The first trailer for Ryan Murphy’s “The Prom,” the star-stuffed movie musical adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, has landed from Netflix. Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, James Corden, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key, and many more headline this flashy song-and-dance movie, which arrives on the streaming platform December 11. Watch the new look at the film below. The Broadway musical comedy follows a group of washed up Broadway actors who help a lesbian go to prom as part of a PR stunt. Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), a two-time Tony Award winner, pairs up with Barry Glickman (James Corden) in a musical about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt that’s a total flop. They each receive career-killing reviews, and decide to revive their reputations by throwing their weight behind a charity cause. They’re joined by veteran Broadway chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman), along with out-of-luck actor Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells), in boosting Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), a high-school senior barred from bringing her girlfriend to the prom. Production was halted on the film on March 12, but resumed on July 23. The Broadway edition, with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, bowed in New York on October 2018 after launching in Atlanta in 2016. The musical was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, though it didn’t win any of them. “The Prom” premieres on Netflix December 11. Screencaptures from the teaser trailer have been added as well.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are getting the Sanderson Sisters back together later this month, 27 years after the Halloween cult classic for a virtual “Hocus Pocus” reunion, Midler announced Sunday. The live event, “In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover,” takes place Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET. “Join me! For a marvelous one night only reunion with the Sanderson Sisters and some of our favorite friends,” Midler tweeted Sunday. In addition to the trio of stars, the reunion features Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as the host and a deluge of famous faces including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kenan Thompson, John Stamos, Glenn Close, George Lopez, Martin Short, Adam Lambert, Michael Kors, Todrick Hall and more. Hulaween is part of Midler’s annual fundraiser for the New York Restoration Project, her organization dedicated to improving New York City’s infrastructure and greenery.

*This is a one-time showing.* The show will not broadcast again after the listed date and time. Join us as Ms. Midler reunites with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy for “In Search of The Sanderson Sisters, A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover” hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and featuring: Glenn Close, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Debney, Samantha Diaz, Harry Guinness, Todrick Hall, Jennifer Hudson, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Michael Kors, Adam Lambert, George Lopez, Alex Moffat, Vanessa Shaw, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, Meryl Streep, Kenan Thompson, Sophie von Haselberg, and other surprise guests. Reserve your spot today for our one-hour virtual evening event on Friday, October 30! Your personalized access link will be emailed to you in advance of the event, and we will keep you informed of all the Hocus Pocus fun we have in store leading up to the big night. The broadcast will include closed captions in English and can be streamed worldwide

Tickets can be ordered over at Midler’s New York Restoration Project website. Tickets cost $10 and all proceeds go toward the NYRP, according to the website.

Entertainment Tonight has a fantastic interview with Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest for Steven Soderbergh’s December-confirmed HBO Max film “Let Them All Talk”: Dianne Wiest sits demurely, a bookshelf behind her, broadcasting from her computer. Meryl Streep leans against a white brick wall, her iPhone at arm’s length. Candice Bergen reclines on her couch, holding her iPad over her head. For his latest film Let Them All Talk, director Steven Soderbergh put the three acting legends on a ship and, well, let them all talk. So it only made sense for EW to do the same — albeit over Zoom, rather than at sea. The ensuing conversation will mark their first extended discussion of the mysterious movie, which arrives on HBO Max in December. Scripted (sort of; more on that in a minute) by beloved short-story writer Deborah Eisenberg, Let Them All Talk stars Streep as an acclaimed novelist who’s summoned to the U.K. to receive an award. She invites two of her oldest friends (Bergen and Wiest) and her nephew (Lucas Hedges) to join her on a voyage aboard the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner, setting up a gabfest filled with reminiscence, regret, and repartee. As it happens, that also describes EW’s roundtable with the actresses. But at first, they’re just giddy to see each other again, discussing vacation spots and the California wildfires before Bergen gets things back on track. “You’re trying to get things started here,” she says with a chuckle. And so we do.

Meryl, how does playing, for lack of a better word, a regular person like this character differ from some of your more transformative roles?
I didn’t think she was so regular. I mean, to me, she was a rara avis. She’s a really weird bird. A real intellectual, which I am not. People like that sort of intimidate me, and so it’s great fun to imagine what it’d be like to have those standards of thought, and those aspirations, and to have a poetic soul, which I think she did, and the selfishness of real, true artists. People that don’t have kids and concerns that pull them into the real world. People that have been able to just live in the sort of miasma of their own imagination and anxieties and terrors. That’s her, and at this particular moment of her life, especially so. Her regrets and her desires to figure things out — it’s stuff you can relate to after 70, certainly, if you’re lucky enough to get there.

