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The Voice Season 27 continued on Monday with the second batch of Blind Audition performances. Going into the episode, John Legend had already used up his one block (against Adam Levine) and first-time coach Kelsea Ballerini activated her single-use “Coach Replay.” Up until this point, returning champion Michael Bublé remained on everyone’s good side by avoiding either special button, but that was all about to change. In fact, by the end of the night it seemed as though Michael wasn’t the one holding back from the other coaches, but that they might actually instead be afraid of going up against him.

But before Michael could get into hot water with the other coaches, he slipped into an awkward situation of his own by failing to turn his chair for an artist he’s a fan of on social media. As explained by Hayden Grove in his introductory package, he...

The Voice’s Season 27 Blind Auditions continued Monday with another 11 contestants singing for their supper (and only nine of them getting served). But did any of them knock you out of your seat? Read on, and we’ll discuss.

Tatum Scott (Team Kelsea), “vampire” — Grade: C+ | Though the two-chair turn started strong in her lower register, she seemed to get weaker as her Olivia Rodrigo cover went on. (Is this what happens when “vampire” fails to draw blood?) Nevertheless, Kelsea Ballerini pulled out all the stops to recruit the contestant likeliest to win a Kelsea Ballerini Lookalike Contest.

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Update: Broadway’s Mean Girls star Erika Henningsen will play singer Sandra Dee in the upcoming Just In Time musical about Bobby Darin starring Jonathan Groff.

Henningsen’s arrival rounds out the cast in the world premiere Broadway staging, which begins previews at Circle in the Square Theater on Friday, March 28, with an opening night on Wednesday, April 23.

Producers Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens and John Frost made the casting announcement today.

Previous, Jan. 14: Gracie Lawrence of The Sex Lives of College Girls and the band Lawrence will make her Broadway musical debut this spring opposite Jonathan Groff in the Bobby Darin musical Just In Time. She’ll play singer Connie Francis to Groff’s Darin.

Also joining the cast is Emily Bergl, who has appeared on Broadway in Goodnight Oscar, The Ferryman, and A Touch of the Poet and on TV in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Mindhunter. For Just In TIme,...

Gracie Lawrence is heading to Broadway!

The 28-year-old actress is best known for playing Kacey on Max’s original series The Sex Lives of College Girls and for her band Lawrence.

Gracie is joining the cast of the new musical Just in Time opposite Tony winner Jonathan Groff.

Keep reading to find out more…

Groff stars as Bobby Darin, the legendary singer whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation, inspiring generations of performers who followed. The musical immerses audiences into an intimate, swinging nightclub complete with a live big band, a stellar ensemble cast, and a parade of Bobby Darin’s hits including “Beyond the Sea,” “Mack the Knife,” “Splish Splash,” and “Dream Lover.”

Lawrence will be taking on the role of Connie Francis. It was also just announced that Desperate Housewives actress Emily Bergl has joined the cast as Nina/Mary.

Performances begin...

Casting was announced for Broadway’s upcoming Just in Time starring Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, with the Merrily We Roll Along Tony winner to be joined on stage in the new musical by Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale The Musical), Michele Pawk (Wicked), Lance Roberts (The Music Man), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Christine Cornish, Julia Grondin (Funny Girl), Valeria Yamin (Moulin Rouge!), John Treacy Egan (My Fair Lady), Tari Kelly (Mr. Saturday Night), Matt Magnusson, Khori Michelle Petinaud (Lempicka), and Larkin Reilly (Bad Cinderella).

Producers Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens and John Frost announced the casting today. With a book by Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick, choreography by Shannon Lewis and based on an original concept by Ted Chapin, Just In Time, developed and directed by Alex Timbers, will open Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre,...

On Wednesday, world sales agency Beta Cinema hosts the market premiere of “John Cranko,” starring Sam Riley, at the American Film Market in Las Vegas. Variety speaks to the director Joachim A. Lang ahead of the screening and debuts the film’s international trailer (below).

The film, based on true events, follows in the footsteps of John Cranko as he arrives in Stuttgart in 1960 to be guest choreographer at the German city’s ballet company. A South African by birth, he had previously worked in London, but his tenure at the Sadler’s Wells Ballet had been jeopardized after he was prosecuted for committing a “homosexual act” in a public place, which at that time was outlawed in the U.K.

The film follows Cranko as he is made director of the Stuttgart ballet company and fights to revolutionize the art, culminating in a triumphant visit to New York, after which Time magazine commented,...

