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"Wicked," released with enough green and pink merchandising to choke a horse, has been one of the rare musical extravaganzas to cross over from an audience of theater enthusiasts into the mainstream. Based on the popular Broadway musical starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (which in turn was based on a Gregory Maguire novel of the same name), "Wicked" tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz." Elphaba ends up becoming roommates with Glinda (Ariana Grande as the future good witch) while they're both studying magic at university. An unlikely friendship blossoms between the two total opposites -- until it's suddenly tested by the lure of the Wizard and his Emerald City. 

"Wicked" was a smash hit, earning over $700 million at the box office and 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Grande). It ultimately won...

It’s the final month of 2023, and Hulu is just saying goodbye not just to the year but also to dozens of its top film titles. This December, the streamer will lose multiple franchise collections, including “Men in Black,” “The Matrix,” the “Bourne” collection.

At the end of the month, Hulu is wasting no time and will also clear out many of the titles in its holiday collection, meaning Dec. 31 will be your last opportunity to watch favorites such as “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,” and “The Polar Express” on the streamer.

Bid farewell to 2023 by watching The Streamable’s Top 5 picks for what’s leaving the streamer this month, and check out the full list to make sure you catch your favorites one last time before they leave!

30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in December 2023? “An Education” | Sunday,...

To raise funds and awareness for the war in Ukraine, NBC will air primetime special “Ukraine: Answering the Call” featuring an address from president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 3 at 7 p.m.

“Ukraine: Answering the Call” aims to respond to previous comments from Zelenskyy, who has challenged Americans to speak up about the war. The hour-long special will also feature appearances from José Andrés, Jon Batiste, Kristen Bell, Brandi Carlile, Brian Cox, Jeff Daniels, Vera Farmiga, Lena Headey, Alicia Keys, Simu Liu, Julianne Moore, Brad Paisley and Rosie Perez. Additionally, Broadway stars Rachel Bay Jones, Brenda Braxton, Liz Callaway, Lilla Crawford, Juwan Crawley, José Llana, Beth Malone, Andrea McArdle, Bonnie Milligan, Orfeh, Krysta Rodriguez, Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley and NaTasha Yvette Williams will perform a rendition of “What the World Needs Now is Love,” which was oft-used as a message of peace during the Vietnam War.

Along with Zelenskyy, Ukrainian head...

NBC has set Ukraine: Answering The Call, a one-hour primetime special aimed at education and raising funds for those whose lives have been shattered by the escalating war in the country.

The special, said to be an answer to the call from President Volodymyr Zelensky who has challenged Americans to use their voices to reach those who want peace, will air Sunday, July 3 at 7 pm Et/Pt on NBC.

Ukraine: Answering The Call will feature appearances by José Andrés, Jon Batiste, Kristen Bell, Brandi Carlile, Brian Cox, Jeff Daniels, Vera Farmiga, Lena Headey, Alicia Keys, Simu Liu, Julianne Moore, Brad Paisley, Rosie Perez, among others. Broadway stars also appearing include Rachel Bay Jones, Brenda Braxton, Liz Callaway, Lilla Crawford, Juwan Crawley, José Llana, Beth Malone, Andrea McArdle, Bonnie Milligan, Orfeh, Krysta Rodriguez, Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley and NaTasha Yvette Williams will come together for a special rendition of “What the World Needs Now is Love.

Exclusive: Cristala Carter, Derek Klena, Kate Jennings Grant, Robert Stanton (Mr. Mercedes), Jennifer Ferrin, Lilla Crawford (Into the Woods), Brian Altemus, Anthony Ordonez and Jeffrey Bean have been cast in recurring roles in HBO Max’s upcoming Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin reboot.

The present-day iteration of the popular 2010-17 series hails from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Lindsay Calhoon Bring, Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros TV.

Written by Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring, the reboot based on the bestselling books by Sara Shepard will feature a new story and new characters. Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little...

Disney Plus has added a bunch of new titles today, which should make for great viewing as we head into the week before Christmas. Among other things, the haul includes a star-studded musical that, despite being much-hyped when it came out a few years ago, is often overlooked nowadays. Seeing as it’s currently up on the streaming site, though, maybe it’s time for it to receive a reappraisal.

The movie in question is 2014’s Into the Woods and is based on the hit stage show from Stephen Sondheim, offering up a retelling of various famous fairy tales woven together, with a packed cast of A-listers bringing the mythical characters to life. The subplots all connect thanks to the overarching narrative which sees a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) forced to venture into the dark forest to collect spell ingredients for an evil witch (Meryl Streep). There,...

