Tag: Press Release

Gone With the Wind: 70th Anniversary Festivities Begin!

The year 1939 is considered one of the most outstanding in Hollywood history. There was an unusual amount of critical and audience favorites that have maintained their esteem these 70 years removed. Dark Victory, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach, Destry Rides Again, Wuthering Heights, Beau Geste, Ninotchka, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Of Mice and Men, Only Angels Have Wings, The Women, Young Mr. Lincoln, Drums Along the Mohawk and the perennial favorite, The Wizard of Oz are just some of the films that came out that year. However, with the arguable exception of The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind certainly came out on top as one of the all-time box office champs and the recipient of 10 Oscars (8 competitive, 1 technical and 1 honorary). The film set a box office record that would not be surpassed until The Sound of Music was released in 1965 and was the first film ever broadcast on TCM. Every major anniversary of both The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind have brought about major reissues and home video releases, so it’s expected that the same will apply this year. The festivities for Gone with the Wind start next month at the Atlanta Film Festival (a focal setting of the novel and film, and also where the film had its world premiere). I don’t know about you, but I would love to see this film on the big screen.

Gone With the Wind: A 70th Anniversary Celebration
With Special Guests Turner Classic Movie’s Robert Osborne, Baltimore Sun Critic Michael Sragow and Author/Critic Molly Haskell
April 18-19, 2009

Sunday, April 19 at 12:30pm
70th Anniversary Screening of Gone With the Wind
with Pre-Screening Talk-Back with Robert Osborne

“Gone With the Wind” will be shown at the Fox Theatre. Doors will open to the public at 11:30am. This is a reserved seating event. Tickets are $10 and $15 and will be available at the Fox Theatre Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com and at Ticketmaster outlets beginning February 16, 2009.

PURCHASE MOVIE TICKETS!
THIS IS A RESERVED SEATING EVENT.
TICKETS ARE $10.00 AND $15.00

Support the Atlanta Film Festival at an EXCLUSIVE Fundraiser: A Southern Breakfast
Mint JulepSunday, April 19th at 10:00am: Join the Atlanta Film Festival for an exclusive private brunch at the home of board member Scott Benson (director, The Race to Save 100 Years). Guests will “never be hungry again” as they enjoy a fantastic Southern Breakfast buffet accompanied by mint juleps and sweet tea. Mr. Osborne, Ms. Haskell and Mr. Sragow will be in attendance–and guests will all be treated to gift bag which includes a signed copy of each of their books.

Guests will be conveniently shuttled to the screening, where their VIP reserved seats await. Space for this event is extremely limited–$500 minimum donation required. Proceeds for this fundraiser support the Atlanta Film Festival in its mission to lead the community in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. To reserve your space and make your pledge to the Atlanta Film Festival, contact Paula Martinez at 404-352-4225.

Coffeehouse: State of Film Criticism
featuring Molly Haskell and Michael Sragow

Saturday, April 18th at 4:00pm: An intimate discussion at the new Starbucks on Monroe at the Midtown Promenade with a host of critics and bloggers from all over the U.S.

The Gone With the Wind Legacy:
A discussion with Robert Osborne, Michael Sragow and Molly Haskell

Gone With the Wind, Saturday, April 18th at 8:00pm: Atlanta History Center’s The Literary Center at Margaret Mitchell House will host a very special author program for film lovers. Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne will lead a discussion with Michael Sragow, movie critic of The Baltimore Sun, and Molly Haskell, critic and author. Turner Classic Movies presents these film experts in a discussion about the legacy of “Gone With the Wind,” its director Victor Fleming, and the Hollywood heyday of 1939.

The event will showcase new books from all three experts: “80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards” by Robert Osborne, “Victor Fleming,” a biography by Michael Sragow, and “Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited,” by Molly Haskell.

Doors open at 7:00pm; program begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $5 for members of the Atlanta History Center and Margaret Mitchell House; $10 for nonmembers. Reservations required at 404.814.4150. For more information, visit www.gwtw.org.