When Sam Riley first got the script for John Cranko, he saw the title page, with its big black print, and thought: ‘An action movie! Finally, someone has seen my action potential!” Then he googled John Cranko. It wasn’t quite what he expected. Not an action here but “a chain-smoking gay choreographer” who transformed the world of ballet.

Riley — known for his breakout performance as Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in Anton Corbijn’s Control (2007) as well as turns alongside Helen Mirren and Andrea Riseborough in Rowan Joffe’s gothic take on Brighton Rock (2010) and across Lilly James in Ben Wheatley’s Rebecca (2020) — had never even been to the ballet. But he asked his wife, Downfall and Rush star Alexandra Maria Lara, to read the script. “She told me, ‘this one you’re gonna do. This is definitely a job to do’….this is the sort of role that comes along,...

Though it’s something of a backhanded paean to its eponymous city in question, the most enjoyable element to “Lost & Found in Cleveland” is its locations, locations, locations — cinematographer Davon Slininger’s widescreen images provide an appealing selective tour of a burg the film presents as quaintly lagging well behind the times. Otherwise, this slick if uninspired first feature for actors turned writer-directors Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak offers a pleasant-enough ensemble seriocomedy that straddles the terrains of Richard Curtis and Christopher Guest, without approaching either’s high points. The Newport Beach Fest world premiere’s familiar faces and story beats seem best suited to home viewing.

An opening montage to the retro pop of Bobby Darin singing “Artificial Flowers” — an incongruously brassy, “Mack the Knife”-like arrangement of a depressing slum-tragedy lyric from 1960 Broadway musical “Tenderloin” — introduces the characters, as well as a sense that this midwestern metropolis’ growth stalled some decades ago.

Jonathan Groff is returning to Broadway!

The Tony winner is set to star in Just In Time, a new musical about the life and times of singer Bobby Darin, Variety reports.

The Circle in the Square Theatre will be transformed into “an intimate and immersive night club, complete with a live band and ensemble of 16″ to perform the legendary songwriter’s hits like “Splish Splash,” “Beyond the Sea,” “Mack the Knife” and “Dream Lover.”

Moulin Rouge director Alex Timbers is developing and directing the show.

Keep reading to find out more…

Here’s a summary: The show will follow the “great American entertainer’s meteoric journey — from soaring highs to crushing lows […] whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation, inspiring generations of performers who followed.”

“Bobby Darin was a supernova. He blazed his way through every corner of the entertainment industry, but his enormous talent,...

Fresh off his Tony-winning turn in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’ “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff will return to the rialto next spring in the new Bobby Darin jukebox musical “Just in Time.” Tony-winning director Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge”) will oversee the production that is set to transform the Circle in the Square theater into a nightclub complete with a swing band.

Groff will lead a cast of 16 to tell the story of this singer/songwriter who was only 37 when he died of heart disease in 1973. Darin had a string of hits in the 1950s including the chart-topping “Splish Splash,” “Dream Lover,” “Mack the Knife” and “Just in Time.” He turned to acting in the 1960s, often opposite his wife Sandra Dee (they met making “Come September” in 1961). He reaped an Oscar bid in 1963 for his supporting turn as a shell-shocked soldier in “Captain Newman, M.D.” In the 1970s,...

The Grammy for Best New Artist has gone to some of music history’s biggest and most influential names, from Carly Simon to Adele. While the award is often the subject of controversy, including questionable eligibility guidelines and many winners not even really being new artists, it is still the most prestigious honor a newcomer can achieve in the industry. Winning the award often comes down to a combination of factors. Let’s consider how success, acclaim, and other industry shenanigans often coincide to pick the artist who takes the coveted award.

Commercial success is thought to be a main factor in winning the award, and looking at the history of winners, it’s not hard to see why. The award’s very first recipient, Bobby Darin, was a huge star with his signature hit, “Mack the Knife,” and a couple other top-10s in his debut year. Ever since,...

Tony-winner Jonathan Groff is set to star in a staged reading next month of a new musical about Bobby Darin, the 1950s-’60s-era singer who scored hits with “Mack the Knife,” “Dream Lover” and “Beyond The Sea,” Deadline has confirmed.

With an eye toward Broadway, Groff will perform the industry reading of Just In Time in New York next month. Alex Timbers will direct the reading, as he did in 2018 when he teamed with Groff on an early concert version of the musical at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

The musical takes its name from the Jule Styne-Adolph Green-Betty Comden song “Just In Time,” which Darin, among many others, recorded.