Disney Plus is adding an often overlooked Johnny Depp movie this week.

Among the new additions dropping on the Mouse House’s streaming service on Friday, December 18th is Into the Woods, the 2014 movie adaptation of the classic Stephen Sondheim stage musical. It did well at the time, but hasn’t had the prolonged life of other hit musicals from the last few years, so you may wish to check it out again once it becomes available to stream next weekend.

Into the Woods is a retelling of various famous fairy tales woven together, starring a packed cast of A-listers as revisionist takes on the mythical characters. The overarching story sees a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) forced to venture into the dark forest to collect spell ingredients for an evil witch (Meryl Streep). There, they encounter the likes of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Prince Charming (Chris Pine...

Roger Horchow, a Cincinnati-born entrepreneur who parlayed a luxury mail-order fortune into a Tony Award-winning streak as a producer on Broadway, died Saturday in Dallas of cancer. He was 91.

The founder in 1971 of he Horchow Collection luxury mail-order catalog, Horchow sold the company to Neiman Marcus in 1988, and by 1992 had won his first Tony Award as producer of Crazy For You, a “new” George Gershwin musical inspired by 1930’s Girl Crazy. Directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Ockrent’s future wife Susan Stroman, Crazy For You was a smash, garnering awards and audiences enthralled by its classic Gershwin score and refreshingly contemporary style.

Six years later Horchow and co-producer Roger Berlind mounted a revival of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, starring Marin Mazzie, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Michael Berresse. It, too, was a hit, winning the Tony for Best Musical Revival.

Four other Broadway productions, each of exceptional taste and popularity,...

Are you a history buff? Netflix's new TV show, The Who Was? Show, debuted today, Variety reports.The family series is based on the Who Was? children's books and "features an array of sketches built around an unlikely pair of historical figures." The cast includes Andy Daly, Haley Tju, Lilla Crawford, Bentley Green, Adam Hochstetter, Zach Timson, Kirrilee Berger, Ellie Kemper, John Oliver, and Jane Krakowski.Read More…...

Ever wonder what it would be like if Gandhi met up with Benjamin Franklin? Or if Galileo sat down for a chat with Queen Elizabeth? What about a dance-off between Joan of Arc and Albert Einstein?

All those things and more can be found on Netflix’s new kids and family series “The Who Was? Show,” which launched on the streaming service on Friday.

The sketch comedy series is based on the popular “Who Was?” children’s books published by Penguin Random House and features a who’s who of comedy producers and writers who can boast 900 Emmys between them, according to executive producer-showrunner Richard Korson and writer-executive producer Brian McCann (“Conan”), who recently chatted with Variety about the silly, yet slyly educational show.

The series is a show-within-a-show format about a group of kids that produce a show overseen by a clueless network executive, played by Andy Daly. Each episode,...

Lilla Crawford (Into the Woods) is set as a lead in ABC's untitled single-camera comedy pilot from My Name Is Earl executive producer Bobby Bowman, Condé Nast Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment and ABC Studios. In addition, Will Kindrachuk (School of Rock) has been cast in a series regular role. Written by Bowman and directed by Ian Fitzgibbon, the Untitled Bobby Bowman Project is inspired by Bowman's childhood growing up with a father with mental illness. The uplifting…...

American Scoreboard The Trump Administration will present the next installment of its series of live dramatic political readings on Monday, October 23rd from 700 p.m. to 820 p.m. at Pace University's Schimmel Center, 3 Spruce Street in downtown New York City, featuring Lilla Crawford Annie as Senator Patricia Murray, Syndey Lucas Fun Home as Senator Elizabeth Warren, Sam Poon The King and I as Senator Bernie Sanders, Nicholas Barasch Big River, 2017 Encores as Senator Al Frankin, Edward O'Blenis as Senator Lamar Alexander Law amp Order Svu, and Tracy Shayne Bronx Bombers, Chicago as Betsy DeVos.

Actresses Lilla Crawford Broadway's Annie, Taylor Louderman Kinky Boots, and Elan Luz Rivera stopped by today's Pix11 to discuss their new animated series Sunny Day, which premiered on Monday, August 21st. 'Everything's an adventure,' shared the stars. Watch the appearance below...