Estelle Parsons to Headline National Tour of "August: Osage County"

In an interview with Playbill a couple months ago, Parsons expressed a hope that producers would offer her the August: Osage County national tour. Well, here she is world:

TRACY LETTS’ 2008 TONY AWARD AND PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PLAY
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
STARRING ACADEMY AWARD WINNER ESTELLE PARSONS
TO OPEN NATIONAL TOUR IN DENVER

August: Osage County, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons in the role of the family matriarch, Violet, will launch its national tour, in Denver, CO on July 24th, 2009. Following two weeks at Denver’s Ellie Caukins Opera House (7/24-8/8), the show will play San Francisco’s Curran Theatre from August 11 – September 6, 2009.

Subsequent engagements will be announced shortly.Ms. Parsons is currently appearing in the show on Broadway where The New York Times recently raved, “Estelle Parsons gives a superb performance…sends chills down your spine. It may prove to be a crowning moment in an illustrious career.” Ms. Parsons joined the company in June, 2008.

Estelle Parsons first foray into the business began when she was hired by “The Today Show,” first as a production assistant, then staff writer, which eventually led her to become the first female television network political news reporter.Estelle began acting and appeared in her first stage performance on Broadway in Happy Hunting. Since then, Estelle has gone on to either star in or direct over 25 productions. Most notably, she has been nominated for the Tony Award for her performances in The Seven Descents of Myrtle, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Miss Margarida’s Way and Mornings at Seven.

Estelle’s first film role was in Ladybug, Ladybug. Her performance in Bonnie and Clyde garnered an Academy Award and she was nominated again the following year for her work in Rachel, Rachel. Other film performances include Don’t Drink the Water, I Walk the Line , I Never Sang for My Father, Watermelon Man , For Pete’s Sake , Dick Tracy, Boys on the Side and Looking for Richard.

On television, Estelle appeared in “All in the Family” and as the mother of “Roseanne” on the hit sitcom. Recently, she has appeared in the HBO television mini-series “Empire Falls” and has directed various productions of the Oscar Wilde play Salome, all of which starred Al Pacino. She also appears in the documentary Salomaybe? that was directed by Mr. Pacino.

In addition to teaching acting at Columbia and Yale, Estelle Parsons served as the Artistic Director of the Actors’ Studio between 1996 and 2001.

Written by 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts (Superior Donuts, Man From Nebraska, Killer Joe, Bug), this grand and gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm.

Directed by 2008 Tony Award-winner Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County is a rare theatrical event: a large-scale work filled with 13 unforgettable characters, a powerful tragicomedy told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. August: Osage County premiered and was produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2007.

Nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Play and Best Director, and the recipient of Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, including Best Play, Best Director and Best Scenic Design, August: Osage County opened at the Imperial Theatre Broadway on December 4, 2007, to wide critical acclaim. The New York Times called August: Osage County “The most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years,” and it was voted The #1 Play of the Year by Time, The Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, and TimeOut New York. After a sold-out engagement at the Imperial Theatre, the show re-opened at the Music Box Theatre on April 29, 2008 and will reach its 500th performance on February 3, 2009.

The show, which the London critics hailed as “the must-see play of the year – possibly a lifetime,” opened to rave reviews at The National Theatre on November 26, 2008, where it plays for a limited eight-week engagement featuring members of the original Broadway company.

The show’s creative team includes Tony Award winner Todd Rosenthal (sets), Ana Kuzmanic (costumes), Ann G. Wrightson (lights), Richard Woodbury (sound) and David Singer (original music).

August: Osage County is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler and Jerry Frankel.

Elaine Stritch Returns to "30 Rock"

I don’t know about you, but I’m already there…

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11
“30 Rock” (9:30-10 p.m.)
“Christmas Special”

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT TAKES OVER 30 ROCK AS LIZ ATTEMPTS TO FULFILL CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS WISHES; ELAINE STRITCH GUEST-STARS — Only days before Christmas, Liz’s (Tina Fey) parents ditch her to celebrate the holidays at a couples-only retreat, leaving her all alone for the holiday and to fill the void, she participates in a charity program, “Letters to Santa,” to help underprivileged kids have a nice Christmas. Meanwhile, Jack (Alec Baldwin) takes his frustration out on the TGS staff when his plans for a dream holiday vacation away from his overbearing mother, Colleen (guest star Elaine Stritch) are crushed. The TGS crew are forced to give up their plans to produce a last-minute Christmas special. Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Judah Friedlander and Keith Powell also star.

