Catherine O’Hara will reprise her “Sally” character from 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas for one of three 30th anniversary concerts at the Hollywood Bowl just in time for Halloween.
The concert will reunite O’Hara with her Nightmare co-star Danny Elfman, who will sing the Jack Skellington role all three nights, Oct. 27-29. Elfman wrote the music for the 1993 Disney animated film.
Singer-songwriter Halsey will perform the role of Sally on the first two nights of the concert series – October 27 and 28, with O’Hara taking over for the Oct. 29 show. Other concert guests include Fred Armisen (as Lock), Riki Lindhome (as Shock) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie). Conductor John Mauceri will lead the full orchestra and choir.
Although the concert was announced last month, the star line-up was just unveiled. “It’s impossible to believe it has been thirty years since Tim Burton made our strange little musical,” Elfman said in September.
The concert will reunite O’Hara with her Nightmare co-star Danny Elfman, who will sing the Jack Skellington role all three nights, Oct. 27-29. Elfman wrote the music for the 1993 Disney animated film.
Singer-songwriter Halsey will perform the role of Sally on the first two nights of the concert series – October 27 and 28, with O’Hara taking over for the Oct. 29 show. Other concert guests include Fred Armisen (as Lock), Riki Lindhome (as Shock) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie). Conductor John Mauceri will lead the full orchestra and choir.
Although the concert was announced last month, the star line-up was just unveiled. “It’s impossible to believe it has been thirty years since Tim Burton made our strange little musical,” Elfman said in September.
- 10/9/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Danny Elfman will return to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles this Halloween season to perform songs from Tim Burton’s beloved film The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The concerts will take place October 27th through 29th and see Elfman stepping back into the role of Jack Skellington to perform the music he wrote for the 1993 Disney classic. Special guests include Catherine O’Hara, who voiced Sally in the original film. She’ll reprise the character during the October 29th performance.
Other guests include Halsey, Fred Armisen, Riki Lindhome, and Ken Page. Conductor John Mauceri will once again lead a full orchestra and choir.
Tickets can be purchased via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
“It’s impossible to believe it has...
The concerts will take place October 27th through 29th and see Elfman stepping back into the role of Jack Skellington to perform the music he wrote for the 1993 Disney classic. Special guests include Catherine O’Hara, who voiced Sally in the original film. She’ll reprise the character during the October 29th performance.
Other guests include Halsey, Fred Armisen, Riki Lindhome, and Ken Page. Conductor John Mauceri will once again lead a full orchestra and choir.
Tickets can be purchased via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
“It’s impossible to believe it has...
- 10/9/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Danny Elfman will return to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles this Halloween season to perform songs from Tim Burton’s beloved film The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The concerts will take place October 27th through 29th and see Elfman stepping back into the role of Jack Skellington to perform the music he wrote for the 1993 Disney classic. Special guests include Catherine O’Hara, who voiced Sally in the original film. She’ll reprise the character during the October 29th performance.
Other guests include Halsey, Fred Armisen, Riki Lindhome, and Ken Page. Conductor John Mauceri will once again lead a full orchestra and choir.
Tickets can be purchased via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
“It’s impossible to believe it has...
The concerts will take place October 27th through 29th and see Elfman stepping back into the role of Jack Skellington to perform the music he wrote for the 1993 Disney classic. Special guests include Catherine O’Hara, who voiced Sally in the original film. She’ll reprise the character during the October 29th performance.
Other guests include Halsey, Fred Armisen, Riki Lindhome, and Ken Page. Conductor John Mauceri will once again lead a full orchestra and choir.
Tickets can be purchased via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
“It’s impossible to believe it has...
- 10/9/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Unlike other major awards bodies, the Tony Awards decide their nominations via a committee of industry members who commit to seeing every single production that opens during the Broadway season. This committee can thus make informed decisions on what shows, performers and creatives should earn recognition from New York theatre’s top honor.
In 2023, 40 theatre professionals saw all 38 eligible musicals and plays and selected the nominees in 26 competitive categories.
Below, a complete list of the 2023 Tony Awards nominating committee members including their professions plus past Tony nominations and wins:
Warren Adams, choreographer, director and producer
Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2014)
Becky Ann Baker, actor
Pun Bandhu, actor and producer
Two-time Tony winner for Best Revival of a Play for “Glengarry Glen Ross” (2005) and Best Musical for “Spring Awakening” (2007) and Tony nominee for “Beetlejuice” (2019)
Brenda Braxton, actor and author
Tony-nominee for Featured...