Attached to produce for an eventual Broadway run are Tom Kirdahy and Robert Ahrens. The reading in New York will be staged under the auspices of the Arlington, Virginia, non-profit regional theater Signature Theatre.

A timeframe...

Louis Armstrong’s 1968 BBC session in London — which the legendary trumpeter and singer felt was his “last great” performance — will finally be released this summer.

Louis in London, out July 12 via Verve Records and available to preorder now, captures Armstrong and his All-Stars band on July 2, 1968, where the group played over a dozen Armstrong favorites at the BBC for a concert special that aired later that year.

Ahead of the LP’s release, listen to the evening’s unearthed rendition of his Song of the Year Grammy-winning “Hello, Dolly!...

Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired Northern American rights for Joachim A. Lang’s historical drama Goebbels and The Führer (aka Führer and Seducer) for a fall 2024 theatrical and digital release.

Beta Cinema, which launched sales on the feature at the EFM and brokered the North America deal, has also posted new deals for France (Condor Entertainment), Hungary (Ads), Bulgaria (Beta Film) and Greece (Tfg).

As previously announced, the film has also sold to Spain (A Contracorriente), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Japan (At Entertainment) and Australia & New Zealand (Moving Story Entertainment). Wild Bunch will release the film in German-speaking territories on July 11.

The drama follows the rise and fall of Joseph Goebbels in the final seven years as Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda.

While Hitler is at the height of his power, Goebbels is the creator of the pictures of the flag-waving crowds and antisemitic films “Jud Süß” and “Der ewige Jude...

With 2023’s compelling Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle The Covenant, Guy Ritchie took a more serious dramatic turn, away from the flashy action, glib humor and mashup of period settings with contemporary attitude that had characterized many of his biggest commercial successes. With its typically Ritchie-esque ensemble of quippy rascals, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sees the director back on more customary territory. Sort of. Chronicling a covert World War II mission manned by a band of renegades, the movie is diverting but remains awkwardly stuck between a larkish caper and a more gripping combat action thriller.

Scripted by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel and Ritchie, based on the nonfiction book by war specialist Damien Lewis, the remarkable story comes from British War Department documents dating back to Winston Churchill’s first term in office, which were declassified in 2016.

The film follows the semi-fictionalized covert special forces mission manned by a...

Objects in The Far Side come to life and act like humans, providing a unique perspective on everyday items like utensils and pencils. The comic strip combines humor with surrealism, showcasing scenarios like bowling pins at a party, flowers having cosmetic surgery, and spices with personalities. By anthropomorphizing inanimate objects, Gary Larson adds a clever twist to mundane situations, making everyday activities like cooking or going to the movies seem absurdly hilarious.

The Far Side is well known for making the impossible possible in its own established universe. Animals acts like humans, dinosaurs became extinct from smoking, and cows have their own tools in the world of Gary Larson's legendary comic strip. Another incredible occurrence of the comic is that inanimate objects regularly come to life and act like humans might.

Always adept at the blending of the kooky and witty humor, Gary Larson brought The Far Side's trademark surrealism to every strip,...

Germany’s Beta Cinema has racked up multiple territory deals for its Joseph Goebbels biopic Führer and Seducer ahead of the film’s premiere at the European Film Market in Berlin later this week. Beta signed all-rights territorial deals with Spain (A Contracorriente), Portugal (Films4You), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Benelux (Dutch Film Works), Czech Republic (Donart Film), former Yugoslavia (Discovery) Japan (At Entertainment) and Australia & New Zealand (Moving Story Entertainment) for the feature. Wild Bunch will release the film in the German-speaking territories.

Directed by filmmaker/writer/historian Joachim A. Lang, who helmed 2018’s Mack The Knife — Brecht’s Threepenny Film with Lars Eidinger, Führer and Seducer stars Robert Stadlober as Goebbels, Austrian actor Fritz Karl (Sisi) as Adolf Hitler and Franziska Weisz (The Swarm) as Goebbels’ wife Magda. Stadlober also stars in Josef Hader’s Panorama title Andrea Gets A Divorce, which will have its world premiere at the Berlinale this year.

Exclusive: Beta Cinema has unveiled a raft of key territory pre-sales for Joachim A. Lang’s Joseph Goebbels biopic Führer and Seducer ahead of its market premiere at the EFM this week.

