Bye, Bye Birdie Scene Too Risque for Broadway

Mike Myers in talks to write Broadway show

(NEWSER) - Austin Powers on Broadway? Yeah, baby! A source tells the New York Post that Mike Myers is in talks to turn the spy-spoof franchise into a "musical stage show." Though Myers will be "heavily involved" in writing it, he won't star in it, the source says—"even though he has quite a good singing voice." If that bums you out, perhaps this will help: Myers has also reached a deal for a fourth Austin Powers movie, which sources say he will star in as well as write and produce (expect a 2013 or 2014 release). The third and, so far, last Powers flick came out in 2002. More»

Sylvester Stallone says he always pictured it as a musical

(NEWSER) - Can you picture Sylvester Stallone’s famous Rocky character bursting into song after winning a boxing match? Because that might just happen when Rocky: The Musical becomes a reality. “I always had the idea of Rocky as a musical,” says Stallone, who has teamed up with boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko to create the German stage show, opening next November. “At the end of the day, Rocky is a love story and he could never have reached the final bell without Adrian,” Stallone continues. More»

$9 million on sets, costumes alone

(NEWSER) - Amid injuries, delays, and firings, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has managed to eat through $75 million, New York state financial statements reveal. To put that in perspective: The play The Book of Mormon cost $9 million, reports the New York Times . Here’s where some of the money—and time—has gone:

• $4 million to rent the theater for two years before opening (most shows need it just months in advance)
• $9 million on sets, costumes, and, er, shoes

Daniel Radcliffe, other big names miss out on nominations

(NEWSER) - Last year's Tony Awards saw a plethora of Hollywood winners— to the annoyance of some —but this year looks to be a different story. Quite a few big names were skipped over when nominations were announced today, most notably former frontrunner Daniel Radcliffe for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Others who missed out: Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Kiefer Sutherland, James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, and more. More»

Official word is she's too busy, but friends say she was forced out

(NEWSER) - After days of rumors , the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark made the official announcement last night: Director Julie Taymor is out. The problem-plagued musical has also been delayed yet again, this time until “early summer 2011,” according to the show’s blog . Taymor has been replaced with Philip William McKinley, who directed The Boy From Oz, and the script will be revised by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has written for the Spider-Man comic books. More»