Dear FCC, WTF?

An official press release:

THE BROADWAY COMMUNITY URGES THE FCC TO RECONSIDER RULES THAT COULD SILENCE LIVE THEATRE

“Can you hear me now?” is NOT what the audience wants to hear actors say on stage.

Actors wear wireless microphones that transmit on frequencies soon to be compromised by consumer devices. Without publishing proposed rules and allowing public discourse, the FCC, pressured by leading technology firms, will vote on this issue on November 4, 2008: Election Day. The FCC’s own engineers’ report demonstrates that the technology in place to prevent interference is ineffective.

The Broadway League has asked the FCC to refrain from voting to approve new devices that will transmit in the “white space” radio spectrum, currently occupied by wireless microphones. Wireless microphones are an essential tool of the live performance industry, used in the daily operations of countless theatres and non-profit performance venues, sports arenas, and concert halls across the country.

These comments were filed in response to the FCC’s announcement that it will vote on an order potentially opening the white spaces to portable internet devices employing spectrum sensing technology intended to prevent interference with wireless microphones. However, a preliminary review of an FCC engineers’ report issued on October 15, 2008 demonstrates repeated failures of spectrum sensing to recognize wireless transmissions. While regulations that include reference to spectrum sensing technology would rely on unproven technology, the FCC may forge ahead and adopt new rules without allowing interested parties any prior opportunity to ensure the Commission took adequate steps to address the needs of all wireless microphone users.

Theatres in urban areas are at particular risk because the complex radio environment is beyond any measure of control. Not only is the quality of the performances at risk, but also the safety of all who work in these venues will be compromised. Accordingly, sound engineers will have no way to locate or report the source of interference should a portable device disrupt a live performance.

The Broadway League believes any action on this issue is premature. However, should the FCC go forward with new regulations at this time, they strongly urge the Commission to recognize incumbent white space users and, at the very minimum, employ basic protections to address the needs of Broadway. The Broadway League has been working with theatres across the country to help get the message to the FCC of the many consequences of a hasty decision. This week it also reached out to the Commission with an ad campaign (see attached) to help bring attention to the serious situation this premature vote creates.

The New York City Council recently adopted a Resolution urging the FCC to open a formal comment period on its engineers’ report before putting the issue to a vote and to allocate sufficient channels for current wireless microphone users.

Representative Carolyn B. Maloney echoed the City Council’s sentiments and said, “The FCC should not be trying to rush this decision out the door this way in the closing days of this administration without adequate public comment. This action puts the theatre industry at risk.”

Nina Lannan, Chairman of The Broadway League, commented, “Broadway contributes more than $5 billion to the City of New York and generates the equivalent of 44,000 full time jobs. We must be assured that these devices work, not only for Broadway, but also for theatres across America too. Touring Broadway productions help infuse the nation’s economy with over $3 billion annually. “

Tom Viertel, Producer, stated, “Our industry relies on clear, consistent wireless microphone transmissions. The Broadway Unions and Guilds have joined forces with us to demand notice and opportunity to be heard before any further FCC proceedings because our jobs and lives are on the line. Many groups, including the National Association of Broadcasters and Sports Technology Alliance, also oppose the FCC’s actions which threaten their ability to conduct businesses and employees’ livelihoods.”

THE SHOWS MUST GO ON!

The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.BroadwayLeague.com.

Another Hitchcock Collection…

My comments to follow after work…

A DEFINITIVE ANTHOLOGY FROM
THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE

ALFRED HITCHCOCK
PREMIERE COLLECTION

Brilliantly Restored And Remastered, The Eight-Disc Set Includes All-New Commentaries, Featurettes, Screen Tests, Vintage Radio Interviews,
An AFI Tribute To The Director And More

