‘Into the Woods’ star Sara Bareilles: ‘Humanity is dark, we are monsters’

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentShira Haas, the star of “Unorthodox” and “Shtisel,” is set to headline “Ethel,” a period musical drama about the true story of Ethel Stark, the groundbreaking conductor who founded the first all-female orchestra in Montreal. Besides breaking barriers in the music world, Stark has also been credited for championing social change across gender, race, language and class starting in the 1940’s. Aisling Walsh, the Irish-born helmer of “Maudie” and BAFTA-winning “Elizabeth Is Missing” will direct the film, based on an original screenplay by Celeste Parr (“Gurov and Anna”).

Noah Thompson was crowned the winner of "American Idol" season 20 on Sunday night's three-hour live finale episode of the popular singing competition show. The 20-year-old construction worker, who hails from Louisa, Kentucky, was one of three finalists, and competed against HunterGirl and Leah Marlene, to earn the championship title. "Oh my God...

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals the winner of Season 20 of American Idol.

At this point, you know what you’re getting when you dive into a comedy produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (“30 Rock,” “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”): a spunky woman main character and an off-kilter group of eccentrics, all set in an alternate universe where name brand items and hit songs from our world are just off enough to be notable. “Girls5Eva” delivered on that promise in season one, giving us a reunited ’90s girl group full of dysfunctional relationships and — one of the other hallmarks of Fey/Carlock concepts — an undercurrent of darkness.

The ladies of Girls5Eva gather up for a group shot while arriving for NBC’s FYC House event in Los Angeles on Thursday (May 19).

Loose Women panelist Saira Khan has once again wowed fans as she was spotted wearing a sleek fitted leather dress on a night out in London. The 51 year old star, who recently underwent a £2.5k bum lift, looked phenomenal as she struck a pose at the Oscars nightclub in London, while attending White Management’s annual party for clients and friends.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLil Nas X will be honored at the long-awaited 51 st annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala next month with the Hal David Starlight Award, which recognizes “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.”Nas, a Sony Music Publishing writer, joins previous honorees Drake, Taylor Swift, Halsey, Sara Bareilles, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Benny Blanco, John Mayer and others. The award, created in 2004, was named in honor of SHOF chairman emeritus Hal David for his support of young songwriters.The ceremony, the first since 2019, is slated for Thursday, June 16 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

*Caution: Spoilers ahead!

 season 7 crowned an all-new champion on Wednesday! After some truly breathtaking performances from the final three contestants, one costumed crooner ended up walking away with the Golden Mask Trophy!Going back to tradition — after having a finale with just two contestants last season — this season's big showdown pitted the top three singers against one another for an ultimate musical showdown.The Prince, The Ringmaster and The Firefly — who all happened to be from Team Good — each took to the stage to sing their hearts out, with The Prince kicking off the evening.The frog-costumed crooner wowed with a stunning performance of Coldplay's «Viva La Vida» that garnered a well-earned standing ovation from the panel and the audience.However, with this being the final, all three contestants brought their A-game, and Firefly upped the ante with a sultry, jaw-dropping rendition of «Bag Girl» by Usher. She showed off her moves and danced with the panel, leading panelist Nicole Scherzinger to gush, «Tonight, at this finale, you are the one to beat.»The Ringmaster then took the stage and brought the first round of the finale to an emotional close with a powerful performance of Sara Bareilles' «Gravity» that saw her hitting some truly next-level high notes.

Sarah Levy is pregnant! The 35-year-old “Schitt’s Creek” actress announced the exciting news that she is expecting on Monday.

actress announced the exciting news that she is expecting on Monday. «We'll take all the salt & vinegar chips and the hottest hot sauce you have, thx!» Levy captioned her Instagram post. In the photo, an expectant Levy wears a pair of striped shorts and an unbuttoned linen top with a fedora. A post shared by Sarah Levy (@sarahplevy)The news comes about seven months after Levy tied the knot with her husband, actor and producer Graham Outerbridge.