In the new animated series, Sunny, voiced by Broadway's Lilla Crawford Annie, is a confident and creative natural leader who runs her own hair salon in the town of Friendly Falls.

Rather than looking ahead to 'Tomorrow,' Annie star Lilla Crawford Into The Woods will be taking a look back into history forthe new Netflixsketch comedy series The Who Was Show...

History is about to get a lot more funny on Netflix. The streaming giant has tapped six young actors for The Who Was? Show, an upcoming historical comedy sketch series which introduces kids to leading figures from yesteryear. The new series was inspired by Penguin Workshop's bestselling Who Was? biography series. Presented as a show within a show, Haley Tju (Bella and the Bulldogs), Adam Hochstetter (The Kicks), Lilla Crawford (Into the Woods), Bentley Green (Fat Camp)…...

BroadwayWorld is pleased to stream Live the star-studded 'Concert for America.'The sold-out show - created and produced bySeth RudetskyandJames Wesley- will feature performances and appearances byBetty Buckley, Michelle Collins, Lilla Crawford, Brian d'Arcy James, Sharon Gless, Judy Gold, Richard Kind, Judy Kuhn, Anika Larsen, Liz Larsen, Caissie Levy, Beth Malone, Carrie Manolakos, Stephanie Mills, Jessie Mueller, Kate Mulgrew, Julia Murney, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O'Hara, Piper Perabo, Rosie Perez, Billy Porter, Randy Rainbow, Caroline Rhea, Alice Ripley, Chita Rivera, Shayna Steele, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ben Vereen, Lillias White, Betsy Wolfeand more.

Broadway’s biggest stars are lending their voices to an Inauguration Day concert in New York City Friday, designed to raise money for national organizations dedicated to protecting civil rights, women’s health and environmental protection.

The event is already sold out, but People and Entertainment Weekly is streaming the show live from N.Y.C.’s Town Hall beginning at 3 p.m. Est — right here on People.com.

It’ll also be streaming on the People/Entertainment Weekly Network (Pen). Go to People.com/Pen, or download the app for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Chromecast, Xfinity,...

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Bleecker Street has announced it has acquired U.S. and select territory rights to “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” to be directed by Bharat Nalluri. The film will start shooting next month and is targeting a holiday 2017 release date.

The cast includes Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens, Christopher Plummer as Scrooge and Jonathan Pryce as Dickens’ father. The Solution is handling rights for the rest of the world. The script is written by Susan Coyne and is based on the book “The Man Who Invented Christmas” by Les Standiford, published by Crown. The film recounts how Charles Dickens created the classic holiday fable, “A Christmas Carol.”

– Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has announced it has acquired exclusive distribution rights...

Last night, BroadwayWorld was at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Orlando, Florida for the 'From Broadway with Love' concert to benefit the Central Florida Lgbtq Community and the victims of thePulse Nightclub shooting. We spoke with Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norbert Leo Butz, Darren Criss, Lilla Crawford, Anika Larsen, Carrie Manolakos, and in a separate video below Kelli O'Hara.

Broadway all-stars come together for “What The World Needs Now Is Love” on #MayaAndMarty. #BroadwayForOrlandohttps://t.co/JfddFwZRjv

— Maya & Marty (@MayaAndMarty) June 22, 2016 Over 40 Broadway stars joined together for the first live performance of the Broadway for Orlando cover of "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

For Tuesday's episode of NBC's Maya & Marty, a star-studded ensemble gathered at Studio 6A in 30 Rockefeller Plaza to perform the Burt Bacharach-Hal David anthem they had recorded at Avatar Studios just three days after the June 12 massacre in Orlando.

The theater community banded together to raise their voices in support for the...

[Embedcode {Broadway all-stars come together for “What The World Needs Now Is Love” on #MayaAndMarty. #BroadwayForOrlandohttps://t.co/JfddFwZRjv— Maya & Marty (@MayaAndMarty) June 22, 2016 }] Over 40 Broadway stars joined together for the first live performance of the Broadway for Orlando cover of "What the World Needs Now Is Love." For Tuesday's episode of NBC's Maya & Marty, a star-studded ensemble gathered at Studio 6A in 30 Rockefeller Plaza to perform the Burt Bacharach-Hal David anthem they had recorded at Avatar Studios just three days after the June 12 massacre in Orlando. The theater community banded together to raise their voices in support for the loved ones of the 49 innocent victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. Over 50 people were also injured. Among those in attendance...

