Britney Spears Single and Hot Again

Britney Spears has finally filed for divorce from Kevin Federline. The petition for divorce cited irreconcilable differences, and asks for both legal and physical custody of their kids. This comes on the heels of Federline's near-empty performance at Webster Hall, for which New York Magazine labeled him a "Britney Spears Barnacle." Britney has been doing considerably better that her hubby, appearing recently on Letterman with a new trim physique.

According to TMZ, Spears has hired powerhouse celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who has repped a number of celebs, including Angelina Jolie, Nick Lachey and Kiefer Sutherland. We're told Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe asked Wasser to rep both of them in their split, but Wasser declined for personal reasons.

Moxie anxiously awaits Britney's next album, full of trailer-door-slamming, "kiss my ass, K-Fed, you'll never take my babies!" anthems.

IMDB Trivia of the Day: Saw III

"1000 special posters were made and were sold for $20 each in support of Saw III and the American Red Cross. Tobin Bell, donated 2 Vials of his own blood to be dumped into the red ink vat. All 1000 posters were then printed with the red ink vat and later sold. However, the first print was put up for auction. It was also signed by the entire cast and crew. All proceeds from both sales, went to the American Red Cross." Ewww!

IMDB

Review: MTC's The American Pilot

Moxie recently took in an early preview of The American Pilot at Manhattan Theater Club. The play is terrifying, emotional, and intelligent, though largely humorless. Because writing plot summaries makes Moxie want to pluck out her armpit hairs one by one, here's MTC's summary:

"In a rural village in a war-torn country, an American pilot crash-lands. Should the villagers in the region help him, murder him or use him as a pawn in a dangerous game with the enemy? This powerful, topical and very human new play just earned raves at London's Royal Shakespeare Company. This new production will mark its eagerly anticipated American premiere."

Aaron Stanton plays the injured and captive pilot with gut-wrenching accuracy. The Pilot's lines mostly consist of barking out "My guys are coming for me! Get me a phone! Get me a phone or my government will bomb you!" and occasionally singing along to stale rap songs like "Gin and Juice," but Stanton creates a real picture of a good-natured air force boy from Georgia caught in a terrifying situation.

Anjali Bhimani and Rita Wolf are the strongest actors in the ensemble. Greig injects the minimal amount of warmth required into their characters - welcome in an expanse of melancholy, angry, fearful, and agitated men. Wolf is pragmatic and human as a wife trying to negotiate life in a war-torn country, and Bhimani is spirited and fierce as her headstrong daughter. However, the play never really allows them room to take a breath from the drama/trauma, and so, neither can the audience. As the American Pilot is held captive and tortured, the audience verges on feeling subjected to something, as well. Waleed Zuaiter also shines as the conflicted Captain, but again, is only allowed to show a select few colors in the one-noted script.

Ultimately, it's a really smart play that sheds new light on the multitude of horrors going on abroad right now. With the slew of stale, unkempt, and unfocused political dramas like Eve Ensler's The Treatment around these days, The American Pilot is a breath of fresh air. If only the air were just a bit sweeter at points, if only to make the play's many brilliant points more digestible. However, it is an early preview, so things will certainly change for the better!

Photo courtesy of playbill.com

IMDB Trivia of the Day: War of the Worlds

"During the filming of the underwater scenes (where the ferry capsizes) Steven Spielberg played a prank on Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning by playing the dramatic music from Jaws (also one of Spielberg's films) through the massive underwater speakers on the sound stage."

Oh Speilberg, what a silly prankster.

IMDB

IMDB Trivia: Borat

"Borat is based on a Russian Doctor Sasha Baron Cohen once met. He said the Doctor was completely hilarious, but it was unintentional."

"This film was originally to be directed by Todd Phillips. But creative differences between Phillips and Sacha Baron Cohen prompted Phillips to drop out of the project."

IMDB

IMDB Trivia of the Day: Law & Order

The distinctive "thunk-thunk" sound effect used in between scenes was created by combining close to a dozen sounds, including that of a group of monks stamping on a floor.
IMDB

Someday Broadway Transfers: London's National Theatre Announces Season

The National Theatre has announced it's lineup for this season, making it that time again... time to play the "which National show will transfer to Broadway?" game!

