worldwide success as a comedian and actor.
Encouraged by pals, he decided to try stand-up – but it was Mrs Brown who finally made his name and fortune. Now, Brendan feels, is the time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour.
US TV offered to commission Mrs Brown, but he turned them down. “They were looking for 30 episodes a year over five years and I just went ‘You know what? Life’s too short for that now, I’m fine’. We have the life we want and there’s nothing they can give us we don’t already have.”
Emily Ratter, The Mirror
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Since he ditched his long-time publicist last December, Sir Elton John has had a hell of a time keeping his name out of the papers. First there was that disgruntled security guard who claimed Elton was trying to get his “todger” out. Then the
hairdresser who took him to a tribunal over sexual harassment, which lead to an unsuccessful tangle at the Court of Appeal with The Sun on Sunday.
It’s clear he can’t manage this alone – so who has he turned to for advice in these trying times? Paddy Harverson, who
until recently was the Communications Secretary to Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
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…………………. Until next week my lips are sealed!
David H. W. Hartnell MNZM copyright 2016
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Monday 25th July 2016
I’m not one to gossip but……………….
We start this week off with the sad passing of one of our leading actress’ Leonora Elizabeth Grant, best known to us as Miss Lee Grant. She has passed away while in care in Perth Australia where she lived, she was several days of turning 84.
Lee was one of the leading actress’s at Auckland’s Mercury Theatre and a number of TVNZ productions.
She won a Variety Artist of New Zealand Scroll of Honour in 1980 for her work in the theatre and TV. She had to be called “Miss” after Mr. Lee Grant appeared on the scene.
Lee was a wonderful actress and you knew if she was starring in a production the hairs would stand up on the back of your neck as soon as she appeared. Above all, Lee never let her actress status go to her head, she was a lovely lady who was show biz through and through. RIP my friend!
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Acting legend Sir Michael Caine has revealed he has changed his name by deed poll after running into trouble at airport security.
The 83-year-old said he is now officially called Michael Caine to prevent
questions about why he has Maurice Micklewhite on his passport.
“I changed my name when all the stuff started with ISIS and all that,” The
Sun reported him as saying.
Recalling countess conversations with security guards at airports, he explained: “He would say, ‘Hi Michael Caine,’ and suddenly I’d be giving him a passport with a different name on it.
“I could stand there for an hour. So I changed my name.”
The Alfie actor took on the alias in 1954 at the start of his acting career. Caine said his agent told him he couldn’t have the moniker ‘Michael White’ so he took inspiration from Humphrey Bogart and opted for Michael Caine.
Caine said: “One evening my agent said: ‘I’ve got you a job, I’ve got you three days but you can’t call yourself Michael White, so give me another name.’
“I was in a telephone booth in Leicester Square and I was opposite the Odeon and I looked up, and my favourite actor is Humphrey Bogart, and there it was, it said The Caine Mutiny, so I said, ‘Caine! Michael Caine!’”
His comments come a day after he championed the idea of bringing back National Service in the UK. Speaking in London at the China Exchange the veteran actor said: “When you train to protect your country then you really belong in it and you are a different sort of person.
“But I don’t think you should be sent off to fight or anything like that. It made men of us in a very short time.”
Evening Standard UK
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Stephen Colbert has spoken out over the rumours that James Corden will be taking over his The Late Show time slot.
“It hurts,” the 52-year-old talk show host told THR. “I’m a human being. Yeah, I care. The implication of that question is that the show isn’t good enough in its present position. So of course that makes you feel bad. But it doesn’t jibe with what I know about our show, so you recover.”
The present rumour swirling is that Stephen‘s show and James‘ show would swap time slots. There has been no official word from CBS concerning the rumour.
“It was like going from go-kart to NASCAR in terms of the speed at which
everything had to happen,” Stephen said about switching from his Comedy
Central show to CBS. “I didn’t really have much fun in the late fall…I went, ‘Okay, well, I like what I do, but I think that the pace of it might kill me unless I can find a way to regulate the way I’m throwing myself at it.’”
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A very rare, signed script from “The Doris Day Show,” Season 4, Episode 1
entitled “And Here’s … Doris” is up for auction on eBay, which will benefit
Miss Day’s charity for animals.