[Embedcode {Broadway all-stars come together for “What The World Needs Now Is Love” on #MayaAndMarty. #BroadwayForOrlandohttps://t.co/JfddFwZRjv— Maya & Marty (@MayaAndMarty) June 22, 2016 }] Over 40 Broadway stars joined together for the first live performance of the Broadway for Orlando cover of "What the World Needs Now Is Love." For Tuesday's episode of NBC's Maya & Marty, a star-studded ensemble gathered at Studio 6A in 30 Rockefeller Plaza to perform the Burt Bacharach-Hal David anthem they had recorded at Avatar Studios just three days after the June 12 massacre in Orlando. The theater community banded together to raise their voices in support for the loved ones of the 49 innocent victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. Over 50 people were also injured. Among those in attendance...

The Madison Square Garden Company announced today that Jenna Ortega and Lilla Crawford will share the role of Emily, the teen girl lead...

The Madison Square Garden Company announced today that Jenna Ortega and Lilla Crawford will share the role of Emily, the teen girl lead in New York Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, presented by Chase at Radio City Music Hall. The limited eight week engagement runs from June 15 through August 7, 2016. Tickets are on sale now at www.rockettes.comnewyork and at the Radio City box office.

Based on the smash hit 2003 film of the same title, School of Rock The Musical, with music from the movie, as well as an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, a book by Julian Fellowes and direction by Laurence Connor, made its World Premiere on Broadway last night, December 6, at the Winter Garden Theatre. BroadwayWorld was on the red carpet to chat with the evening's celebrity guests about how they rock out and you can find out the go-to rock songs of Shanice Williams, Andy Karl, Orfeh, Lilla Crawford, Anna Villafane and more below...

Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Blue Bloods" episode 10 of season 6. The episode is entitled, "Flags Of Our Fathers," and it turns out that we're going to see some very intense and high drama stuff go down as the District Attorney's Investigator gives Danny some major interrogation heat after his former partner gets accused of planting false evidence, and more! In the new, 10th episode press release: Danny Is Interrogated By The District Attorney’S Investigator When His Ex-partner Is Accused Of Planting Evidence In Order To Wrap Up A Homicide Case, On “Blue Bloods,” Friday, Dec. 11. Press release number 2: Danny is going to get interrogated by the District Attorney’s investigator when his ex-partner is accused of planting evidence in order to wrap up a homicide case. Also, when radical anti-government activists threaten to publicly burn an American flag, Frank will grapple with the limits of free speech.

Walt Disney Home Entertainment takes us on a dark and dazzling journey Into the Woods with this mashup of the many fairy tales they’ve so colorfully brought to the screen in animation form before. If you can imagine Once Upon a Time loaded with never-ending musical numbers you have a good idea what to expect from this impressive film. Besides a few spots where you know you’re on a movie set, audiences will no doubt get lost in the land of make-believe Director Rob Marshall transports you to.

In Into the Woods, a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are childless as the result of the curse of a once-beautiful witch (Meryl Streep). Three days before the rise of a blue moon, they venture into the forest to find the ingredients that will reverse the spell and restore the witch's beauty: a milk-white cow, hair as yellow as corn,...

On Monday night, March 22nd, an all-star line-up of Broadway performers united to honor legendary composer, Stephen Sondheim. The evening celebrated the journey of Woods and Sondheim from stage to screen. Performances included music from Into the Woods as well as other Sondheim classics sung by feature film and Broadway talent including Lilla Crawford, Tituss Burgess, Lance Horne, Norm Lewis, Michael McElroy amp Broadway Inspirational Voices, Abby Mueller, Andrew Nielson, Kristin Olness, Molly Pope, Christopher Sieber, Brian Sills,Catherine Walker, Trevor Vaughn, Michael-Leon Wooley, Karen Ziemba, Chip Zien and more. BroadwayWorld brings you interviews with all of the red carpet guests below...

An all-star line-up of Broadway performers united to honor legendary composer, Stephen Sondheim. The evening celebrated the journey of Woods and Sondheim from stage to screen. Film talent in attendance included actors Billy Magnussen, Lilla Crawford and MacKenzie Mauzy. Performances included music from Into the Woods as well as other Sondheim classics sung by feature film and Broadway talent including Lilla Crawford, Tituss Burgess, Lance Horne, Norm Lewis, Michael McElroy amp Broadway Inspirational Voices, Abby Mueller, Andrew Nielson, Kristin Olness, Molly Pope, Christopher Sieber, Brian Sills, Catherine Walker, Trevor Vaughn, Michael-Leon Wooley, Karen Ziemba, Chip Zien and more.