In 2023, 40 theatre professionals saw all 38 eligible musicals and plays and selected the nominees in 26 competitive categories.
Below, a complete list of the 2023 Tony Awards nominating committee members including their professions plus past Tony nominations and wins:
Warren Adams, choreographer, director and producer
Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2014)
Becky Ann Baker, actor
Pun Bandhu, actor and producer
Two-time Tony winner for Best Revival of a Play for “Glengarry Glen Ross” (2005) and Best Musical for “Spring Awakening” (2007) and Tony nominee for “Beetlejuice” (2019)
Brenda Braxton, actor and author
Tony-nominee for Featured...
- 5/2/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Oscar voting is about to close on an awards season has been one of the most volatile in years. Even though a consensus may seem to have formed around certain titles, there is still a nagging sense that anything could happen — and well might. It’s entirely appropriate, then, that Todd Field’s Tár — a film about a mercurial artist trying to keep things together through a turbulent time — is still holding a dogged course through these choppy seas, with a campaign driven by Cate Blanchett’s universally acclaimed performance as the troubled conductor Lydia Tár. Here, Field discusses (and declines to discuss) the strengths and the strangeness of a film that has somehow come to mean all things to all people.
Related Story Oscars: Every Best Director Oscar Winner Back To 1928 Related Story Oscar Nominated Shorts Filmmakers Are Fearless When It Comes To Tackling The Most Challenging, Controversial Issues...
Related Story Oscars: Every Best Director Oscar Winner Back To 1928 Related Story Oscar Nominated Shorts Filmmakers Are Fearless When It Comes To Tackling The Most Challenging, Controversial Issues...
- 3/6/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
What’s this? What’s this? A screening of a Halloween movie at Christmas? While some may believe this live production of Tim Burton’s 1993 musical is three months too late, this evening’s performance proves once and for all that Nightmare Before Christmas is a joyous, raucous and, above all, festive flick. Never mind the beasts and bogeymen.
Tonight, famed composer Danny Elfman brings the morbid fairy tale to life, summoning its spirit and spooky ditties at the Ovo Wembley Arena in London where fans, some rocking blue body paint à la Sally, have gathered. Elfman has help. He is joined by original voice cast members Randy Crenshaw, Greg Proops, and the formidable Ken Page as Oogie Boogie, as well as 50-odd musicians courtesy of the BBC Concert Orchestra led by John Mauceri. New to the line-up is Phoebe Bridgers. The 28-year-old Grammy award-winner steps into the shoes of...
Tonight, famed composer Danny Elfman brings the morbid fairy tale to life, summoning its spirit and spooky ditties at the Ovo Wembley Arena in London where fans, some rocking blue body paint à la Sally, have gathered. Elfman has help. He is joined by original voice cast members Randy Crenshaw, Greg Proops, and the formidable Ken Page as Oogie Boogie, as well as 50-odd musicians courtesy of the BBC Concert Orchestra led by John Mauceri. New to the line-up is Phoebe Bridgers. The 28-year-old Grammy award-winner steps into the shoes of...
- 12/11/2022
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Music
One of the most frequently asked questions about “Tár” is why the film begins, rather than ends, with a lengthy credit sequence. Writer-director Todd Field finally cleared the air in a Wednesday interview, explaining that he “wanted to recalibrate the viewer’s expectations about hierarchy” both on- and off-screen.
“Tár” tells the story of a fictional composer and conductor named Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), who is at the top of her game when allegations about her abuse of power turn her life upside down.
Echoing these themes, Field took a “last is first” approach, reversing the traditional order of names so that credits typically listed last appear first. Running these credits early in the film’s two-hour and 38-minute runtime ensures everyone who contributed will get their due, he explained.
Also Read:
New York Film Critics 2022: ‘Tar’ Named Best Film
“If you’re going to credit people, then those...
“Tár” tells the story of a fictional composer and conductor named Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), who is at the top of her game when allegations about her abuse of power turn her life upside down.
Echoing these themes, Field took a “last is first” approach, reversing the traditional order of names so that credits typically listed last appear first. Running these credits early in the film’s two-hour and 38-minute runtime ensures everyone who contributed will get their due, he explained.