In this episode from 1971, Doris’ ego-tripping boss, Cy Bennett (John
Dehner) complicates her efforts to line up an interview. Doris gets a new
co-worker, administrative assistant Jackie Parker (Jackie Joseph), and Peter Lawford also joins the cast as Doris‘ new boyfriend, Dr. Peter Lawrence. Bob Crane co-stars. This script is personally signed on the cover page by Doris Day, making it a great collector’s item, and truly one-of-a-kind.
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SEARCH FOR KIWI BOY TO STAR IN HIT MUSICAL PRISCILLA
Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Nullabor Productions announce today that they will soon begin their search for a New Zealand boy to play the role of Benji in the international smash hit musical PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT
which opens on Friday, 14 October at The Civic in Auckland.
Benji is the son of lead character Tick, and is the real reason Tick convinces his friends Bernadette and Felicia to head off into the desert in a big pink bus for a four-week stint at a Hotel Casino Resort in Alice Springs – the same resort managed by his estranged wife Marion.
Tick hasn’t seen eight-year-old Benji for years and is nervous about exposing him to his colourful lifestyle, only to be surprised that Marion has raised him to be sweet and open-minded so he’s fully supportive of his father’s sexuality and career.
Auditions for the role of Benji – the sole child in the show – will be held in Auckland on Friday 19th, Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August. The producers are looking for three boys to alternate the role. The boys will be between 8 and 11 years old, but playing an eight-year-old. They should have good acting and singing skills and ideally be able to dance.
It is preferred but not essential that they have some musical theatre experience. All ethnic groups are welcome and height will be taken into consideration. Further information and the registration form can be downloaded at www.priscillathemusical.co.nz.
The first step of the audition process will be a group singing audition. Successful auditionees from this round will advance to the next round. At the end of day two, finalists will be selected and will be asked to return for the final day.
Boys chosen for the show will be required for a five-day rehearsal from Monday, 10 October and then from 14 October until mid-November, when they will join the rest of the cast for rehearsals followed by the show’s Auckland season.
The boys will join a stellar international cast – one of the strongest to have graced The Civic stage – featuring actors from the West End and Broadway, from film and television, pop singers and even Kanye West dancers.
With 10 years and several thousand kilometres racked up, the pink bus is looking more magnificent than ever for its triumphant return on 14 October and will run for a strictly limited season.
This wildly fresh and funny musical, based on the Oscar-winning film, features a hit parade of dance-floor favourites, over 500 outrageous costumes, 200 extraordinary headdresses and a 10 metre long customised bus weighing six tonnes as its sparkling centrepiece – PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT is a must-see extravaganza!
The record-breaking stage spectacular that sold 100,000 tickets in the six amazing weeks it was here in 2008 returns to our shores by popular demand, brought by the producers of the smash hit musicals Cats as well as Singin’ In The Rain, The Sound of Music and Annie.
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT has already been seen by close to five million people and grossed in excess of $300 million worldwide to become the most successful Australian musical of all time.
Originating and international Producer Garry McQuinn says that the role of Benji presents itself as a wonderful opportunity for a young actor to work with international stars in one of the best known productions in the world.
Fellow producer James Cundall concurs, “Many Kiwi kids advanced their musical theatre careers by being selected to star in our previous productions Annie and The Sound of Music. There are some highly talented young actors out there and we look forward to discovering another star in Benji.”
So budding young actors, get ready for what could be the musical bus journey of your life!
Songs Include:
• It’s Raining Men
• What’s Love Got to Do With It
• Don’t Leave Me This Way
• Venus
• Go West
• I Say a Little Prayer
• I Love the Nightlife
• Colour My World
• I Will Survive
• Thank God I’m a Country Boy
• A Fine Romance
• Shake Your Groove Thing
• Pop Musik
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
• Hot Stuff
• MacArthur Park
• Boogie Wonderland
• We Belong
• Finally
TICKET INFORMATION
Venue: The Civic, Auckland
Dates: From Friday 14 October 2016
Times: Tuesday 7.30pm; Wednesday 7.30pm; Thursday 7.30pm
Friday 7.30pm
Saturday 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sunday 1pm & 6pm
Bookings: Ticketmaster 09 970 9700 or ticketmaster.co.nz
Groups 10+ SAVE! Call Group Bookings on 09
970 9745
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Bradley Walsh who hosts the TV quiz The Chase, has announced plans to launch a rival programme.
