News

Vanessa Williams has sadly announced that her mom Helen has passed away.

On Thursday (January 2), the 61-year-old Ugly Betty actress took to Instagram to announce that her mom passed away last week. Helen sadly passed less than a month after she turned 85.

Keep reading to find out more…“On December 28th, the world lost a powerhouse, dynamo and force of nature packed into a 5ft frame,” Vanessa wrote. “Our mom, Helen Williams, aka Gaga to many, took her final bow in London 20 days after celebrating her 85th birthday surrounded by family and friends.”

Vanessa continued, “It’s impossible to describe all she meant to everyone because each person saw a different facet of her. Loyal friend to many, icy stares to a chosen few. We will miss it all.”

Also in the tribute, Vanessa revealed that her mom “peacefully passed away” due to “complications of acute liver failure.”

Helen was...

Vanessa Williams glams up for the after party following the official opening night of the new musical The Devil Wears Prada held at The British Museum on Sunday night (December 1) in London.

The 61-year-old entertainer and her co-stars have been in previews, but the new musical production just had it’s opening. She stars as Miranda Priestly in the show, which features music by Elton John.

Also in attendance were the cast of the show, including Matt Henry, pictured here with Vanessa, and the rest of the main cast – Georgie Buckland, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Rhys Whitfield and James Darch.

Other stars attending the opening night were Luke Evans and beau Fran Tomas, Dylan Mulvaney, Donatella Versace, Anna Wintour, Michelle Visage, Lily Collins and husband Charlie McDowell, and Elizabeth Hurley, with son Damian.

Keep reading to find out more…

The Devil Wears Prada, based on the hit movie and the Lauren Weisberger novel,...

Appointment

Sky Studios has promoted “Gomorrah” and “The New Pope” producer Nils Hartmann to the newly created position of senior VP Sky Studios Deutschland and Italia, reporting into Jane Millichip, chief content officer for Europe.

Hartmann, a native German, will lead the development, commissioning and production of Sky Original dramas and comedies for Sky Deutschland while retaining his current responsibilities for producing scripted Sky Originals for Sky Italia, where he has served since 2003. In the German role, he replaces Marcus Ammon, who is now with Bavaria Fiction.

In his expanded role, Hartmann will work closely with executive VP programming, Sky Deutschland, Elke Walthelm and executive VP programming, Sky Italia, Antonella d’Errico who maintain overall responsibility for Sky’s content offering in Germany and Italy respectively.

“Nils’ ability to spot, nurture and develop ideas, and his strong and deep relationships with talent are second to none,” said Millichip in an internal...

Debbie Kurup's recent roles include Blues in the Night at theKiln Theatre, Sweet Charity at Donmar Warehouse, and Girl from the North Countryat the Old Vic and in the West End. Kurup is now in Stephen Schwartz's The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion Theatre, playing the role of Queen Tuya.She spoke to BroadwayWorld about self-representation, the large scale of the show, and the theatrical magic that awaits audiences.

You know what they say -- what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas -- but what happens during Vegas Night on Dancing With the Stars makes headlines!

The ballroom was hot, hot, hot during week three of the competition on Monday, as the stars and their dance pros performed to Sin City-inspired hits, bringing out all the energy and sass you'd expect to see at a show on the Vegas strip.

From the men showing some extra skin to the ladies nailing their kicks and tricks, Et's breaking down all the best choreography moments from last night's show!

Watch: Sharna Burgess Comforts 'Bummed' Bonner Bolton After Disappointing 'DWTS' Week 3 Performance

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd — Tango, "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

Dance highlight: #TeamBabyGotBach kicked off the night with a fun routine, putting the former Bachelor star's abs on full display. While it was hard to take our eyes off their intricate costumes, Nick's true...

Monday is Vegas Night on Dancing With the Stars!

In order to stay in the competition, the remaining contestants and their pro partners will have to step up their game by working on their technique and including new choreography surprises in their casino-themed routines.

So, who will get lucky and who will be sent home? Et breaks down everything you need to know ahead of week three of the competition.

Watch: Sharna Burgess and Bonner Bolton Talk Exhausting 'DWTS' Rehearsals: 'She's Working Me Hard'

Who's on top of the leaderboard?

1. A tie for first! Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater & Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy: 32/40

2. Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 30/40

3. Sharna Burgess and Bonner Bolton: 29/40

Who's in danger of elimination?

Mr. T and Kym Herjavec received the lowest score from the judges -- 22/40 -- last Monday, followed closely behind by Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd, who received a score of 25, and Charo and Keo Motsepe, who scored...

The complete list of nominees for this year's Olivier awards, celebrating the best of British theatre, dance and opera

Best actor

Rupert Everett – The Judas Kiss

James McAvoy – Macbeth

Mark Rylance – Twelfth Night

Rafe Spall – Constellations

Luke Treadaway – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best actress

Helen Mirren – The Audience

Hattie Morahan – A Doll's House

Billie Piper – The Effect

Kristin Scott Thomas – Old Times

Best actor in a supporting role

Paul Chahidi – Twelfth Night

Richard McCabe – The Audience

Adrian Scarborough – Hedda Gabler

Kyle Soller – Long Day's Journey Into Night

Best actress in a supporting role

Janie Dee – Nsfw

Anastasia Hille – The Effect

Cush Jumbo – Julius Caesar (Donmar Warehouse)

Helen McCrory – The Last of the Haussmans

Nicola Walker – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Mastercard best new play

Constellations

The Audience

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

This House

Best director

Stephen Daldry...

Heather Headley and Lloyd Owen lead the cast in new musical The Bodyguard, directed by Thea Sharrock. Other cast members include Debbie Kurup, Mark Letheren, Ray Shell, Nicolas Colicos, Mark McKerracher, Sean Chapman, David Page and Oliver Le Sueur. They are joined by Luis Buddy, Caius Duncombe, Jayden Fowora Knight, Kwame Kandekore, Taylor Lockhart and Malakai Paul who will share the role of Fletcher, Rachel Marrons young son. Ensemble members are Nigel Barber, Jordan Darrell, Yasmin Harrison, Shanay Holmes, Holly James, Robert Jezek, Melissa Keyes, Gil Kolirin, Janet Kumah, Nick Maude, Richard Murphy, Gloria Onitiri, Ashley J Packer, Dharmesh Patel, Lucinda Shaw, Paul Smethurst, Charlotte Watts and James Wooldridge.

Adelphi theatre, London

Lawrence Kasdan has recorded his surprise at the idea of his screenplay for the 1992 movie, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, being used as the basis for a musical. My own reaction, having seen the finished product, is more one of mild dismay. Although the show is staged with enormous technical efficiency, it is one more example of the necrophiliac musical morbidly attracted to a cinematic corpse.

I admit that the book by Alexander Dinelaris shifts the focus so that the rock star, Rachel Marron, occupies centre-stage rather than the bodyguard, Frank Farmer, who seeks to protect her from a venomous stalker. But, even though the songs are now foregrounded, the central paradox of the story remains unresolved.

The more Rachel and Frank fall in love, the more of an incompetent loon he seems. In this version he not only escorts the threatened superstar to a bar,...