Also Read:
New York Film Critics 2022: ‘Tar’ Named Best Film
“If you’re going to credit people, then those...
- 12/4/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Billie Eilish had herself in stitches — the drawn-on kind — as she very solemnly voiced the barely-sewed-up Sally in two weekend live-to-film performances of the music for “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” bringing new life to Danny Elfman’s perennially undead L.A. Halloween tradition.
Being revived as a concert event for the first time in three years — but this time over two nights at L.A.’s newish Banc of California Stadium, a bigger venue than the shows’ previous home at the Hollywood Bowl — the “Nightmare Before Christmas” shows featured Elfman reviving his lead role of Jack Skellington (and a brief turn as the supporting character Barrel), Paul Reubens and Ken Page reviving their original 1993 turns as Lock and Oogie Boogie, and “Weird Al” Yankovic doing Shock for the first time.
Naturally, though, some of the audience only had eyes for the young pop superstar joining Yankovic as a newcomer to the occasional concert franchise,...
Being revived as a concert event for the first time in three years — but this time over two nights at L.A.’s newish Banc of California Stadium, a bigger venue than the shows’ previous home at the Hollywood Bowl — the “Nightmare Before Christmas” shows featured Elfman reviving his lead role of Jack Skellington (and a brief turn as the supporting character Barrel), Paul Reubens and Ken Page reviving their original 1993 turns as Lock and Oogie Boogie, and “Weird Al” Yankovic doing Shock for the first time.
Naturally, though, some of the audience only had eyes for the young pop superstar joining Yankovic as a newcomer to the occasional concert franchise,...
- 11/1/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
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Billie Eilish has been announced as a special guest star of the upcoming “The Nightmare Before Christmas Live Concert Experience.” The shows will take place on October 29 and October 31 at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
The 19-year-old Grammy winning recording artist will perform “Sally’s Song,” Billboard reports.
Eilish will be joined by Danny Elfman, who voiced all of the movie’s singing parts for Jack Skellington, and will reprise his role for the live production. Originally an exclusive one-night event, a second night was added on Halloween due to popular demand. Tickets for the first night have already sold out but there are still passes left for the second show.
Billie Eilish has been announced as a special guest star of the upcoming “The Nightmare Before Christmas Live Concert Experience.” The shows will take place on October 29 and October 31 at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
The 19-year-old Grammy winning recording artist will perform “Sally’s Song,” Billboard reports.
Eilish will be joined by Danny Elfman, who voiced all of the movie’s singing parts for Jack Skellington, and will reprise his role for the live production. Originally an exclusive one-night event, a second night was added on Halloween due to popular demand. Tickets for the first night have already sold out but there are still passes left for the second show.
- 10/7/2021
- by Angel Saunders and Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
The 25th anniversary of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” will be celebrated at the Hollywood Bowl with two performances led by Danny Elfman and featuring cast members and guest artists.
Scheduled for October 26 and 27, the live-to-picture screening and concert is produced by Laura Engel and Richard Kraft, Tim Fox and Alison Ahart Williams, and Live Nation/Andrew Hewitt & Bill Silva Presents, in association with Disney Concerts. The orchestra will be led by conductor John Mauceri, founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Elfman will reprise his role of Jack Skellington with Catherine O’Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) set to take part in a presentation that includes living scenery projected onto the facade of the Bowl in what Kraft and Engel term a “fully immersive digital” visual.
The 1993 movie directed by Henry Selick (“James and the Giant Peach”) and based on a story and characters by Tim Burton.
Scheduled for October 26 and 27, the live-to-picture screening and concert is produced by Laura Engel and Richard Kraft, Tim Fox and Alison Ahart Williams, and Live Nation/Andrew Hewitt & Bill Silva Presents, in association with Disney Concerts. The orchestra will be led by conductor John Mauceri, founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Elfman will reprise his role of Jack Skellington with Catherine O’Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) set to take part in a presentation that includes living scenery projected onto the facade of the Bowl in what Kraft and Engel term a “fully immersive digital” visual.
The 1993 movie directed by Henry Selick (“James and the Giant Peach”) and based on a story and characters by Tim Burton.
- 9/4/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Fans of Disney's timeless holiday classic, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will now have another chance to see Disney In Concert's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, October 28 at 8:00pm.