Arriving On DVD October 14 From MGM Home Entertainment

LOS ANGELES, CA – One of the most influential filmmakers in all of cinema and voted the greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, MGM Home Entertainment presents an extensive compilation featuring the works of a true Hollywood legend when the Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection arrives on DVD October 14. Nominated collectively for a total of 23 Academy Awards, these films are beautifully restored and remastered and feature titles out of print on DVD for several years. The eight-disc set is highlighted by Hitchcock’s Oscar winner for Best Picture Rebecca, starring Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) and Laurence Olivier (Hamlet) in a dark tale of love and obsession. Silver screen siren Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca) makes an appearance in two Hitchcock classics; first alongside Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird) in Spellbound, as a young doctor in pursuit of the truth and next alongside Cary Grant (North by Northwest) in Notorious, a tale of crime, passion and espionage. Rounding out the collection is Peck once again in The Paradine Case as a lawyer defending a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her husband, the spy thriller Sabotage, the romantic murder-mystery drama Young and Innocent, the suspenseful high seas thriller Lifeboat and one of Hitchcock’s earliest films, the terrifying whodunit The Lodger featuring an all-new anniversary score.

With hours of all-new special features including audio commentaries, featurettes, screen tests, still galleries, vintage radio interviews, an AFI Tribute to Hitchcock and more, the DVD collection also includes a 32-page notebook with trivia, production notes and more about the legendary director. Available for a suggested retail price of $119.98 U.S. / $159.98 Canada, Rebecca, Spellbound and Notorious will also be available as singe discs for a suggested retail price of $19.98. Prebook is September 17.

Rebecca Synopsis
A young woman marries a fascinating older widower only to discover that she must live in the shadows of his first wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years before.

Special features:
· Commentary by film historian/author Richard Schickel
· Screen tests
· Making of Rebecca Featurette
· The Gothic World of Daphne Du Maurier Featurette
· Original 1938 Radio Play Starring Orson Welles
· 1941 Radio Play Presented by Cecil B. DeMille
· 1950 Radio Play with Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: François Truffaut Interviews Hitchcock
· Four-page booklet

The Lodger Synopsis
During a rash of gruesome murders by a serial killer known only as “The Avenger,” a mysterious stranger arrives in London and rents a room with the Bunting family. Intriguing and reclusive, the Buntings’ new guest soon earns the interest of their beautiful daughter. But when the lodger’s strange habits and odd hours start to coincide with The Avenger’s killings, the Buntings suspect they may have let a murderer into their home…and given him the key to destroying their lives!

Special features:
· 1999 Score by Ashley Irwin presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround
· 1997 Score by Paul Zaza presented in Mono
· Commentary with film historian Patrick McGilligan
· The Sound of Silence: The Making of The Lodger Featurette
· Hitchcock 101 Featurette
· 1940 Radio Play Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: François Truffaut Interviews Hitchcock
· Restoration Comparison

The Paradine Case Synopsis
Beautiful Anna Paradine (Alida Valli) is accused of poisoning her older wealthy husband. Her barrister, the happily married Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck) takes the case but also lets his heart rule his head when he falls hard for his client.

Special features:
· Commentary with film historians Stephen Rebello & Bill Krohn
· Isolated Music and Effects Track
· 1949 Radio Play Starring Joseph Cotton
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Restoration Comparision
· Still Galleries

Spellbound Synopsis
When John Ballantine (Gregory Peck), the new director of a mental asylum arrives on the job, the staff is concerned. He seems too young for the position and his answers to their questions are vague and detached. Dr. Peterson (Ingrid Bergman), while knowing he is an imposter with emotional issues, nevertheless falls in love with him. Turning to her mentor, Dr. Alex Brulov (Michael Checkhov) and the use of psychoanalysis she tries to get to the root of Ballantine’s emotional problems.

Special features:
· Commentary with film historians Thomas Schatz & Charles Ramirez Berg
· Guilt by Association: Psychoanalyzing Spellbound Featurette
· A Cinderella Story: Rhonda Fleming Featurette
· Dreaming with Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism and Salvador Dali Featurette
· 1948 Radio Play Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: Film Historian Rudy Belhemer Interviews Composer Miklós Rózsa
· Still Gallery
· 4-Page Booklet

Notorious Synopsis
Daughter of an accused World War II traitor, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is enlisted to entrap one of her father’s colleagues in Brazil, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Raines). Her American contact, secret agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) is openly contemptuous of Alicia and instructs her to wed Sebastian. It is only after she is wed that Devlin lets himself admit that he’s fallen in love with her.