According to the presenter, Cash Trapped is an idea he dreamt up a long time ago but he has only been able to make it a reality recently.
“It was an idea I came up with in my dressing room about 10 years ago whilst
in between scenes on a drama,” he said.
Cash Trapped will see groups of six contestants go head-to-head in a series
of fast question rounds, as they each desperately attempt to sabotage each
other and become the first to press the buzzer, trapping their competitors
out of the game.
In the final round of each episode will see the contestant with the most cash battle it out against the others to take their winnings home. Oh, and no one leaves the game until somebody wins. “If a contestant succeeds, they escape with all the cash they’ve built up, while their five opponents leave empty handed,” a press release explained.
“However if they fail to escape their bank is drained and everyone else rolls their winnings over. Then they all remain ‘Cash Trapped’ until the next episode.”
Cash Trapped when will premiere on ITV in the UK on August 1 at 5pm.
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Here’s Whoopi Goldberg and Behar and a guest host chatting with Edina and Patsy on the US chat show The View talking about Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
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ANZAC WOMEN OF WAR – OUR UNSUNG HEROINES
Stark Theatre Presents SISTER ANZAC. Written by Geoff Allen. Directed by Amanda Rees.
After critically acclaimed short seasons in museums and at boutique festivals, the stirring and courageous story of Sister Anzac comes to Q Theatre’s Loft, Tue 23 – Sun 28 August before a season of special promenade performances at the Auckland Maritime Museum, Wed 31 August – Sat 10 September. This insightful play celebrates and honours the indomitable spirit of our kiwi women who went to war.
In 1915, during one of WWI’s darkest hours, The Angels of Mercy arrived at Gallipoli. Aboard the Maheno heroic Kiwi nurses prepared to battle wounds with medicine, pain with tenderness, and their own military with steely resolve.
Sister Anzac is a poignant and personal story of love and bravery, of women who battled the military in order to serve their country as Nurses on the first hospital ship, The Maheno. The nurses on the New Zealand ship were seen as ‘Angels of Mercy’ by the soldiers and were revered by those who gratefully received their care.
In a bleak moment of our history, the women were initially unwanted by the military and treated with little to no respect. In the field they gained much respect, but still they journeyed home from war with scant recognition for their daring efforts, and disappointingly their military ranking was still not accorded until World War II. Today, in these centenary years of the war, important New Zealand stories of women who served during WWI are slowly seeping out.
Director Amanda Rees (theatre and television director), leads the cast through Geoff Allen’s vision of the nurses helping our wounded, alongside her sister Donogh Rees (Shortland Street, Brokenwood Mysteries) in the role as Matron. Together with Anthea Hill (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); Nicola Kawana (Shortland Street, A Doll’s House); Alex Ellis (Miss Jean Batten); David Capstick (3 Mile Limit) and Jordan Blaikie (Power Rangers, Shortland Street) the company explore the challenges of WWI and life on board the hospital ship from a completely new perspective.
Sister Anzac is a significant piece of theatre that highlights the unwavering strength of our women who served on the frontline.
“The six-strong ensemble…breathe life skilfully into their individual personas with such ease and elegance” Theatre Scenes 2015
“Provides dramatic, human and emotionally satisfying characters” Theatreview 2014
Sister Anzacplays:
Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Thu 18th – Sat 20th August 2016, 7:30pm
Tickets: $25 (Booking fees may apply)
Tickets from www.iticket.co.nz
Q Theatre Loft, Auckland
Tue 23rd – Sun 28th August 2016, Tue – Thu 7.00pm, Fri – Sat 8:00pm
Schools matinee: Thu 25 11:00am
Sat matinee: 2:30pm
Sun early show: 4:00pm
Tickets: $25-40 (Booking fees may apply)
Tickets from www.qtheatre.co.nz
Maritime Museum, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland
Wed 31st August – Sat 10th September 2016, 7:00pm
Promenade Performance
Limited to 20 people per show
Tickets: $50 (Booking fees may apply)
Tickets from http://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/
Maritime Museum, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland
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I’m sure you know by now that Lady Gaga has confirmed her breakup from
fiancé Taylor Kinney and she has written a statement to her fans about the
split.