Into the Woods opened on Broadway in 1987, with the music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine. It is Sondheim’s most performed musical and one of his best known works. The story combines familiar characters from childhood fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and the ubiquitous Witch, and explores their journeys to get their wish, as well as the negative consequences of the small dishonesties committed by each character to get what they want. As the witch sings, “Told a little lie/Stole a little gold/Broke a little vow/Did you?/Had to get your prince/Had to get your cow/Had to get your wish/Doesn’t matter how.” As the story unfolds, the traditional dichotomies of good and evil, and our expectations of each character, are shaken.

Fairy tales exist in a world of fantasy, and have been...

Into the Woods is hitting on Blu-Ray March 24th, and this one has a lot of great bonuses. Of course, it’s to be expected from Disney, but beyond that, this is one that doesn’t even need a lot of bonuses. Check our Into the Woods review here for the full report on the film itself.

Among the bonuses are a commentary track, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a look at the cast.

Not only was this a really great movie (and I’m no huge musical fan), but it’s one that, like most things Disney, is going to go into heavy rotation.

Check out all the details below.

Includes An Exclusive, Never-Before-Seen Original Song “She’ll Be Back” Performance by Meryl Streep with Music By Stephen Sondheim and Lyrics by James Lapine

From the director of “Chicago” and the producer of “Wicked” comes a modern twist on the...

Scott Alan made his concert debut at 54 Below just last week on, January 19th with a slew of Broadway all-star talent, including 2014 Tony winners Jessie Mueller and James Monroe Iglehart, Tony nominees Joshua Henry andChad Kimball, as well as Lilla Crawford, Erin Davie, Mykal Kilgore, Natalie Weiss, Christine Dwyer, Julian Cihi, Danny Calvert, Elizabeth Stanley, Abby Mueller, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, Lisa Brescia, Ashley Brown, Eden Espinosa, Marcus Paul James, Julia Murney, Marissa Rosen, Christina Cataldo and Galyana Castillo joined Alan.Below, check out Erin Davie's performance of 'High' at the concert...

On Twitter Watch, Anna Kendrick wrote 'Excited to announce TheAcademy has invited me to be part of a special performance at the Oscars on Feb. 22ndInto the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella Anna Kendrick, Little Red Riding Hood Lilla Crawford, Jack and the Beanstalk Daniel Huttlestone, and Rapunzel MacKenzie Mauzy - all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife James Corden amp Emily Blunt, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch Meryl Streep who has put a curse on them. Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award-winning musical 'Chicago' and Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides,' helms the film,...

Today we are talking to one of the most accomplished bring young stars on Broadway all about her many exciting endeavors including headlining the most recent revival of mega-hit Annie as well as playing a major part in the new Disney feature film edition of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods - the gifted and talented Lilla Crawford. Opening up about her experiences participating in the big screen edition of the Sondheim classic, Crawford offers insight into her iconic character of Little Red Riding Hood and sheds light on the filmmaking process with director Rob Marshall as well as comments on sharing the screen with such Hollywood heavyweights as Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep. Additionally, Crawford illuminates her time spent headlining the most recent Broadway revival of ever-popular Charles StrouseMartin CharninThomas Meehan musical Annie as well as working with recognizable Miss Hannigans two-time Tony-winner Katie Finneran and Glee's Jane Lynch,...

Scott Alan made his concert debut at 54 Below earlier this week on, January 19th with a slew of Broadway all-star talent, including 2014 Tony winners Jessie Mueller and James Monroe Iglehart, Tony nominees Joshua Henry and Chad Kimball, as well as Lilla Crawford, Erin Davie, Mykal Kilgore, Natalie Weiss, Christine Dwyer, Julian Cihi, Danny Calvert, Elizabeth Stanley, Abby Mueller, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, Lisa Brescia, Ashley Brown, Eden Espinosa, Marcus Paul James, Julia Murney, Marissa Rosen, Christina Cataldo and Galyana Castillo joined Alan.BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there for the special night, and you can check out interviews with the performers and concert highlights below...

