Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is to make her Broadway debut in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, it has been announced. The Welsh Oscar-winner will play Desiree Armfeldt, who sings the show-stopping ballad Send in the Clowns. Veteran star Angela Lansbury will also star as the terse Madame Armfeldt in the musical, set in a Swedish country house at the turn of the century. It opens on 13 December at New York's Walter Kerr Theater.
The production, inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, is a transfer from British director Trevor Nunn's recent staging in London. "I'm honored that Trevor Nunn and Stephen Sondheim asked me to make my Broadway debut in this beautiful production," Zeta-Jones said. "I look forward to starting rehearsal with this extraordinary group of people and working with the incomparable Angela Lansbury." The actress won an Oscar in 2006 for her supporting role as Velma Kelly in the screen adaptation of the musical Chicago. A Little Night Music first opened on Broadway in 1973 and has since won six Tony awards.
The famous American songwriter Ellie Greenwich has died aged 68. She was a popular songwriter and written many songs like River Deep, Mountain High and other hits. Her niece said due to heart attack Ellie died after being admitted to a New York hospital for pneumonia treatment. Ellie Greenwich was awarded 25 gold and platinum discs in her 50-year career. Chapel of Love and Da doo Ron Ron was written by her and it was collaboration with Phil Spector. Ellie wrote Leader of the Pack with her ex-husband, which became the basis for a Broadway musical based on her life. Greenwich was also the member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and contributed to the success of many stars, including working with Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. She is also co-produced songs for Neil Diamond, including his hit Kentucky Woman. Other compositions included Do Wah Diddy Diddy and Look of Love.
All of the Professional Cricketers Association's members will be screened for skin cancer for the first time. The union organised the programme after one in seven county players were referred to specialists when potential melanomas were found during check-ups. Although 15% of those screened so far will be given further tests, it is hoped most will be given the all-clear. Several Australian players, including Worcestershire's Ashley Noffke, have had melanomas removed in recent years. So far, the PCA has organised screenings for more than 300 cricketers. David Wigley, a player with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, said his fellow professionals were increasingly aware of the need for the tests. Skin cancer specialist Dr Rob Burd has been carrying out screenings for the PCA. He said cricketers, who spend up to eight hours a day in the sunshine when fielding and batting, are more exposed than most.
The 50-year-old Queen of Pop’s super smooth complexion and her wrinkle-free skin might be the result of a new procedure called the “ribbon lift”. Alex Karidis, a plastic surgeon claims Madonna was showing telltale signs of the procedure in a photograph taken days prior to the Oscar awards, the Daily Mail quoted his interview in Grazia magazine. “A tube like device is tunneled under the skin and has lots of tiny hooks that attach to the muscle and tissue. We then pull it upwards to lift the whole area, “Karidis said. It doesn’t appear as if the ribbon has dissolved properly. However, Madonna looks to have cleverly covered it with a loose hairstyle at the Oscars party. The ribbon lift is a 30-minute treatment, which is available at Beverly Hills clinics for around $6000. It takes around two months for the ribbon to be absorbed and the results around three years. In Hollywood, where image means everything, for many celebrities, looking good for The Academy Awards is as important as looking good in the movies they star in, even in a failing economy.