The first two nights of this concert event sold out within days when it was announced Los Angeles' reigning Pumpkin King, Danny Elfman, would return to the Hollywood Bowl performing his role of Jack Skellington singing live to film. Elfman will be joined by other original cast members including Catherine O'Hara(Sally), Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) and Paul Reubens (Lock).
Danny Elfman, who wrote the film's songs (music and lyrics), composed its original score and was the original singing voice of Jack Skellington, says:
"Being able to perform 'Nightmare' live last year, in synch to the movie with a full orchestra was such a thrill. But having Catherine O'Hara, Ken Page...
The first two nights of this concert event sold out within days when it was announced Los Angeles' reigning Pumpkin King, Danny Elfman, would return to the Hollywood Bowl performing his role of Jack Skellington singing live to film. Elfman will be joined by other original cast members including Catherine O'Hara(Sally), Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) and Paul Reubens (Lock).
Danny Elfman, who wrote the film's songs (music and lyrics), composed its original score and was the original singing voice of Jack Skellington, says:
"Being able to perform 'Nightmare' live last year, in synch to the movie with a full orchestra was such a thrill. But having Catherine O'Hara, Ken Page...
- 9/14/2016
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
’tis the season to be scary… For those coming to (or already in) Los Angeles this Halloween, we’ve got your weekend planned out for you and 15,000 of your closest friends. The Nightmare Before Christmas will play the Hollywood Bowl accompanied by a full orchestra and some of the voices of the Tim Burton classic. The “concert screening” of the 1993 movie will feature Danny Elfman singing his Jack Skellington parts live. He’ll be joined in song and on stage by some of his fellow cast members, Catherine O’Hara (Sally), Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) and Paul Reubens (Lock). Famed conductor John Mauceri will lead the orchestra and choir. This will be the second consecutive year for the performance. Last year’s version was extremely popular, earning the title of “#1 Concert of 2015” by the Orange County Register. Elfin said in a statement, “Being able to perform Nightmare live last year,...
- 9/6/2016
- by David Eckstein
- Hitfix
Famous for composing the scores for Tim Burton’s films, the musical genius had always shied away from doing live concerts – until now
John Mauceri had an idea. He had conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for 16 years, and was well-versed in the music of films. He and composer Danny Elfman had worked together when Mauceri had conducted the orchestra on some of Elfman’s work from his long, illustrious, almost symbiotic relationship with director Tim Burton. The music got Mauceri thinking: what if they mixed Burton’s artwork, fresh from a retrospective at Museum of Modern Art in New York City, with the music it inspired?
According to Mauceri, Elfman had never been particularly comfortable with live performance of his orchestral works. “He records it, supervises it, produces it, and then moves on to something else.” But when they approached Elfman about the multimedia performance, to Mauceri’s surprise, Elfman said yes.
John Mauceri had an idea. He had conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for 16 years, and was well-versed in the music of films. He and composer Danny Elfman had worked together when Mauceri had conducted the orchestra on some of Elfman’s work from his long, illustrious, almost symbiotic relationship with director Tim Burton. The music got Mauceri thinking: what if they mixed Burton’s artwork, fresh from a retrospective at Museum of Modern Art in New York City, with the music it inspired?
According to Mauceri, Elfman had never been particularly comfortable with live performance of his orchestral works. “He records it, supervises it, produces it, and then moves on to something else.” But when they approached Elfman about the multimedia performance, to Mauceri’s surprise, Elfman said yes.
- 7/6/2015
- by Melissa Locker
- The Guardian - Film News
At this time of the year we call it trick or treating, but any other time it would be called begging. So when you’re done begging for candy, (or eating the candy your kid begged for), don’t be afraid to take in a show. Or do be afraid cause most of them feature witches, ghouls and knife-wielding psychopaths. For a full list of events around Los Angeles this weekend, scroll on. Danny Elfman’s Music from The Films of Tim Burton — Danny Elfman hops to the podium to sing songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas as conductor John Mauceri leads the
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- 10/31/2014
- by Jordan Riefe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice. You can hear them all live at the Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton concert.
The unique program with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and choir, conducted by John Mauceri, will take place at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Friday, October 31 at 8 pm and Honda Center on Sunday November 2.
Presale tickets available 10am to 10pm June 5th at Axs.com /Ticketmaster.com with the special code Elfman. Tickets go on sale for the general public June 6th.