The company has sealed deals to Spain (A Contracorriente), Portugal (Films4You), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Benelux (Dutch Film Works), Czech Republic (Donart Film), former Yugoslavia (Discovery) Japan (At Entertainment) and Australia & New Zealand (Moving Story Entertainment).

Wild Bunch will release the film in German-speaking territories.

Führer and Seducer follows Goebbels in his last seven years at Adolf Hitler’s side, as his Minister of Propaganda.

While Hitler is at the height of his power, Goebbels is the creator of the pictures of the flag-waving crowds and anti-Semitic films “Jud Süß” and “Der ewige Jude”, priming the German people for the mass murder of the Jews.

The drama follows Goebbels as he then attempts to whip up continued support for...

Today, Jan. 1, isn’t just New Year’s Day — it’s also Public Domain Day, where thousands of cinematic treasures, literary classics, Great American Songbook selections, and works of art see their copyrights expire and enter the public domain.

The headliner this year is the fair use of Mickey Mouse — at least, the Steamboat Willie version of the beloved character — as that copyright expiration has been anticipated for years. However, there’s much more than just Mickey entering the public domain in 2024.

Jennifer Jenkins, Director of Duke’s Center for...

As ever, The Voice saved the best for last. After an Ok rather than Omg kinda night of Blind Auditions Monday — plus, Ariana Grande doing a hilarious Celine Dion impression — up to the stage the show called a contestant who not only earned a four-chair turn from Ari, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson but leapt to the front of the pack. Was she all that, much less all that and a bag of chips? Read on, and we’ll review all the advancing artists’ performances.

Ryleigh Plank (Team Ariana), “Anyone” — Grade: B | If teardrops falling made a sound,...

Despite having the heart of a champion the Zebra couldn’t keep up with his fellow semifinalists on Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Dancer.” The fiery hoofer that we loved watching torch the stage was eliminated in fourth place and revealed to be boxing legend and two-time Olympic Gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya. After shimmying his tassels in a Las Vegas-inspired number to “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darrin, the “Golden Boy” was cut from the competition just short of next week’s Season 1 finale.

See See all 62 ‘The Masked Singer’ costumes and celebrity reveals through the years

“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had,” Oscar admitted during his unmasked interview with host Craig Robinson. When asked how it compared to competing in the ring, the athlete showed off his signature footwork before responding, “I think being the Zebra is a lot tougher!” In a more serious moment,...

(Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wednesday’s “The Masked Dancer.”)

Fox’s “The Masked Dancer” revealed its Top 3 contestants with Wednesday’s episode, eliminating and unmasking one more competitor ahead of next week’s Season 1 finale.

During the hour, Tulip, Cotton Candy, Sloth and Zebra all took the stage to perform individual dances to their chosen songs.

After each of those contestants got on their feet, it was time for panelists Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, Ashley Tisdale and guest judge Will Arnett to vote for their favorite dancers and, in doing so, determine which performer would be kicked off ahead of the Season 1 finals.

The contestant who came out on the bottom was Zebra, who did a dance to Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife.” He was unmasked and revealed to be boxer Oscar De La Hoya. Arnett and Green correctly guessed that Zebra was De La Hoya,...

If boxing champ Oscar de la Hoya does return to the ring, you’ll have “The Masked Dancer” to thank.

De la Hoya was the next celebrity to be revealed on the show, as the person under the Zebra costume on Wednesday’s edition of the hit series. He was unmasked after dancing to Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife,” in tribute to a loved one he lost to cancer.

Asked to comment on whether he may come out of retirement to box again, de la Hoya was coy — but he did tell Variety that, “Let’s just say that Mike Tyson inspired me to train, to start training in the gym. I’ve actually been in the gym for the last about five months. And, you know, who knows, maybe the Zebra is making a comeback!”

De la Hoya said the pandemic did offer him time to focus on training as well.

It’s the day after a Nashville tour stop for Mike and the Moonpies, and the band members, with bloodshot eyes and a hitch in their giddyup, are slowly shuffling into the Red Door Saloon in East Nashville. The Texas group’s tour bus is in the shop getting an alignment, and singer Mike Harmeier and his crew have both time and hangovers to kill.

Everyone is in their comfies, except for red-blooded guitarist Catlin Rutherford, who most likely sleeps in his stars-and-stripes cowboy boots, and the denim-clad Harmeier, who...