Stars: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, James Corden, Daniel Huttlestone, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Lilla Crawford, Simon Russell Beale, Johnny Depp, Billy Magnussen, Richard Glover, Frances de la Tour | Written by James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim | Directed by Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall has had plenty of success in the world of musical motion picture. His 2002 film adaptation of Chicago won Academy Awards and boosted Marshall’s name into the Hollywood “it crowd” in the process. Following up Chicago with a lovely adaptation of the Arthur Golden novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, showed Marshall was an accomplished director who was capable of more than musicals. Those two films showed style, heart and confidence. Since then, Marshall has directed Nine, a less well-received musical in 2009, On Stranger Tides, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in 2011, a film that many thought was unnecessary and failed in comparison to its prior instalments,...

It's taken decades for Into The Woods to get to the big screen. It might just have needed a few more years.

Musicals can be tough to adapt from the stage to film, but you'd think that Rob Marshall, who brought the genre into the 21st century with 2002's Oscar-winning Chicago, would be a safe pair of hands. Unfortunately, that's maybe too true of Into The Woods, a project that has flummoxed filmmakers for a good couple of decades.

The much anticipated film is based on Stephen Sondheim's play, mashing up a bunch of different fairytales to more subversive effect. In a magical kingdom by a great forest, a baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt) are desperate to have a child together. Alas, the baker is cursed with childlessness by the Witch who lives next door (Meryl Streep) over a quarrel with his deadbeat dad, (Simon Russell Beale.

Sophia Grace Brownlee somehow just added to her adorableness. The 11-year-old girl who rose to internet stardom after a video of her singing a cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” went viral has debuted her new music video called “Best Friends.”

Headed by music video director Matt Alonzo, Brownlee’s video showcases the little girl’s rapping talents with plenty of frills and flair, pink-hued attire, and girl power motifs. In the video, Brownlee invites a bunch of her gal pals over for a slumber party, singing “when stupid boys come around/Me and my girls shut ‘em down.” The girls raid the closet of Brownlee’s fictional mother before ending up on one heck of a Kmart-branded shopping spree and strutting down the runway of their very own fashion show.

Brownlee’s original Minaj cover video, now boasting over 47 million views, gained the attention of Ellen DeGeneres shortly after it was posted.

The trend for darker fairytale movies, with the likes of Snow White and The Huntsman and Maleficent paving the way, continues with Disney's Into The Woods, adapting Stephen Sondheim's award winning musical of the same name. What's different here though is that several fairy tales are mashed together, with the tale of a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) cursed with being unable to bear a child by a witch (Meryl Streep). Sent into the nearby woods on a quest to break the curse, the couple find their paths crossing with several familiar fairytale characters, including Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and her Prince (Chris Pine), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) of Jack and the Beanstalk fame, and Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and The Wolf (Johnny Depp). With the movie beginning with each character exclaiming their deepest wish, Into The Woods goes far  beyond the usual fairytale and actually shows...

Into the Woods is a modern twist on several beloved fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch (Meryl Streep), who has put a curse on them. Lou Lumenick, of the New York Post, has called the film “this century’s best musical.” Now you can explore some of the film’s musical highlights with a new featurette (see above).

Rob Marshall, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the Academy Award-winning musical Chicago and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,...

Into the Woods has the chance of garnering quite a few Oscar nominations, though it is a sure lock for production design. A new featurette explores the Disney musical, as it makes its journey from Broadway to the big screen. And through interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, we get to learn how a real forest was incorporated into the look and feel of this traditional stage play.

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family...

Want a behind-the-scenes look at what could wind up becoming Academy Award-nominated production design? A new Into the Woods featurette just surfaced called “Designing the Woods” and it’s loaded with soundbites from the cast and crew including director Rob Marshall, director of photography Dion Beebe and production designer Dennis Gassner discussing what it took to integrate real woods with what they built on a sound stage. Hit the jump to give it a watch and click here to check out my interview with producers Marc Platt and John DeLuca for more on how they created such a vibrant world on a limited budget. Into the Woods is now in theaters and stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Chris Pine, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Lucy Punch, Tammy Blanchard, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp. Via Variety. Here’s the official synopsis for Into the Woods...