The program includes newly created suites from all sixteen film collaborations of the legendary composer Danny Elfman and visionary director Tim Burton. Elfman himself will perform his songs from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” He was the singing voice of Jack Skellington in the 1993 classic film. The concert will be accompanied with large screen film clips, and the artwork of Tim Burton.
The unique program with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and choir, conducted by John Mauceri, will take place at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Friday, October 31 at 8 pm and Honda Center on Sunday November 2.
Presale tickets available 10am to 10pm June 5th at Axs.com /Ticketmaster.com with the special code Elfman. Tickets go on sale for the general public June 6th.
The program includes newly created suites from all sixteen film collaborations of the legendary composer Danny Elfman and visionary director Tim Burton. Elfman himself will perform his songs from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” He was the singing voice of Jack Skellington in the 1993 classic film. The concert will be accompanied with large screen film clips, and the artwork of Tim Burton.
- 6/3/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Music Conservatory of Westchester will take you from the greens and the courts to The Great White Way on Monday, June 23rd for its 13th Annual Golf and Tennis Classic at Whippoorwill Club in Armonk. Following a day of fun competition, the not-for-profit community music school will hold a Broadway-themed awards dinner honoring iconic performer Barbara Cook and acclaimed conductor John Mauceri with lifetime achievement awards.
- 3/28/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
On Monday, November 14, Sonnet Repertory Theatre hosted its Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret. The event brought together a diverse and talented group of performers and composers at Joe's Pub to honor award-winning director and teacher, Gerald Freedman. Celebrating Freedman's career, this evening featured some of Broadway's greatest talents and legends, including Brian d'Arcy James, Jennifer Ferrin, Penny Fuller, Hal Holbrook, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Jeremy Jordan, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Terrence Mann, John Mauceri, Estelle Parsons, Austin Pendleton, Bryce Pinkham,Wesley Taylor, Alfred Uhry, Price Waldman, and Emily Young, and including special video tributes by Olympia Dukakis and Chita Rivera.BroadwayWorld was on hand for the concert and brings you full photo coverage below...
- 11/16/2011
- by Walter McBride
- BroadwayWorld.com
I thought you Danny Elfman/Tim Burton fans might like this. For $500 you can pre-order a limited edition collector's set of all 13 scores that Elfman compased for Burton's movies. But this is a pretty kick ass package that you're getting for $500.It's a 16 cd set packaged with artwork by Tim Burton, with over 19 hours of music, which include 7 hours of previously un-released masters, demos, work tapes and rarities.It comes with a ton of stuff, so I'll list it here for you from the official site.A Collectible Zoetrope Box A collection of music as unique as Danny Elfman’s for the film of Tim Burton needed to be housed in something equally special, wondrous, and whimsical. Designed to evoke a treasure chest found in a mysterious attic, The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box is a work of art in itself. Grammy-winning designer Matt Taylor has transformed...
- 10/26/2010
- LRMonline.com
Hal Riddle, a Kentucky boy made good in Hollywood film and TV, moved into the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home at age 75.
"I was a youngster then", the ham-boned character actor deadpanned. He turns 87 in December.
"The first day I moved in, I just knew I was home," Riddle added in a voice gone suddenly soft. "Where else can you retire and everybody else is of your ilk?"
Indeed, a stroll around the landscaped grounds of the Wasserman Campus, as the 44-acre MPTF home and hospital is known, makes it plain that this is a place full of industry folk.
Residents regale visitors with career anecdotes, and campus facilities are dotted with plaques acknowledging gifts from famous MPTF benefactors. Film star photos line corridor walls, interspersed in one space with snapshots of a campus acting troupe. A 250-seat cinema, programd weekly by a residents committee, shows a discernible skew toward serious movie fare, often of the art house variety.
But the 85-year-old Fund finds itself at a significant crossroads, fraught with challenges despite continuing signs of vitality, like the $19 million Saban Center for Health and Wellness set to open in late spring. Part of the challenge is generational.
"Hollywood used to be connected to the Fund, and we are trying to re-create that," said Frank Mancuso, former chairman of MGM and longtime head of Paramount Pictures who was tapped as chairman of the MPTF corporate board about four years ago. "We have to pass this off at some point to a younger group, who hopefully will be as engaged and want to do everything they can do to make this work and continue."