Thania Garcia This weekend’s season finale of “American Idol” is cooking up to be a star-studded event with performances by season four winner and current mentor on the program, Carrie Underwood, as well as Michael Bublé, Thomas Rhett and Sara Bareilles, among many others.The three-hour special will also welcome judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to the stage with additional performances by Ben Platt; Earth, Wind & Fire; Deana Carter; Flo Rida; Melissa Etheridge; Tai Verdes; “Idol” alum Gabby Barrett and James Arthur.This season’s three finalists — Noah Thompson, HunterGirl and Leah Marlene — will perform for one last time in hopes of bringing home the winning title, with one round dedicated to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Sunday night’s (May 15) episode of “American Idol” included performances from Fritz Hager and Thompson — both of whom had tested positive for COVID-19 in the weeks prior.Although Thompson made it through, Hager and Nicola Bozzo were eliminated during the semi-finals.Marlene expressed the most shock with the results of the finalist lineup following her performances of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and Underwood’s “I’ll Stand By You.” She fell to the floor as her name was revealed by host Ryan Seacrest.Sunday night’s episode also featured a performance from Finneas who sang his funky pop single “Naked.”Season 20 of “American Idol” will wrap on Sunday, May 22 starting at 8 p.m.

Wilson Chapman editorSpoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched “all the sauces,” the fourth episode of Season 3 of “Barry,” streaming now on HBO Max.The first two seasons of Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s “Barry” followed the title character (played by Hader) as he barely maintained a double life between his hitman career and his newfound pursuit of acting. The character was able to keep these two worlds separate less because of any actions on his part than because of the self-absorption of the people he surrounded himself with — chief among them his love interest, Sally Reed.

(G)I-DLE member Minnie has shared a stunning rendition of Bruno Major’s 2020 track ‘Nothing’.Yesterday (May 8), the Thai-born singer took to (G)I-DLE’s official YouTube channel to share her live performance of the Bruno Major track, where she was accompanied by a guitarist. ‘Nothing’ was originally released as part of the English singer-songwriter’s sophomore studio album ‘A Song for Every Moon’.“So shut all the windows, lock all the doors / We’re not looking for no one, don’t need nothing more / You’ll bite my lip and I’ll want you more / Until we end up in a heap on the floor,” she sings on the bridge.The new clip marks Minnie’s first solo song cover released through (G)I-DLE’s YouTube channel in over a year.

Michael Appler Three or four times a year, something special happens in New York City: A rare opportunity—and precious luxury in theater these days—to pay $35 for the hottest ticket in town (if you can get one). The bill is “Encores!,” New York City Center’s yearly programming of musical theater.Once an obscure incubator to resurrect little known or passed-over productions—the current Broadway revival of “Chicago,” which has run for 25 years, began as an “Encores!” show in 1996— New York City Center’s two-week only productions are now a staple of New York theater, sought after for their pared-down musicals packed with big stars.On Wednesday evening, “Encores!” opened its final show for the 2021-2022 season: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into The Woods,” directed by Lear deBessonet and starring Neil Patrick Harris, Sara Bareilles, Heather Headley, Denée Benton and Gavin Creel.“When they call you, you come,” Headley, who stars as the Witch, told Variety after the opening performance on Wednesday.

Black Star – the duo of Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Talib Kweli – have released their first album since 1998’s ‘Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star’.After announcing the record last month, the Madlib-produced ‘No Fear Of Time’ is out now. It’s available to stream exclusively via the podcast app Luminary, which hosts the duo’s podcasts People’s Party With Talib Kweli and The Midnight Miracle, the latter co-hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle.When they announced the album last month, the duo explained that ‘No Fear Of Time’ had been recorded in various locations, from hotels to dressing rooms, but never in an actual recording studio.While the album is being paywalled via the app, the duo have made one of its tracks – opener ‘o.G.’ – available for listening with a lyric video on YouTube.