“Taylor and I have always believed we are soulmates. Just like all couples
we have ups and downs, and we have been taking a break,” the 30-year-old
entertainer wrote on Instagram.
“We are both ambitious artists, hoping to work through long-distance and
complicated schedules to continue the simple love we have always shared.
Please root us on,” Gaga continued. “We’re just like everybody else and we
really love each other.”
We will definitely be rooting for the couple and hope to see them back
together one day!
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The 51-year-old actor Robert Downey Jr, was recently chosen to serve as an alternate juror in a case involving a car accident in LA.
Robert will be earning $15 a day for his time, which is quite a difference
from what the Iron Man star is used to making.
During the jury selection process, Robert said he worked in the film industry. An insider said he was picked because “everyone just thought he was a fair guy.”
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Over the years, auctions of Marilyn Monroe’s belongings have proven that
fans and collectors are willing to pay big bucks for things that were once
in the star’s possession — but how much will they shell out for an actual
piece of the late actress?
Two locks of Marilyn Monroe’s hair, among a trove of memorabilia from the estate of an ardent fan-turned-friend, are going on the auction block in the fall and could sell for as much as $8,000(US).
The hair is from the estate of Frieda Hull, who had wide access to Monroe
and obtained the locks from the actress’ hairdresser.
Though Marilyn’s iconic look wouldn’t have been complete without her light blonde strands, the beauty was actually born a brunette and starting dying her hair when she was working as a model — after her agency told her she’d be more successful if she did so.
She turned to colourist Pearl Porterfield to help her go platinum — the same woman responsible for Jean Harlow’s blonde hair. At the time, Pearl used peroxide to get the look.
While there are two locks of her hair up for grabs, though, only one lucky bidder will get to take them home, as they’re being offered in a single lot contained in an ultraviolet-protected case.
The hair had previously been in the possession of Marilyn’s hairdresser, but Frieda Hull asked if she could have them before Marilyn died — and the actress gave her permission.
Frieda had been a fan of Marilyn’s and one of the ‘Monroe Six’, a group of New York City teenagers who followed and photographed the star whenever they could. But the two formed a long-lasting friendship later in the star’s life.
Julien’s Auctions is offering the items from November 19 to 20 in Los Angeles, and they will also be exhibited aboard the Queen Mary 2 during its weeklong crossing from New York to Southampton, England, beginning August 9.
The buyer will receive authentication papers from the Hull estate and the auction house. The auction also will feature other Monroe memorabilia from the estate of Actors Studio artistic director Lee Strasberg and from David Gainsborough-Roberts, a British collector believed to own the largest private collection of the star’s costumes.
The items range from $3,000 (US) to $600,000 (US), and include a sheer black beaded and sequined dress from the movie Some Like it Hot and a pink linen halter dress from the thriller Niagara. There is also a large collection of photos of the blonde bombshell at the 1955 premiere of East of Eden.
Hair from other celebrities has gone up for auction previously, including Elvis Presley’s and David Bowie’s.
From the Mail UK
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Can you believe that Sylvester Stallone is now 70? Here’s some trivia about his life.
1. Part of his face is paralysed
Sly is famous for his unique look and slurred speech, a problem he’s had
since birth.
The actor was born July 6, 1946 and two pairs of foreceps were used to bring
him into the world. The medical intern accidentally severed the facial nerves in his lips and one of his eyelids. Sly has played Rocky in across seven movies.
2. He grew up playing Polo
Stallone may like to play characters with rough upbringings, but he was no
boxer in his youth. His father made a tidy sum of money with his hair salon business and encouraged his son to take part in the posh sport.
3. He tried to fly like Superman
As a schoolboy he would wear a superhero costume under his school clothes.
One time he tried to fly out a window with only an open umbrella to break
his fall, resulting in breaking his collarbone.