Special features:
· Commentary with film historian Rick Jewell
· Commentary with film historian Drew Casper
· Isolated Music and Effects Track
· The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious Featurette
· Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster Featurette
· AFI Tribute to Hitchcock
· 1948 Radio Play Starring Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: François Truffaut Interviews Hitchcock
· Restoration Comparision
· Still Gallery
· 4-Page Booklet

Young and Innocent Synopsis
In this witty, suspense thriller a police chief’s daughter helps a fugitive accused of murder prove his innocence.

Special features:
· Commentary with film historians Stephen Rebello & Bill Krohn
· Isolated Music and Effects Track
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Audio Interview: François Truffaut Interviews Hitchcock
· Restoration Comparision
· Still Gallery

Sabotage Synopsis
A woman learns that her movie theater manager husband is actually a foreign agent when a bomb he has made kills her brother. Based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, The Secret Agent.

Special features:
· Commentary with film historian Leonard Leff
· Audio Interview: Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock
· Restoration Comparision
· Still Gallery

Lifeboat Synopsis
Nominated for three Academy Awards®, Alfred Hitchcock’s World War II drama is a remarkable story of human survival. After their ship is sunk in the Atlantic by Germans, eight people are stranded in a lifeboat. Their problems are further compounded when they pick up a ninth passenger – the Nazi captain from the U-boat that torpedoed them. With powerful suspense and emotion, this legendary classic reveals the strengths and frailties of individuals under extraordinary duress.

Special features:
· Commentary by University of Southern California School of Cinema & Television Hitchcock professor and film critic, Drew Casper
· “The Making of Lifeboat” featurette
· The original theatrical trailer
· Still gallery featuring photographs from the set

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection
DVD Price: $119.98 U.S. / $159.98 Canada
Order Due Date: September 17, 2008
Street Date: October 14, 2008
Catalog Number: M110985
Total Run Time: 594 minutes
Screen Format: 1.33:1 Full Screen
Audio Features: English Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Closed Captioned: Yes

The Show Will Go On!

The official press release from the off-Broadway show Gazillion Bubble Show that found their key material stolen. Unbelievable what some people will do, isn’t it? Glad to hear that the setback isn’t interrupting the run of the show any. Apparently it takes six weeks to mix up the solution used for performance, hopefully when that time comes there’ll still be enough left for the audiences’ enjoyment.

BUBBLE TROUBLE
OFF-BROADWAY HIT SHOW
GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW’S
WAREHOUSE LOOTED

Despite the recently reported news about the bubble break-in, the Off-Broadway hit Gazillion Bubble Show will continue to amaze audiences of all ages at New World Stages as planned. There is enough special bubble formula to get through the next several weeks and Fan Yang and members of his production staff are working overtime to ensure the continuation of the Gazillion Bubble Show NO SHOWS WILL BE CANCELED. Tickets are currently on sale through January 2009.

Previously reported: The NJ warehouse that housed all of the famed off-Broadway show the Gazillion Bubbles Show was looted. The bandits took off with over 6000 bubble toys, even more frustrating to the renowned bubble artist is the theft of his specialized bubble solution (3.4 tons to be exact) which takes two months to create and may put the famed Gazillion Bubble Show in a pinch as there is only one month worth of supplies left at the theatre.

Created by 16-time Guinness World Record holder and bubble scientist, Fan Yang’s Gazillion Bubble Show has been bringing the magic and beauty of simple soap bubbles to New York for the past 18 months at New World Stages. His wife Ana and brother Jano also perform with The Gazillion Bubble Show. Fan Yang and the GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW has been featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The David Letterman Show,” “Live with Regis and Kelly,” “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” “The View,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” NBC, ABC, CBS, CW1, FOX, as well as and television stations around the world. In past months Yang has put over 100 people is a bubble as well as enclosing a 8,800lbs elephant in a single soapy sphere.

The GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW…”It will BLOW you away!!!”

It is simply UNBUBBLELIEVABLE! You have to experience it to believe it.