To that end, the MPTF on Saturday will stage its second annual black-tie gala, "A Fine Romance". The Hollywood-meets-Broadway fundraiser is aimed in part at getting showbiz's younger set in touch with the MPTF.
Mancuso threw the first edition of the glitzy, entertainment-laden bash last year in his football field of a Holmby Hills backyard. This year's setting will be Sunset + Gower Studios in Hollywood.
"The entire evening is devoted to celebrating the love affair between Broadway and the movies," said Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Jim Gianopulos, who is chairing "A Fine Romance" this year after co-chairing the first event. "The MPTF mission is taking care of our own, and I think it is particularly important in our industry. Fame, work and popularity can be fleeting, but many people give their talent and their life's work to entertaining others, and it's only fitting that we look after them in a time of need."
The Hollywood Reporter again will serve as a primary sponsor of the event, and Catherine Zeta-Jones again will reprise her role as performing host, joined this year by Harry Connick Jr. Other performers will include Christina Applegate, Shirley MacLaine, Bernadette Peters, Rita Wilson, Andrea McArdle, Kristen Bell and Jennifer Hudson. Dan Jinks ("American Beauty") and Laurence Mark ("Dreamgirls") are producing the event, with John Mauceri of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra again on board as musical director.
Created by Mary Pickford and colleagues in the 1920s, moved into its Woodland Hills headquarters in the '40s and expanded into new service areas in the '90s, the Fund faces an ambitious new mission in the new millennium.
MPTF execs hope to shift its focus to community- and home-based services even as the aging of the baby-boomer generation produces a swell of seniors in need of aging services. Such an adjustment should be cost-effective and popular, they believe, as seniors look to delay entering retirement communities ever longer.
In fact, even though the Fund is identified mostly with its residential retirement community, increasing numbers of clients put off moving onto the campus and instead seek other sorts of assistance, such as retrofitting of their personal residences with rampways, hallway and bathroom grab-bars, and closet adjustments. A trend toward home-based assisted care is expected to grow dramatically, so the MPTF also plans on subsidizing community-based counseling and health-care services for its clients.
Such a shift requires a ramping up of certain MPTF operations, but it also has eased a backlog of applicants for accommodations on the Wasserman campus.
"Five years ago, demand here exceeded capacity," MPTF CEO Dr. David Tillman said, noting a onetime waiting period of five years. "Now, there's a pretty good match."
There are 185 residents of the campus' Country House Cottages, Frances Goldwyn Lodge and Fran & Ray Stark Villa, and another 190 in a related nursing facility, with an average move-in age of 86 and an oldest resident who is 107. Anybody 70 or older with 20 years of employment in film, TV or other entertainment-related fields can apply for eligibility, and even parents of entertainment professionals are eligible for the nursing facility.
Costs, which are subsidized by the Fund, are billed to residents on a graduated scale tied to ability to pay.
Since the '90s, the MPTF also operates five health centers located throughout the Los Angeles area, supported by the health funds of several Hollywood guilds and unions. Other offerings include financial assistance for needy industry vets, counseling and other social and charitable services, and the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation child-care center in West Los Angeles.
With an annual budget of more than $100 million, the MPTF couldn't function without the regular flow of philanthropy.
"There is no other industry in the world that has accomplished what the movie and TV industry has accomplished, which is creating a health and social enterprise that is there for those who need it," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, who heads the MPTF Foundation board and chairs its Oscar-eve fundraiser, the Night Before. "I find our industry to be incredibly philanthropic and generous, lending their time and creativity and opening their pocketbooks so generously and so frequently. And for all those things that we do, I don't think anything is more important than first and foremost taking care of your own."
The DreamWorks Animation chief is working to raise the balance of funding for the new 30,000-square-foot Saban Center. The facility's mission is threefold: to add various health and wellness amenities, including a large pool and exercise room; to create a geriatric health evaluation and outreach headquarters offering counseling and other services; and to launch an aging-research unit and related experimental programs.
TV titan Haim Saban and his wife, Dr. Cheryl Saban, donated $10 million for construction of the center; Jodie Foster earmarked a $1 million gift for its aquatic facility; and $2 million in federal funds is tagged for various aging programs.
But Katzenberg said more involvement from younger Hollywood -- following the historic example of such tireless benefactors as Pickford, Lew and Edie Wasserman, Roddy McDowell and many others -- is necessary to the MPTF at an optimum operating level.