In the running:
1) A revival of Happy Daysdirected by Deborah Warner and starring Fiona Shaw. Strong candidate, if predictable.
2) Nicholas Hytner's staging of The Man of Mode, George Etherege’s restoration comedy. Nick Hytner is a genius, but big boring potential.
3) Nicholas Wright’s The Reporter, featuring Ben Chaplin (hottie from The Truth About Cats & Dogs... and The Retreat from Moscow on Broadway, but to me, he'll always be the hottie from the Jeanene Garafalo movie). The play is about the suicide of BBC reporter James Mossman.
4) Revival of Attempts on Her Life, about "late 20th century obsessions [such] as pornography, ethic violence and terrorism. Could be a winner.
5) And rounding it out, we have Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, a play that was one of South Africa's first post-apartheid collaborations between white and black theater companies. John Kani and Winston Ntshona re-create the roles they originated in 1973. Sounds groundbreaking and interesting.

All of them sound pretty incredible, and make Moxie yearn for her days as a drama student in London. However, bets must be placed, and my money's on #3, the Ben Chaplin vehicle. All others, place your bets now!

Follow up: Reason #3,012 why Moxie Loves Julie White

Reason #3,012: the NY Times article on why Sunday's performance of The Little Dog Laughed was delayed: Julie White was at Bed Bath & Beyond, buying mattress pads.

The show started previews on Thursday, and this Sunday had an added evening performance. To accomodate the added show, the regularly scheduled 3pm matinee was moved up to 2pm.

“It gets to be about noon, which is the time I would start getting ready to go to the theater for a 2 o’clock,” Ms. White said yesterday. “And I think, ‘Oh wait, I have a whole ’nother hour, and I hate my mattress pads!’ ”

So on she goes to Bed Bath & Beyond, where she buys not only mattress pads but also a whole Jonathan Adler bedding ensemble, plus a lampshade.

The audience waited, and at ten after two, director Scott Ellis came onstage and "asked the audience if they would rather give Ms. White another half-hour, get refunds or see him play the role. The majority chose the first option." Um, hello? C'mon audience, go for #3! Who wouldn't want to see Scott Ellis don the killer stilletos?

“I’m just moseying to the theater, happy to be working on Broadway with my big giant pita in my hand,” she said, “and I hear two people say, ‘There she is!’ ”

She pretended to know them, naturally, but they turned out to be audience members, and upon their sighting a chorus of other people joined in. “Julie!” she recalled them crying. “Your matinee is at 2! It’s O.K., it’s O.K., just go!”

Of course, she made it, and they started the show at 2:45. If anybody can pull it off with style, it's her.

Moxie's on Technorati

Moxie is now listed on Technorati, a blog listing site.
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Recent Broadway Transfers

Saturday's NY Times has a great article on the current batch of Off-Broadway to Broadway transfers (Grey Gardens, The Little Dog Laughed, and Spring Awakening). The article details some of the complicated nuances of making the move. Roy Gabay, producer of The Little Dog Laughed, talks about the difficulty of getting The Schubert Organization onboard, and details reason #3,011 why Moxie loves Julie White.

One morning this summer, he brought Julie White, the play’s star and critics’ darling, up to the storied Shubert offices for an appointment with Gerald Schoenfeld, the august, octogenarian Shubert chairman. Mr. Gabay sat quietly as Ms. White let fly a fusillade of weapons-grade charm, asking for a tour of the office in her sugary Texas accent.

After the pleasantries, she moved in for the kill. “Gerry, won’t you please give us a theater,” she recalled saying. “Bottom line: my mother, Sue Jane, didn’t see the show at Second Stage because I was told it was moving to Broadway. So you have to help my mama see this. Sue Jane isn’t getting any younger, you know.”

There was a long pause.

Then Mr. Schoenfeld named four theaters, asked Ms. White for her preferences and promised a decision by the end of the week.

The article also talks about the re-casting process, and how Alicia Silverstone and Alyssa Milano were both considered for the role that ultimately was given to Ari Graynor. The Times also tells us that John Stamos was "game" for the Neal Huff role, but was already booked on ER. Moxie wonders how Ari Graynor and Tom Everett Scott (not to mention Zoe Lister-Jones and Neal Huff) feel about the names of the celebs that almost played their roles being tossed around.

