Samuel L. Jackson is set to make his Broadway debut in the play The Mountaintop . Jackson will portray famed Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The Mountaintop is a dramatic interpretation of King’s life the night before he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN on April 4, 1968. The play has been running for two years in London and will officially open in New York in October 2011. Preview performances will begin on September 22, 2011, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Halle Berry was in talks to join the cast of the play in the role of Camae, a mysterious maid at the motel, but was forced to withdraw due to the ongoing child custody case with her ex, Gabriel Autry. Spotted @ The Huffington Post RELATED: Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Rosario Dawson & Kerry Washington Attend 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards RELATED: Bad Meaning Good: Top 10 Black Movie Villains
Reports have Tom Hanks and Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black attached to the project. By James Montgomery Billie Joe Armstrong performs with the cast of “American Idiot” Photo: Slaven Vlasic/ Getty Images It’s been green-lit, killed, resurrected and put on the back burner, but now it appears that the long-in-the-works film version of Green Day’s American Idiot album might finally become a reality. On Wednesday (April 13), Reuters reported that Universal is in negotiations to pick up the screen rights to the Broadway version of “Idiot,” and has hired Michael Mayer — who directs the stage production — to shoot the movie version. Reuters also reported that Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning writer of 2008’s “Milk,” is “in discussions” to write the screenplay, and that Tom Hanks will serve as producer on the film, along with Green Day themselves. (Hanks and his business partner Gary Goetzman were producers on the film version of the Broadway smash “Mamma Mia!,” the musical based on the songs of ABBA.) All of that means that, after a voyage that started way back in 2004 — when Billie Joe Armstrong told MTV News that the bandmembers were “talking” to screenwriters about adapting the album for the big screen — American Idiot could finally find its way to your local multiplex. In 2006, Armstrong promised fans that the film version of Green Day’s hit album would “definitely … happen,” but the band instead turned their attention to creating their next album (2009’s 21st Century Breakdown ) and a stage version of Idiot, which premiered at Berkeley, California’s Berkeley Repertory Theater in ’09 before heading to Broadway. Still, they remained adamant that a film would be coming, with Armstrong telling The Associated Press that it would echo the feel of cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Hanks’ reported attachment to the project is also interesting, considering that last year, Green Day dismissed his involvement as “just talk.” A spokesperson for Green Day could not be reached for comment by press time. Meanwhile, the “American Idiot” musical will officially end its Broadway run on April 24, with Armstrong reprising his role of St. Jimmy. Related Videos Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ On Broadway Related Artists Green Day
Follow-up to MJB’s seminal disc, My Life II, The Story Continues, is set to drop September 20. By Alvin Blanco Mary J. Blige Photo: Brian Ach/ WireImage Fans can mark September 20 as the day that Mary J. Blige returns with her 11th album, My Life II, The Story Continues. By the time of the album’s release — a sequel to Blige’s triple-platinum My Life album — it will be almost two years since the Queen of Hip-Hop/R&B delivered her last project, Stronger With Each Tear. “From me to you, My Life II … our journey together continues in this life,” Blige said in a statement. “It’s a gift to be able to relate and identify with my fans at all times. This album is a reflection of the times and lives of people all around me.” Blige’s sophisticated and sample-driven My Life was released in 1994, and was executive-produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was then going by Puff Daddy. And it’s probably no coincidence that Diddy is featured on the sequel’s lead single, “Someone to Love Me (Naked),” which also features a verse from Lil Wayne. The single’s groove is courtesy of Wyclef Jean’s cousin, the accomplished producer Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis. Other notable producers set to contribute to Blige’s forthcoming album include Kanye West, Stargate (Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow”) and Swizz Beatz. The original version of “Someone to Love Me” appeared on Diddy-Dirty Money’s Last Train to Paris. The version with Blige on it dropped at the top of the year and, at the time, it was thought to be just a remix. But a mastered version is available now on iTunes and although Blige tweeted that the Collin Tilley-directed video would debut April 8, the clip began making the Internet rounds on Monday. Blige has also been cast in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages,” which is set to star Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Diego Boneta. Related Artists Mary J. Blige
Actor admits it’s easier to sing and dance in ‘How to Succeed …’ than it was to disrobe in ‘Equus.’ By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Daniel Radcliffe Photo: Getty “I’m excited. Terrified, but excited,” Daniel Radcliffe told MTV News in the summer of 2007 as he prepared to take the stage — and doff his drawers — in a London-based production of “Equus.” Radcliffe eventually took the production to Broadway in 2008, but even a year later, the nude scene never got much easier. Even the prospect of singing and dancing on Broadway — talents the 21-year-old actor readily admits don’t come naturally to him — is a delight by comparison. That’s why, as Radcliffe walked the red carpet at the opening for his new musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” he admitted that tapping his toes on Broadway is far less terrifying than ripping off his skivvies. “I’m still going to have to go with being naked onstage,” he laughed. “The dancing and singing thing, it is scary, particularly on Broadway, because it is the home of the musical. But once you’ve learned it, it can become really fun. I can’t say the same about being naked onstage. This is a much more fun show all around.” That’s not to say “How to Succeed” has been a cakewalk. Radcliffe and his fellow actors endured an exhaustive rehearsal schedule and nearly a month of previews before officially opening on Sunday. “We’ve had a long-ish preview period — I can’t say ‘long’ anymore because of ‘Spider-Man’ — but it feels great to be here and know the show is set now and we don’t have to rehearse during the day and we get to chill out,” he told us. “Honestly, coming in and doing a two-and-a-half-hour show every evening will seem like a holiday after the last couple months.” Related Videos MTV News Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe
‘Coming in and doing a two-and-a-half-hour show every evening will seem like a holiday after the last couple months,’ he tells MTV News. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Daniel Radcliffe Photo: MTV News “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” star Daniel Radcliffe will perform the same routine eight times a week on Broadway for the rest of the year and into 2012, but the actor will happily take that relative monotony instead of the exhaustive rehearsals he’s endured for the last several months. “It feels very good to have opened — it really does,” he told MTV News following the musical’s premiere Sunday. “We’ve had a long-ish preview period — I can’t say long anymore because of ‘Spider-Man’ — but it feels great to be here and know the show is set now and we don’t have to rehearse during the day and we get to chill out. Honestly, coming in and doing a two-and-a-half-hour show every evening will seem like a holiday after the last couple months.” The work has clearly paid off, as reviews for his performance have been largely positive. “Daniel Radcliffe is so adorable in his Broadway musical debut, you just want to pinch his cheeks,” wrote the New York Post. “It’s not just his youth — the ‘Harry Potter’ star is 21 — but the endearing amount of dedication and enthusiasm he pours into steering the [play].” That’s got to feel good for a guy who’s gone on record that he has no particular talent for singing and dancing . But Radcliffe put in the work, and now he’s looking forward to a bit more time to himself. Not that he’s got ambitious plans for his downtime. When MTV News asked if he’ll have a chance to enjoy New York City, he said, “I will be able to now because the day-to-day rehearsal will have stopped. I’m just kind of relaxing and reading and chilling out. You know this; I don’t do anything interesting!” Will you check out Radcliffe on Broadway? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe Related Photos The Evolution Of: Daniel Radcliffe
Oh, Daniel Radcliffe — how you melt the icy chambers of my frozen heart. As the world gears up to watch Harry Potter finally triumph over evil noselessness, lucky Broadway audiences get to watch him finesse the cutthroat boardrooms of Mad Men -era New York in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying . Now, I will admit that as both a big fan of Daniel and How to Succeed, there’s was almost no chance that I wouldn’t love it, but I dare you not to impressed by the former boy wizard’s musical stylings. Check out the Broadway magic below! [ Broadway ]
Chris Rock recently stated that “I wanted to do something in New York,” right across the bridge from the New Jersey home he shares with his wife, Malaak, and daughters, Lola, 9, and Zahra, 7. USA Today reports that despite being the family man, the title of the new Broadway play that marks comedian and actor Chris Rock ‘s theatrical debut hardly suggests family entertainment. Yet Rock’s desire to spend more time with his family was a big factor in his decision to take on The Mother —————— With the Hat , which begins previews March 15. “Stand-up is fun, but you have to travel,” says Rock, 46, nibbling on fresh fruit at a restaurant near the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where Hat opens April 11. (Read the entire article here) Related articles: Denzel Washington: “Man Gives The Award, God Gives The Reward” Gallery: Date Night, Obama Style
Chris Rock recently stated that “I wanted to do something in New York,” right across the bridge from the New Jersey home he shares with his wife, Malaak, and daughters, Lola, 9, and Zahra, 7. USA Today reports that despite being the family man, the title of the new Broadway play that marks comedian and actor Chris Rock ‘s theatrical debut hardly suggests family entertainment. Yet Rock’s desire to spend more time with his family was a big factor in his decision to take on The Mother —————— With the Hat , which begins previews March 15. “Stand-up is fun, but you have to travel,” says Rock, 46, nibbling on fresh fruit at a restaurant near the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where Hat opens April 11. (Read the entire article here) Related articles: Denzel Washington: “Man Gives The Award, God Gives The Reward” Gallery: Date Night, Obama Style
Chris Rock ‘s two-minute skit at the end of Kanye West ‘s “Blame Game” is easily one of our favorite moments on West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. Rock says that the hilarious bit, known unofficially as “Yeezy Taught Me,” invigorated him. Black Presidents In The Movies 25 Reasons We Loved the Arsenio Hall Show “I did that quicker than I read scripts that they offer me money to do,” Rock told the New York Times . “I thank him so much it probably freaks him out. Especially at this late date, to get on something, the album of the moment, that stuff is priceless, you can’t put a price tag on that.” “I felt invigorated by it,” he said. “I’ve still got my fastball.” Chris Rock is currently preparing for a role in the Broadway play, The Motherf*cker In The Hat which begins previews on March 15th. Listen to Chris Rock’s hilariously NSFW skit below. Fast forward to 5:15 if you don’t feel like sitting through the song. RELATED: Chris Rock Starring In New Broadway Play, “The Motherf**ker With The Hat” [VIDEO] RELATED: Chris Rock Narrating Busta Rhymes’ New Album
Newsies , perhaps the greatest Bad Movie We Love , will hit Broadway as a new musical from Sept. 15-Oct. 16 at Millburn, New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse. Original composer Alan Menken is signed on, and he says the show “latche[s] onto exciting elements of what we had in the movie,” while “minimizing the things that were not so great about the movie.” This is a man who understands lovable badness. [ NYT ]