With all due respect to Lauren Bacall, there’s always been a bit more to whistling than putting your lips together and blowing. Certainly for Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), the corrupt Bucharest policeman embroiled in a comically complex plot to get a local gangster off the hook in Corneliu Porumboiu’s Cannes competition title “The Whistlers,” it is a matter of life and death. It requires practise, training and a bent forefinger, angled between pursed lips, like it’s holding a gun and the bullet will exit the opposite ear.

Cristi has been sent to the island of La Gomera in The Canaries, where he is to learn the ancient whistling language originally, well, whistled by the Guanches, an aboriginal tribe native to the region. This is because, by the slightly lunatic logic of Porumboiu’s screenplay, in these days of easily hackable cellphones and widespread surveillance, whistling has the advantage...

Sal Valentinetti only made it to fifth place on season 11 of “America’s Got Talent.” But the old fashioned crooner has made a name for himself since then, with sell-out concerts across the country. He returned to compete on the fifth episode of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.” He had the whole crowd clapping along to his cover of Bobby Darin‘s signature tune “Mack the Knife.” Watch his swinging performance of this song in the video above.

Back in 2016, Sal got the Golden Buzzer from Heidi Klum for his heartfelt cover of another 1960s hit, the Frank Sinatra classic “My Way.” Although he is only 23, Sal has an old soul and loves singing the standards. He looks like a big band singer in his white tuxedo.

Watch Shin Lim perform mind-blowing magic card tricks on ‘Agt: The Champions’

As our live blogger John Benutty observed, “Heidi was most...

“America’s Got Talent: The Champions” ends the audition round of season 1 on Monday with the fifth and final episode showcasing 50 acts drawn from around the world. Another 10 take part on the February 4 edition of this spin-off from “Agt” including a past winner of the main show: magician Shin Lim who pulled off an upset on “America’s Got Talent” last summer.

Of the other nine acts, five won in their respective countries, including three who took the title on “Britain’s Got Talent”: shadow dance group Attraction (2013), pianist Tokio Myers (2017) and comedian Lost Voice Guy (2018). Another, sand artist Kseniya Simonova, won “Ukraine’s Got Talent” in 2009. And escape artist Cosentino was the “Australia’s Got Talent” winner in 2011.

Watch Shin Lim perform mind-blowing magic card tricks on ‘Agt: The Champions’

Each of the other four acts on the bill on Monday lost their bid to win “America’s Got Talent.

A few months before the film version of “The Sound of Music” hit the silver screen, a song plugger working the catalog of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein approached label owner Dave Kapp with a plan to turn one of the songs from the score into a hit single, thinking it would boost the box office potential of the movie. That resulted in Jack Jones recording “My Favorite Things” for his first Christmas album, but the song did not become a hit. That song plugger’s dream finally comes true this week, some 54 years after the film’s release, as “My Favorite Things” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to a reinterpretation by Ariana Grande on her new single, “7 Rings.”

Grande updated the lyrics of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein classic after a shopping spree at Tiffany’s, transforming “Raindrops on roses/And whiskers on kittens/Bright...

Just hours after Jeff Bezos announced his divorce from wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, sources told People he was dating former news anchor Lauren Sanchez.

The 49-year-old reporter is also divorcing her husband of 13 years, Patrick Whitesell, one of Hollywood’s most powerful agents, People confirms.

A source tells People Sanchez and Bezos have been spending more time together in recent months.

“Lauren and Jeff have been spending a lot of time together over the last year and especially the past few months,” the source says. “At first it was socially at parties… here and there. But their time together has definitely seemed to evolve,...

This triumphantly sad-sack ballad first surfaced in 1963 as a b-side from Bobby Darin, then an icon of aspirational cool thanks to his definitive version of Brecht/Weill’s “Mack The Knife.” Then, in ’64, Sammy Davis Jr. released an even sadder version of “Not For Me,” with potent subtext added to its alienated, un-wed lovelessness — while the Civil Rights Act was signed that summer, interracial marriage remained illegal, the Loving v. West Virginia decision still years away.

So it’s fitting that, in the 21st century, the song’s outsider-anthem evolution...

Germany’s Beta Film, Italy’s Wildside, German production outlet Zeitsprung and the Isreali writer/creator trio Nadav Schirman, Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen have joined forces to launch “German Moon” at Mipcom. The series is inspired by the true story of former Nazi scientists who were behind Nasa’s first manned mission to the Moon, with the focus on the scientists’ families, who travelled with them to the U.S.