4. He was expelled from 14 schools
Sly was always getting into trouble at Catholic school. Whether fighting, committing arson or stealing nun’s crucifixes, he ended up get expelled from 14 schools. So his mother Jackie decided to send him off to boarding school in Switzerland.
5. His improvisation destroyed a theatre set Stallone played Biff in Death Of A Salesman at college. During one performance he decided to throw a radio instead of flowers in anger. The wireless went straight through the set’s wall, bringing down the whole structure, and revealing the back stage crew smoking pot. Sly has played Rambo four times and is planning a fifth and final movie
6. His first title role was in a soft-core porno
Sly’s first movie role was in The Party at Kitty and Stud’s where he and his on-screen girlfriend organise an unsuccessful orgy. The event ends up in naked dancing circle as Stallone sulks like he’s stoned.
7. He wrote Rocky in three days
Stallone bashed out his first iconic boxer movie in just three days and twenty hours. Broke at the time, Sly turned down the $350,000 (US) offered for the script without him starring. At the time he had a pregnant wife and just $100 (US) in the bank.
Butkus appeared in two Rocky movies
8. He was so broke he sold his dog
Before hitting it big with Rocky, the star sold his dog Butkus so he could feed his family. Six months later he asked for Butkus back because he wanted to have him in the movie. The dog went on to star in two Rocky films and appears in the credits as Butkis Stallone.
9. He ‘boxed’ with Muhammad Ali
At the 1976 Oscars he went on stage to present the Best Supporting Actress nominations only to get a big surprise. Coming up behind him was the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali who then started a hilarious play fight. Ali said: “You stole my script, all of that was me, I’m Apollo Creed.”
10. He’s held the Guinness World Record for most violent movie
1988’s Rambo III broke the record with a blood-thirsty 221 acts of violence and 108 deaths. Incredibly the 2008 follow up, simply titled Rambo, managed to beat its predecessor with 236 deaths, coming to 2.5 deaths every minute. Jackie Stallone at The Expendables 3 premiere
11. He’s the most Golden Raspberry nominated star ever
Sly has been nominated for an Oscar three times, only just missing out this year for Creed to Bridge of Spies’ Mark Rylance. However he’s the only person to have been nominated in the worst film awards
30 times, winning ten of them. His awards include four worst actor awards and a Worst Actor of the Century award.
12. His mother’s a 94-year-old astrologer
Sly’s mother Jackie is still going strong as an astrologer, having previously been a dancer and women’s wrestling promoter. Not shy to plastic surgery like her son, Jackie appeared on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, and Through the Keyhole in 2007
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Funny woman Leslie Jones offered a heartfelt thanks to her long-time idol
Whoopi Goldberg for giving her the inspiration to pursue comedy.
The “Ghostbusters” star, during an appearance on the “The View” to promote
her film, told the panel of hosts, which included Goldberg, that the “Sister Act” star had a large impact on the way she perceived herself. “I always knew about comedy, I always loved comedy,” Jones said. “The day I saw Whoopi Goldberg on television I cried so hard, because I kept looking at my daddy going, ‘Oh my god. There’s somebody on TV that looks like me! She looks like me! Yay! I can be on TV! I can be on TV! I can do it! Look at her! She looks just like me!’”
The 48-year-old comedienne also recalled how her father, who always encouraged her love for all things funny, recorded
one of Whoopi’s TV appearances and Jones said she “literally watched it every day after school.”
The “Ghostbusters” reboot — in which Jones is among one of four leading ladies — was subject to a lot of criticism before it even hit theaters, but the hate hasn’t gotten to Jones because she knows, like Whoopi, she has a responsibility to the next generation looking for representation in the entertainment industry.
“I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Jones told Goldberg, holding back tears. “Because now I know what I’m doing when I put on that ‘Ghostbusters’ suit, and little girls see me on TV now, now they’re gonna go, ‘I can do it.’
“You gave that to me, and I love you. I love you for what you’ve done for black women, I love you for what you’ve done for black comedians, and I love you.”
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The actress, who appeared alongside Dame Joan Collins in the hit 1980s soap
Dynasty, will head the cast of A Princess Undone at the UK’s Cambridge Arts