Which is scarier: The Times They Are A Changin' or Saw III?

Because when I think about Bob Dylan, I think about scary clowns.


"You got a lotta nerve, to say you are my friend...."

Marc Sommers at Don't Quit Your Night Job

Moxie was in attendance for last night's Don't Quit Your Night Job V. There were many highlights, but the life-changing event of the evening was Marc Sommer's performance of faux-80's-musical Double Dare: The Musical (above). Sommers flubbed up the first few lines, and can't even pretend to carry a tune, but belted out his anthem like a champ: "I'll Take the Physical Challenge for You." Note the protective goggles in the photo. He later came out for an encore performance from Unwrapped: The Musical. The man is a legend.


Other high points included a mad-libs rendition of "Sunset Boulevard" performed by Alan Campbell himself, with lyrics such as "Sunset Boulevard, Donkey-punching Boulevard!"

Other guest appearances included Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Stephen Lynch, the steamy Marc Kudisch, and Hunter Bell and Susan Blackwell in a uproarious demonstration of their "special skills". Don't Quit Your Night Job benefits TDF's Open Doors, and runs about once a month.

Photos courtesy of Broadwayworld.com.

Dr. McDouchebag

Moxie would like to present the first-ever Golden Douchebag Award to Isaiah Washington. Dr. McDouchebag showed his true colors on-set at Grey's Anatomy, when he went fisticuffs with Patrick Dempsey. Most everybody knows the infamous slur he exclaimed, which outed T.R. Knight to the world. Apparently he has anger management issues (no!) especially in regard to "time" [gays] and "keeping the production going" [keeping away the gays].

Moxie thinks everybody should just calm down, since Dr. McDouchebag has a perfectly reasonable explanation for his actions. "We were like two baseball players . . . nose-to-nose." The issue, he says, was "time and (keeping) the production going. The communication was lost in translation." Oh, cool. So it no punches were thrown, or anything like that? "Our faces are too beautiful for that!," he says. Ah yes, well these things happen. So did you learn anything from this experience, Dr. McDouchbag? "I've never been that close to (Patrick) before," he says. "He has really pretty blue eyes." Aww... so sweet!

Too bad for him, ABC has already started looking for his replacement. NY Metro reports they're auditioning Bill Bellamy (c'mon now), Boris Kodjoe, and Eriq La Salle.

Moxie can see it all unfolding before her eyes: Dr. McDouchebag slowly realizes that his hand isn't recovering. Adamant to be the top-dog surgeon he's always been, he resists, and attempts surgery, killing a patient (or many!). Faced with his failure (and a lot of raised eyebrows at the next M&M), he eats his own revolver in sweeps week, and Isaiah Washington joins the ranks of the "what the hell happened to him?" tv actors.

Richard Easton collapses during Coast of Utopia performance

Acclaimed actor Richard Easton collapsed last night during a performance of The Coast of Utopia. According to the New York Times, Easton was in the middle of a scene with Ethan Hawke, and as he made his exit, he collapsed face-first.

As the action unfolded, Mr. Easton’s character was trying to persuade his son, played by Ethan Hawke, to take a job rather than continue his studies.

“You can’t go to Berlin!” he said, then made his exit. As he left the stage he staggered, then fell on his face, said Rosa Schneider, who was in the audience. Mr. Hawke and the other actor, Amy Irving, continued for a few seconds.

But then Mr. Hawke and several others gathered around Mr. Easton at the rear of the stage.

A minute later, Mr. Hawke addressed the audience: “Is there a doctor in the house?” he asked.

The audience was confused as to whether the whole thing was a part of the show, but when the loudspeaker announced a need for a doctor, about 20 people came to the stage to help.

The publicist for Lincoln Center said that Easton is conscious and in stable condition at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and undergoing tests.

"The Bitch of Living" Video

Broadway.com has posted the world premier music video of "The Bitch of Living," from Spring Awakening. Nothing new for those who saw it at The Atlantic, but just as rockingly enjoyable as ever.