The series starts in 1950 when sleepy town Huntsville, Alabama was overwhelmed by a wave of immigration: A convoy of buses with scores of German families on board crosses the Tennessee River. Most of them don’t speak English. The Germans, part of the technological elite of the fallen Nazi regime, are supposed to build ballistic missiles for the U.S. army – under the supervision of the CIA.

Jan Mojto’s Beta Film, and Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli’s Wildside...

Germany has selected Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Venice-premiere title “Never Look Away” as its entry for best foreign language film at this year’s 91st Academy Awards. German Films, the local body for the promotion of German cinema worldwide, announced the choice Thursday.

It is the second time the director has had a film chosen as German’s Oscar submission following his Oscar-winning 2006 film “The Lives of Others.” “Never Look Away” has its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 4 and will see its North American premiere in the special presentations section of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival on Sept. 8.

“My actors, producers and I asked ourselves in the making of ‘Never Look Away’: What movie would we like to see on the screen? The result is a love story, a family drama, a biography of Germany in the 20th century, and a stroll through modern art,...

The German festival runs from June 28 to July 7.

The Munich Film Festival opens on Thursday (June 28) with the world premiere of Joachim A. Lang’s Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm, starring Lars Eidinger as Bertold Brecht.

The film is inspired by Brecht’s 1928 play The Threepenny Opera and Kurt Weill’s song Mack The Knife, which was written for the play.

The German premiere of Andrew Niccol’s Anon, starring Clive Owen as a detective who finds a young woman with no identity, played by Amanda Seyfried, will close the festival on July 7. The sci-fi thriller is produced by Germany’s K5 Film.

As part of its celebration of the best of independent moviemaking from around the world, including from the U.S., this year’s Munich Film Festival will include works highlighting some of today’s defining issues: the MeToo debate, racism, the increasingly troubling nature of social media and the impact of ever-growing surveillance.

The festival, which runs June 28 to July 7, opens with Joachim A. Lang’s “Mackie Messer — Brechts Dreigroschenfilm,” a fictional tale inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 play “The Threepenny Opera,” and Kurt Weill’s song “The Ballad of Mack the Knife,” in which the famed playwright seeks to adapt his work to film without blunting its political edge.

For festival director Diana Iljine, the film is particularly timely: “Just like the famous first words of ‘Mack the Knife’ — ‘And the shark, he has teeth’ — one might say: This film, it has teeth. At a pivotal moment in recent history,...

Alessia Cara pulled off an upset at the 2018 Grammy Awards when she won Best New Artist over Sza. She became the 26th solo female singer to claim this awards since it was introduced at the second Grammys ceremony in 1959. While the first winner was “Mack the Knife” singer Bobby Darin won) , only 12 more male artists have taken this prize home since then. Groups or or collaborative acts have won this top honor 18 times. (Take a tour of all 59 winners in the photo gallery above.)

The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been given out every year since 1959, with the exception of 1967. The most dubious winner has to be the duo Milli Vanilli, which won the award in 1989 only to have it rescinded a year later when it was revealed that they were lip syncing.

They were just one of the winning acts that have been cursed by this award.

In his seven weeks of shooting “The Shape of Water,” the film’s male lead, Doug Jones, could not grasp a doorknob, send a text message, breathe through his mouth, or go to the bathroom while in costume. His call time to the Toronto set was a “mercifully short” three hours earlier than co-stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, and Octavia Spencer.

Each morning, four people armed with K-y Jelly shoehorned him into a latex, foam, and rubber bodysuit, built from a cast of his six-foot-three, 140-pound frame. Then came webbed-fingered gloves (glued on), following by a neck and fiberglass helmet, which featured built-in buzzing, whirring mechanics to puppeteer his gills off camera. Once dressed, barely able to see or hear, Jones was required at various times to hang from a hip harness, stand on a smoke-bathed teeter-totter to simulate bobbing in water, and employ scuba diving techniques while acting in a flooded,...

Can a pirate be a substitute monster? Hammer Films gives yet another genre a spin with this box-office winner that launched a sideline in costume adventures. The Hammer crew makes it work: Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, Marie Devereaux, Michael Ripper, Oliver Reed and Andrew Keir, plus yank assistance from Kerwin Mathews and Glenn Corbett.

The Pirates of Blood River

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Glenn Corbett, Marla Landi, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne, Oliver Reed, Marie Devereux.