The complete interview can be read over at Entertainment Weekly and in our press archive.

According to Variety, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Timothee Chalamet will join Jennifer Lawrence in the star-studded cast of “Don’t Look Up,” a new Netflix comedy from Adam McKay. Jonah Hill and Himesh Patel will also star, along with Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi and Matthew Perry. As previously announced, Cate Blanchett and Rob Morgan are part of the cast. McKay, the filmmaker behind “Step Brothers,” “Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights” and “The Big Short,” wrote and directed “Don’t Look Up,” which follows two low-level astronomers who embark on a media tour to warn mankind of an impending asteroid that could destroy the planet. Lawrence and DiCaprio are expected to play the two astronomers, but Netflix would not confirm. The movie is scheduled to start filming before the end of the year. McKay is also producing the film with Kevin Messick under McKay’s Hyperobject Industries banner. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Ernest Hemingway, the iconic literary figure considered one of the greatest American writers and among the first to live and work at the treacherous nexus of art and celebrity, is the subject of an upcoming three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick coming to PBS April 5-7, 2021 at 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The documentary paints an intimate picture of Hemingway the writer – who captured on paper the complexities of the human condition in spare and profound prose, and whose work remains deeply influential around the world – while also penetrating the myth of Hemingway the man’s man to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure. The film also explores Hemingway’s limitations and biases as an artist and a man of his time. “Hemingway is both an intimate, turbulent family saga and an examination of some of the greatest works of American literature in the 20th century,” said director Ken Burns. “The documentary attempts to show how flawed our assumptions about Ernest Hemingway and his writing have been. At the same time, we are unsparing in our inquiry into less well-known aspects of his character and writing. Our intent is to offer viewers an honest portrayal of a complex and conflicted writer who left an indelible mark on literature.” Narrated by long-time collaborator Peter Coyote, the series features an all-star cast of actors bringing Hemingway (voiced by Jeff Daniels), his friends and family vividly to life. Through letters to and from his four wives – voiced by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson – the film reveals Hemingway at his most romantic and his most vulnerable, grappling at times with insecurity, anxiety and existential loneliness. In three two-hour episodes, “Hemingway” tracks the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the author who, in his final years, suffered from chronic alcoholism, serious mental illness, traumatic brain injuries and depression. In 1961, at the age of 61, Hemingway died by suicide, leaving behind an unparalleled body of artistic work and a complicated emotional legacy for those closest to him.

The full line up for The Royal Conservatory’s season gala has been announced. As one of Toronto’s most exclusive and star-studded annual galas, The Resounding Concert is accessible to everyone this year on October 17 via livestream. The event is a benefit in support of the Fund for Koerner Hall. Appearances will include artists who have performed at Koerner Hall from around the world: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Lang Lang, Meryl Streep, Sondra Radvanovsky, Jan Lisiecki, Zakir Hussain, James Ehnes, Alex Cuba, Daniel Hope, k.d. lang, Lighthouse, Rhiannon Giddens, Danilo Pérez, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Gerald Clayton (playing Oscar Peterson), Barbara Hannigan, Chilly Gonzales, and Skratch Bastid with Afiara Quartet. Although the livestream is free for everyone, The Royal Conservatory are asking for donations in support of the Fund for Koerner Hall in order to keep bringing live music to audiences and keep artists working. More information on the concert and ticket prizes can be found here. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