Now on sale through January 2009

GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW

Mon & Tues Dark; Wednesday 2pm, Thursday 2pm and 7pm, Friday 2pm and 5pm,

Saturday 11am, 2pm, 7pm, Sunday 12noon and 3pm

New World Stages Theatre located at 340 West 50th Street

Tickets are $41.50 -$86.50 (VIP package) and can be purchased at

Telecharge at 212.239.6200 or at www.telecharge.com

Visit www.gazillionbubbleshow.com for full performances schedule.

"On Broadway!" A Glittering Salute to the American Musical"

Any event which promises an appearance by Angela Lansbury has got to be okay in my book. She’s hosting the following gala which will honor Brian Heidtke and Tommy Tune this October. Sounds very interesting, no?

Rolex presents “ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute To The American Musical”- Career Transition For Dancers’, 23rd Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 27 at 7pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (bet. 7 & 6 Aves). Two of the honorees for the Gala are Brian Heidtke and Tommy Tune. Multi award-winning actress Angela Lansbury will host the Gala, which will be followed by an Anniversary Supper with the Stars at Hilton New York’s Grand Ballroom. “ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute to the American Musical”, is a glorious historical journey inside the Broadway musical seen through the eyes of legendary choreographers. The Gala will be the entertainment-dance event of the new season; accompanied by the Jubilee Orchestra with appearances by dance companies, dancers, stars and many surprises. It is produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo.


“We are pleased to present the Rolex Dance Award to Tommy Tune, the most illustrious choreographer, dancer, singer and director of our time. This winner of nine Tony Awards and The National Medal of Arts is not only dedicated to the art of dance, but also to supporting the mission of Career Transition For Dancers. We are pleased to celebrate his legendary career and many contributions to the world of dance,” said Allen Brill, President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA.


Tommy Tune is the recipient of an unprecedented nine Tony Awards in 4 different categories plus, among other accolades, 8 Drama Desk Awards, 2 Obie Awards, 2 Astaire Awards, American Dance Award, Drama League Award, and the George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement. Tommy first danced onto Broadway in the chorus of “Baker Street”, followed by “A Joyful Noise”, “How Now Dow Jones” and “Seesaw” (1st Tony). He directed “The Club” then on to B’way, as choreographer and co-director on “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” followed by “A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine” (Tony). Other shows are “Cloud 9”; “Nine, The Musical” (Tony). A double Tony Award win for “My One and Only”. “Grand Hotel” followed with 2 more Tony wins; and the following year Mr. Tune did what no artist had done before when he won the same two prestigious honors back to back for “The Will Rogers Follies”. Tommy returned to perform his one-man song and dance show, “Tommy Tune Tonight!” Tune has sung and danced for three U.S. Presidents, the Queen of England and the Royal Family of Monaco. He was inducted into the Broadway’s Theatre Hall of Fame, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Brian Heidtke will receive the Career Transition For Dancers’ Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance. He has been an active member of the dance community for years, serving both as board trustee and as a financial supporter. He is the Vice President and Treasurer of ABT and chairs its education committee. He is also the recipient of the Lucia Chase Award. He has been an active supporter of the international ballet competition Youth America Grand Prix and of the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Formerly the Vice President, Finance and Corporate Treasurer of Colgate-Palmolive Company, he is the Chair of the National Association of Corporate Treasurers and a board member of the Williams Capital Management Trust.


Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, has helped thousands of professional dancers identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option. Since 1985, they have provided more than 38,000 hrs (equivalent to $4 million) of one-on-one career counseling and program services (at no cost) and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships for education and grants. CTFD also provides dancers with specialized services that include seminars and workshops, peer support groups, resource centers, a toll-free national hotline, and National Networking Directory. The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers is at 165 West 46th Street Suite 701 (at Broadway – the Actors’ Equity Building) NYC. CTFD’s phone number is (212) 764-0172 and the fax is (212) 764-0343 and in Los Angeles (323) 549-6660. www.careertransition.org


Gala tickets are $600, $750 & $1,200 each, which include the performance and a post-performance ‘Anniversary Supper with the Stars’, auction and dancing. Sponsorships, tables and journals ads are also available. For gala tickets call Marjorie Horne of McEvoy & Assocs. at (212) 228-7446 x33 and for Group Sales (718) 499-9691. Show only tickets are $130, $75, $55 and $45.