Cinematography: Arthur Grant

Production Design: Bernard Robinson

Art Direction: Don Mingaye

Film Editor: Eric Boyd-Perkins

Original Music: Gary Hughes

Written by John Hunter, John Gilling, Jimmy Sangster

Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys

Directed by John Gilling

Hammer Films didn’t start out as a horror studio, but after their big Technicolor successes in 1957-...

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur It's hard not to love Michael Bublé. On top of having a voice that melts your mom's heart into a puddle and a family so cute it hurts, the 41-year-old "I Believe You" singer is a very interesting guy. Ever since Michael, who recently confirmed that his son Noah beat cancer, scammed his way into a music competition at the age of 17, his life and career have been full of truly fascinating tidbits. Whether you're a card-carrying member of the Bublé fan club, or you only know him from his "Baby, It's Cold Outside" cover, check out the coolest, most surprising facts about him below. Related:Take a Moment to Marvel at Michael Bublé's Supercute Family He was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, but he's also an Italian citizen. In 2005, Michael became a naturalized Italian citizen because of his grandfather, Demetrio Santanga, who...

Her breezy pop hits and beach party movies made Connie Francis one of the biggest stars of the ’50s and early ’60s, but her life has been far from sunny.

After a successful singing career with mega-hits like “Who’s Sorry Now,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” and “Stupid Cupid,” plus a starring role in the 1960 spring break classic Where the Boys Are, the chanteuse suffered hardship and heartbreak in the decades to come—including rape, murder, and the death of her true love.

But all that was behind her on Wednesday night as she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from...

In a move he hopes will lead to the development of an episodic series about the lives of his parents — iconic “Mack The Knife” singer Bobby Darin and actress Sandra Dee — Dodd Darin has reorganized the management team running the business and creative affairs of the Darin and Dee estates. This comes on the 60th anniversary of the launch of Darin’s career in music, and follows the regional success of the stage show Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical in Sydney…...

It's Fall TV premiere week, which means it's time to say goodbye to one of summer's biggest shows: America's Got Talent, which crowned its eleventh winner. In yesterday's final performance show, we saw killer renditions of popular songs, some incredible magic acts, some gravity-defying contortionism, some juggling, some miming and one amazing original tune. But only one person can win the $1 million grand prize. Who was it? Left in the competition were singer Sal Valentinetti (who sang Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife"), contortionist Sofie Dossi, group Linkin' Bridge (who sang Charlie Puth's "See You Again"), opera singer Laura Bretan (who sang Puccini), mentalists The...

Beyond the Movies: Top Six Cineplex Events in SeptemberBeyond the Movies: Top Six Cineplex Events in SeptemberJenny Bullough9/7/2016 12:10:00 Pm

From Spock to Shakespeare, Michael Buble to The Beatles, there’s a lot going on in Cineplex Events this month! Here are our top picks for what’s onscreen in September besides movies.

For the Love of Spock – Sept. 9

A one-of-a-kind documentary sure to unite trekkies worldwide, For the Love of Spock tells the life of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and the actor who played him, Leonard Nimoy, for nearly fifty years. Through interviews with his family, friends, and co-stars, get to know the real Leonard Nimoy beyond the famous ears. Featuring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Jj Abrams, William Shatner, and Nimoy himself.

Check out the trailer below and click here for tickets and showtimes:

Field of Dreams (Classic Film Series) – Sept.

The 2015 inductees into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry are as eclectic as they are decade-spanning. Among the more famous songs are Billy Joel‘s “Piano Man,” two recordings of “Mack the Knife,” the Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go,” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” George Carlin‘s comedy classic “Class Clown” also made it in, as did Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.” The original soundtrack from “A Streetcar Named Desire” joins them, along with fourth-quarter radio coverage of Wilt Chamberlin’s 100-point NBA game. Also Read: Music Makes More Money From Streaming Than Downloads for First Time in Us “These recordings,...

This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee and Ryan Gallagher to discuss G.W. Pabst’s 1931 film The Threepenny Opera.

About the film:

The sly melodies of composer Kurt Weill and the daring of dramatist Bertolt Brecht come together on-screen under the direction of German auteur G. W. Pabst (Pandora’s Box) in this classic adaptation of the Weimar-era theatrical sensation. Set in the impoverished back alleys of Victorian London, The Threepenny Opera follows underworld antihero Mackie Messer (a.k.a. Mack the Knife) as he tries to woo Polly Peachum and elude the authorities. With its palpable evocation of corruption and dread, set to Weill’s irresistible score, The Threepenny Opera remains a benchmark of early sound cinema. It is presented here in both its celebrated German and rare French versions.