Last week in Los Angeles I landed an exclusive video interview with director Rob Marshall for his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic stage musical, Into the Woods. During our conversation we discussed the making of Into the Woods (which included five weeks of rehearsal that was invaluable when it came to making the film work), the positive reviews, the length of the first cut, what he learned from test audiences and screening the film for family and friends, deleted scenes (including one that featured Meryl Streep), making full use of their $50 million budget, the way he likes to work, shooting one of the film's funniest numbers, "Agony," and a lot more. If you’re not familiar with Into the Woods, the Disney production stars James Corden and Emily Blunt as a Baker and his wife who venture into the woods to confront the witch (Meryl Streep) responsible for putting...

Last week in Los Angeles I landed an exclusive interview with Emily Blunt, who plays the Baker’s Wife in Rob Marshall's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, Into the Woods. During our conversation we discussed the making Into the Woods, which included five weeks of rehearsal that was invaluable when it came to making the film work. We also touched on Sicario, her new film with director Denis Villeneuve and famed cinematographer Roger Deakins. In addition we covered her experiences making Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Doug Liman and her thoughts on the title (she prefers All You Need Is Kill), Dunkin Donuts opening in L.A., and a lot more. If you’re not familiar with Into the Woods, the Disney production stars James Corden and Emily Blunt as a Baker and his wife who venture into the woods to confront the witch (Meryl Streep...

With Into the Woods currently playing in theaters nationwide, Walt Disney Pictures has released a new featurette that explores the music behind this ambitious fairy tale adventure. Based on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's hit Broadway musical of the same name, Into the Woods is a modern twist on several beloved fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. At the heart of this tale is Stephen Sondheim's music, which is given high praise in this featurette from stars Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden and director Rob Marshall.

This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife (James Corden and...

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods may have first hit Broadway back in 1987, but many of the themes, ideas and lessons still resonate today. Christine Baranski turned to the Royal Wedding craze when prepping to play Cinderella’s stepmother, Meryl Streep connected to the idea of The Witch doing bad things for good reasons, and Tracey Ullman even recalled watching her very own son play Jack in a rendition of the show. During a recent press conference in New York City, all three stars as well as producers Marc Platt and John DeLuca sat down to talk about the characters’ motives, the pressure of singing and acting, working with director Rob Marshall, favorite fairy tales and loads more. You can check it all out after the jump. Into the Woods is currently in theaters and also stars Emily Blunt, James Corden, Chris Pine, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Lucy Punch, Tammy Blanchard,...

Walt Disney Pictures released their new musical/fantasy flick "Into The Woods" into theaters this past Thursday. I just checked it out, and thought it was pretty entertaining and more comical than I thought it would be. It stars: Tracey Ullman, Frances de la Tour, Johnny Depp, Lucy Punch, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Simon Russell Beale, Tammy Blanchard, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski, Billy Magnussen, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Richard Glover, Joanna Riding, and Annette Crosbie. The movie revolved a couple of different characters and plotlines that all came together,full circle, towards the end. We saw Cinderella, wishing she could attend the King's festival, but instead, was treated like crap by her evil step sisters. Meanwhile, the baker and his wife wanted to have kids, but found out they were secretly cursed by the witch who had a unpleasant past with the baker's father.

It is not the fault of anyone involved with "Into The Woods" that in the time since the musical originally opened on stage, it has been rendered redundant. When it opened on Broadway in 1987, one of the things that made it stand out was just how much of a post-modern spin it put on the entire notion of happily ever after. In the decades since then, pop culture has turned into one giant "don't take any of this too seriously" wink, and fairy tales have been deconstructed so completely that it feels like this has been completely digested already. Besides, part of me is almost convinced that Sondheim just doesn't work on film. We're talking about a show that won the Tony for Best Score, Best Book and Best Actress, beating the 900-pound gorilla of the year, "The Phantom Of The Opera." Impressive, and it cleaned up at the Drama Desk Awards as well,...

Walt Disney Pictures released their new fantasy/musical film, "Into The Woods," into theaters yesterday, December 25th, and all the top,major movie critics have turned in their reviews. It ended up resonating quite well with most of them, getting an overall 71 score out of a possible 100 across 33 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Tracey Ullman, Frances de la Tour, Johnny Depp, Lucy Punch, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Simon Russell Beale, Tammy Blanchard, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski, Billy Magnussen, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Richard Glover, Joanna Riding, and Annette Crosbie. We've provided blurbs from a few of the critics,below. Stephen Holden from The New York Times, gave it a nice 90 grade, saying: " Into the Woods, the splendid Disney screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical, infuses new vitality into the tired marketing concept of entertainment for “children of all ages.