"The MPTF has had eight decades of this industry supporting it, which probably represents about four or five generations," he said. "So one of the challenges that we uniquely have is making sure, with each new generation that comes along, that we make it relevant for them."
The Fund's Next Generation Council -- chaired by Robert Osher, chief operating officer of Columbia Pictures Motion Picture Group -- regularly reaches out to Hollywood's younger set.
And staging A Fine Romance "opens us up to people we normally don't see," said Ken Scherer, CEO of the MPTF Foundation. Even event producers Jinks and Mark were relatively unfamiliar with the MPTF before their coming aboard, Scherer noted.
Of course, there's no shortage of celebs making the occasional stop to visit and entertain residents, a kindness that's always appreciated and which somehow seems to increase in frequency during Oscar season.
"This is a voting population, you know!" Mancuso noted with no little amusement.
Meanwhile, officials boasting of state-of-the-art senior care get no argument from Bill Martinez, former TV stage manager and five-year campus resident with his wife, Peggy.
"It's great, it's wonderful", the octogenarian observed with a small catch of emotion. " I worked 40 years in the business, and this was here waiting for us."...
"I was a youngster then", the ham-boned character actor deadpanned. He turns 87 in December.
"The first day I moved in, I just knew I was home," Riddle added in a voice gone suddenly soft. "Where else can you retire and everybody else is of your ilk?"
Indeed, a stroll around the landscaped grounds of the Wasserman Campus, as the 44-acre MPTF home and hospital is known, makes it plain that this is a place full of industry folk.
Residents regale visitors with career anecdotes, and campus facilities are dotted with plaques acknowledging gifts from famous MPTF benefactors. Film star photos line corridor walls, interspersed in one space with snapshots of a campus acting troupe. A 250-seat cinema, programd weekly by a residents committee, shows a discernible skew toward serious movie fare, often of the art house variety.
But the 85-year-old Fund finds itself at a significant crossroads, fraught with challenges despite continuing signs of vitality, like the $19 million Saban Center for Health and Wellness set to open in late spring. Part of the challenge is generational.
"Hollywood used to be connected to the Fund, and we are trying to re-create that," said Frank Mancuso, former chairman of MGM and longtime head of Paramount Pictures who was tapped as chairman of the MPTF corporate board about four years ago. "We have to pass this off at some point to a younger group, who hopefully will be as engaged and want to do everything they can do to make this work and continue."
To that end, the MPTF on Saturday will stage its second annual black-tie gala, "A Fine Romance". The Hollywood-meets-Broadway fundraiser is aimed in part at getting showbiz's younger set in touch with the MPTF.
Mancuso threw the first edition of the glitzy, entertainment-laden bash last year in his football field of a Holmby Hills backyard. This year's setting will be Sunset + Gower Studios in Hollywood.
"The entire evening is devoted to celebrating the love affair between Broadway and the movies," said Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Jim Gianopulos, who is chairing "A Fine Romance" this year after co-chairing the first event. "The MPTF mission is taking care of our own, and I think it is particularly important in our industry. Fame, work and popularity can be fleeting, but many people give their talent and their life's work to entertaining others, and it's only fitting that we look after them in a time of need."
The Hollywood Reporter again will serve as a primary sponsor of the event, and Catherine Zeta-Jones again will reprise her role as performing host, joined this year by Harry Connick Jr. Other performers will include Christina Applegate, Shirley MacLaine, Bernadette Peters, Rita Wilson, Andrea McArdle, Kristen Bell and Jennifer Hudson. Dan Jinks ("American Beauty") and Laurence Mark ("Dreamgirls") are producing the event, with John Mauceri of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra again on board as musical director.
Created by Mary Pickford and colleagues in the 1920s, moved into its Woodland Hills headquarters in the '40s and expanded into new service areas in the '90s, the Fund faces an ambitious new mission in the new millennium.
MPTF execs hope to shift its focus to community- and home-based services even as the aging of the baby-boomer generation produces a swell of seniors in need of aging services. Such an adjustment should be cost-effective and popular, they believe, as seniors look to delay entering retirement communities ever longer.
In fact, even though the Fund is identified mostly with its residential retirement community, increasing numbers of clients put off moving onto the campus and instead seek other sorts of assistance, such as retrofitting of their personal residences with rampways, hallway and bathroom grab-bars, and closet adjustments. A trend toward home-based assisted care is expected to grow dramatically, so the MPTF also plans on subsidizing community-based counseling and health-care services for its clients.