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Jack Pack have brought forward the release of their self-titled debut album.

Jack Pack was due to hit stores in September but following the band's performance of 'Light My Fire' on last night's Britain's Got Talent semi-final it will now be released on June 29 via Syco Music.

"We have had an incredible reaction since last night's performance by the band," a Syco spokesperson said.

"So bringing forward the release was the only sensible option."

Jack Pack are Alfie Palmer, Andrew Bourn, Martin McCafferty and Sean Ryder Wolf. The foursome finished in fourth place on last year's Britain's Got Talent.

The album includes reworkings of tracks including Screamin' Jay Hawkins's 'I Put a Spell on You' and Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'.

It also features previously-unrecorded Randy Newman song 'Forever' and two other originals.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. 'Light My Fire'

2. 'Forever'

3. 'I Put a Spell...

After the spectacle of Blackpool Week, it's time for the remaining eight dancers to head back to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor, with another couple set to leave this weekend.

With little more than half of them remaining, it's never been more important for the celebrities to impress on Saturday night. So read on to find out what your favourite celeb will be dancing - and what song they'll be doing it to...

Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev

Dance: American Smooth

Song: 'Mack the Knife' - Robbie Williams

Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Song: 'What's New Pussycat?' - Tom Jones

Jake Wood & Janette Manrara

Dance: Samba

Song: 'Macarena' - Los Del Rio

Mark Wright & Karen Hauer

Dance: Tango

Song: 'Love Runs Out' - OneRepublic

Pixie Lott & Trent Whiddon

Dance: Charleston

Song: 'Sparkling Diamonds' - Moulin Rouge

Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff

Dance: Salsa

Song: 'Let's Hear...

Bob Geldof shuffled onto the X Factor stage last night and apologised to the "X Factor nation" for something on the ITV singing competition that was "harrowing and not suited to an entertainment show".

It turned out that he was referring to footage of Ebola victims ahead of the Band Aid 30 premiere, rather than Saturday night's Big Band Week, but you probably understand our confusion.

Does anyone other than Simon Cowell actually enjoy Big Band Week? In the early days of X Factor, making the acts wheel out some corny Rat Pack covers actually felt worthwhile as it was the only sort of record that most of them would ever get to make. A Mother's Day record of sub-Bublé covers.

However, somewhere around series 3 or 4 when the show tried to gain an air of musical credibility, the Big Band theme has felt like an awkward sibling. A throwback to the years of Brookstein,...

Week Six saw The X Factor contestants pay tribute to Big Band music with an eclectic group of performances.

Digital Spy rounds up what Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh had to say about Saturday night's (November 15) acts - and if you missed the show, you can catch up with all the performances below, too:

1. Andrea Faustini: 'Summertime' by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward

Cheryl: "You absolutely brought that to life. One word. Amazeballs."

Simon: "It lacked that gritty passion which you need with that song. I thought it was going to go somewhere and it didn't. And you're pulling these terrible faces, like you're in pain."

2. Lauren Platt: 'Smile' by Nat King Cole

Louis: "It's just so effortless like you're born to do this. You're always note-perfect."

Mel B: "You look absolutely stunning. Your technique vocally is flawless.

It's Big Band Week on The X Factor - and there's been drama before tonight's sing-a-thon even got underway!

Join us from 8.15pm for this year's big, brassy extravaganza, with jazz classics, reworked pop hits and some interesting medleys.

21:49Tomorrow night, Olly, Scherzy and Geldy - well, the world exclusive premiere of (a rough cut of) 'Band Aid 30' - see you then, you brave, persevering lot!

21:47Cheryl wanted to give Fleur "props" - though presumably only if it doesn't take away any of her own performance budget?

21:45So who was your favourite act tonight? And who was the weakest singer? Were you entertained by the Judges' banter or do they need to get their act together?

21:44Simon echoes our own wise words - Fleur's "fantastic" performances are on a par with the Sunday night guest performers. He believes she can win - and so do we!

Stanley Chase, who produced the legendary 1950s off-Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera that featured the enduring hit song “Mack the Knife,” has died. He was 87. Chase died Tuesday at a nursing home in Santa Monica, his wife Dorothy told the Los Angeles Times. Chase also produced such films as The Hell With Heroes (1968) and Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), both directed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three), as well as Mack the Knife, a 1989 feature version of Threepenny Opera that was helmed by Menahem Golan and starred Raul Julia and Richard Harris.

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