Sunday, March 18, 2007

Little House on the Prairie

Melissa Gilbert will be starring in a stage show version of Little House on the Prairie:

Patrick Swayze and Melissa Gilbert will star as Pa and Ma in an April workshop presentation of "Prairie," a musical version of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie."

Gilbert played middle daughter Laura Ingalls in the long-running NBC television series from 1974-83. She was recently president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Beth Henley, who won a Pulitzer for "Crimes of the Heart," wrote the book, Donna DiNovelli wrote the lyrics and Oscar winner Rachel Portman ("Emma") composed the music. Francesca Zambello will direct.

Imagine, being so associated with a part that you end up playing your own fictional mother!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei is due to star in a new CBSpilot:

 

Marisa Tomei will play the title role in CBS' comedy pilot "The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud."

The Oscar winner will play a brilliant, opinionated writer struggling to deliver the follow-up to her acclaimed first novel. She has an epiphany and tries to recapture her youthful optimism.

Tomei is currently in movie theaters with box office champ "Wild Hogs." Her TV credits include a cameo as herself in an episode of "Seinfeld." She won an Academy Award for her supporting turn in 1992's "My Cousin Vinny" and was nominated nine years later for "In the Bedroom."

If you're not sure how these things work, yes, going from being an Oscar winner to a TV show is indeed a step down in the world.