Such a shift requires a ramping up of certain MPTF operations, but it also has eased a backlog of applicants for accommodations on the Wasserman campus.
"Five years ago, demand here exceeded capacity," MPTF CEO Dr. David Tillman said, noting a onetime waiting period of five years. "Now, there's a pretty good match."
There are 185 residents of the campus' Country House Cottages, Frances Goldwyn Lodge and Fran & Ray Stark Villa, and another 190 in a related nursing facility, with an average move-in age of 86 and an oldest resident who is 107. Anybody 70 or older with 20 years of employment in film, TV or other entertainment-related fields can apply for eligibility, and even parents of entertainment professionals are eligible for the nursing facility.
Costs, which are subsidized by the Fund, are billed to residents on a graduated scale tied to ability to pay.
Since the '90s, the MPTF also operates five health centers located throughout the Los Angeles area, supported by the health funds of several Hollywood guilds and unions. Other offerings include financial assistance for needy industry vets, counseling and other social and charitable services, and the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation child-care center in West Los Angeles.
With an annual budget of more than $100 million, the MPTF couldn't function without the regular flow of philanthropy.
"There is no other industry in the world that has accomplished what the movie and TV industry has accomplished, which is creating a health and social enterprise that is there for those who need it," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, who heads the MPTF Foundation board and chairs its Oscar-eve fundraiser, the Night Before. "I find our industry to be incredibly philanthropic and generous, lending their time and creativity and opening their pocketbooks so generously and so frequently. And for all those things that we do, I don't think anything is more important than first and foremost taking care of your own."
The DreamWorks Animation chief is working to raise the balance of funding for the new 30,000-square-foot Saban Center. The facility's mission is threefold: to add various health and wellness amenities, including a large pool and exercise room; to create a geriatric health evaluation and outreach headquarters offering counseling and other services; and to launch an aging-research unit and related experimental programs.
TV titan Haim Saban and his wife, Dr. Cheryl Saban, donated $10 million for construction of the center; Jodie Foster earmarked a $1 million gift for its aquatic facility; and $2 million in federal funds is tagged for various aging programs.
But Katzenberg said more involvement from younger Hollywood -- following the historic example of such tireless benefactors as Pickford, Lew and Edie Wasserman, Roddy McDowell and many others -- is necessary to the MPTF at an optimum operating level.
"The MPTF has had eight decades of this industry supporting it, which probably represents about four or five generations," he said. "So one of the challenges that we uniquely have is making sure, with each new generation that comes along, that we make it relevant for them."
The Fund's Next Generation Council -- chaired by Robert Osher, chief operating officer of Columbia Pictures Motion Picture Group -- regularly reaches out to Hollywood's younger set.
And staging A Fine Romance "opens us up to people we normally don't see," said Ken Scherer, CEO of the MPTF Foundation. Even event producers Jinks and Mark were relatively unfamiliar with the MPTF before their coming aboard, Scherer noted.
Of course, there's no shortage of celebs making the occasional stop to visit and entertain residents, a kindness that's always appreciated and which somehow seems to increase in frequency during Oscar season.
"This is a voting population, you know!" Mancuso noted with no little amusement.
Meanwhile, officials boasting of state-of-the-art senior care get no argument from Bill Martinez, former TV stage manager and five-year campus resident with his wife, Peggy.
"It's great, it's wonderful", the octogenarian observed with a small catch of emotion. " I worked 40 years in the business, and this was here waiting for us."...
- 11/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Holmby Hills were alive with the sound of music Saturday night as Broadway and Hollywood luminaries converged to honor musicals from the stage and screen during a benefit for the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Held at a private residence, the event raised nearly $1 million for the 84-year-old nonprofit, which provides health care for members of the entertainment community. Host Catherine Zeta-Jones kicked off the outdoor performance, dubbed "A Fine Romance", with a reprisal of "All That Jazz" from her Academy Award-winning role in Chicago. Led by musical director John Mauceri, singers from Kristin Chenoweth to Hank Azaria paid homage to a century of Broadway and silver screen crossovers including The Sound of Music, Hairspray, Camelot and My Fair Lady.
- 10/9/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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