According to Playbill, a re-imagined virtual gala from The Public Theater will be a star-studded affair as the institution looks to the future following the year’s reckoning around racism in the country. “Forever. Togehter.”, directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, will take place October 20 at 8 PM ET. The event will be live streamed on The Public’s website, YouTube, and Facebook. While free to watch, donations are encouraged to support the Off-Broadway institution. The lineup includes Jelani Alladin, Jacqueline Antaramian, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Alysha Deslorieux, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kelli O’Hara, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Phylicia Rashad, Liev Schreiber, Martin Sheen, Phillipa Soo, Meryl Streep, Sting and Trudie Styler, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, and Kate Wetherhead. As previously planned for the June 1 ceremony, the gala includes a special tribute to this year’s honorees Sam Waterston and Audrey and Zygi Wilf. “Before the world was stilled, we were set to celebrate the institution of theater as we knew it,” said Leon. “What we now know is that we have much to learn and much to do to earn our sacred place in our community. We take this time to celebrate our artists, and as we move forward with our virtual event, we understand that these are precious moments. We must strive to build institutions worthy of the beauty of our artists, and we will meet the moment with the seriousness and attention it deserves.” The evening will feature stories from Public Theater alumni, songs from Public Theater musicals (including a performance by Alladin of a new song written just for Public Works’ production of Hercules), and a preview of “Say Their Names,” a visual installation to be projected on the facade of The Public’s Cooper Square home dedicated to the Black lives lost to police brutality and white violence. Anne McPherson will serve as the gala’s production stage manager with music direction by Ted Sperling. Many thanks to Glenn and Alvaro for the heads-up.

Netflix has released a first batch of production stills for the upcoming “The Prom”, and Entertainment Weekly has the accompanying story: The streaming service unveiled Wednesday several stills from Murphy’s adaptation of the popular stage production The Prom, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, and more in a tale of a queer teenager, Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), whose struggle with homophobia captures the attention of a fading Broadway quartet seeking a charity case to boost their careers back into the mainstream spotlight. Streep leads the film as Dee Dee, a Tony Award-winning actress who, along with her partner (James Corden) stars in a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt, endures a professional setback after their latest project flops. Teaming with veteran showgirl Angie (Kidman) and another actor, Trent (Andrew Rannells), the group travels to small-town Indiana to help Emma and her girlfriend (Ariana DeBose) push back against their high school’s controversial decision to bar them from attending their senior prom as a couple. Washington plays DeBose’s mother in the film, with Keegan-Michael Key, Mary Kay Place, and Tracey Ullman playing other supporting parts. The Prom — written by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, who devised the original 2016 stage production — dances to Netflix on Dec. 11. See the first-look photos above and below.

The Hollywood Reporter has put “The Prom” stars Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, James Corden, Jo Ellen Pellman, Keegan-Michael Key and Nicole Kidman on their cover with a lenghty interview inside their October 07 issue: “Should I just drop Meryl?” Keegan-Michael Key is cradling Meryl Streep in a dip as the 21-time Oscar nominee, wearing a pink-sequin pantsuit and heels, gazes admiringly up at him. The two are dancing underneath the basketball hoops in the Helen Bernstein High School gym in Los Angeles, which is decorated with beaded curtains, white balloons, twinkly lights and vases of flowers. It’s March 6, 2020, and the let’s-put-on-a-show! energy is palpable on the set of the Ryan Murphy movie The Prom, where Murphy is shooting his dance number finale, an anthem of acceptance featuring some 300 young LGBTQ extras in formal wear. The real high school is still in session around the production, and occasionally the school PA crackles with an announcement, briefly puncturing the glamour of the moment. Inside the gym, Streep, Key, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Tracey Ullman and newcomers Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose are dressed in coordinated shades of turquoise, pink and purple and gathered under bright lights to dance and lip-sync to the track they have already recorded of the film’s capper, “It’s Time to Dance.” The complete article can be read over at The Hollywood Reporter.

Following the success of his New York Times bestseller Dumpty, actor, author, and illustrator John Lithgow presents Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, a new book of satirical poems chronicling the despotic age of Donald Trump. This collection is funnier, darker and more hard-hitting than ever. Lithgow writes and draws with wit and fury as he takes readers on a wild ride through another year of the Trump administration. His rollicking poems and illustrations cover Trump’s impeachment, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and much more. In association with director Tim Van Patten, Triptyk Studios, and Chronicle Prism, John Lithgow presents a 21-episode video series based on the poetry in his book, TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN: Verses for a Despotic Age—starring 19 luminaries from the acting, literary, and political spheres. Covering Trump’s impeachment, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and much more, Lithgow’s new book arrives at a time when we need it most. With the 2020 election looming, it’s important to remember all of the atrocities of the past four years—and to do everything we can to prevent more. As Lithgow says, “I wrote this book to make you laugh, to make you mad, and to make you remember… and maybe also to make you vote.”