Harlan Boll News

Grammy Award-nominated TV mom (Mr. Belvedere) and Broadway veteran Ilene Graff (Grease, I Love My Wife) is set to bring her holiday show to Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood for one show only.

Actress/singer Ilene Graff may be best remembered to TV audiences for 'Mr. Belvedere' and for her varied performances on Broadway, but for Los Angeles audiences no one holds a cabaret audience more captivated than this down.to.earth yet sparklingly talented lady. On Saturday December 21, Graff brought a fun-filled holiday show to a packed audience at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's. Backed by superb musical director/husband Ben Lanzarone at the piano, Jamey Tate on drums and Dominic Genova on guitar and bass, the 80 minute set was a real family entertainment with Graff's brother Tony nominated Todd Graff as special guest star. Another special guest was Harlan Boll, a pr rep by day and singer by night. Being a holiday show, Graff interspersed her anecdotes of growing up in Brooklyn and being a Jew with colorful Christmas tunes. When she was asked why as a Jew she sang Christian songs, she delightfully replied that Yiddish music is so sad and, 'OK, Im going to sing, but you're not going to enjoy it.' It is this kind of self-deprecating humor that makes Graff so loved and admired.

On Sunday, Nov 24th, an eclectic group gathered to pay homage with laughter to the memory of The Prince or Pandemonium, The Master of Mayhem, The Crying Comedian, The King of Camp and Confetti, Star of Screen (large and small), Broadway & Vegas Stage ... RIP TAYLOR

FEINSTEIN'S AT VITELLO'S presents THE ILENE GRAFF HOLIDAY SHOW for one night only on Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 8 P.M.

BroadwayWorld is sad to report that Rip Taylor, known for his appearances on both stage and screen died on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 84 in Beverly Hills CA.

On Wednesday, Sept 25th, 2019, President and Founder of the Hollywood Museum, Donelle Dadigan, and her speciial guest speakers, Ruta Lee (77 Sunset/Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), Erin Murphy (Bewitched), Steve Wishnoff (Director, Life Interrupted), Hope Juber-Schwartz and Lloyd Schwartz (daughter and son of creator Sherwood Schwartz) and castaway, Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island), gathered for a lobby series tribute to Gilligan's Island in advance of the shows 55th anniversary on Sept 26th.

On behalf of the Gisela Johnson and the Johnson family, we are informing you that Emmy winning comedic actor, Arte Johnson has passed at 1:45am, July 3rd, 2019.  There are no services planned.  His ashes will be taken to his home away from home in HI, were a private ceremony will be held.

Earlier today, BroadwayWorld was saddened to report the passing of the legendary Carol Channing. Channing died at 12:31am on Tuesday, January 15th, 2019, at home in Rancho Mirage, CA of natural causes.

BroadwayWorld is deeply saddened to report the passing of the legendary Carol Channing. Channing died at 12:31am on Tuesday, January 15th, 2019, at home in Rancho Mirage, CA of natural causes.

The film is called, 'WAIT FOR YOUR LAUGH' and is directed by Jason Wise and produced by Christina Wise, Jason Wise, and co-produced by Jackson Myers. To get right to the point, the documentary is utterly fantastic. But the 33 minutes and 42 seconds I spent on phone with Rose Marie will be forever unforgettable.

From Broadway and B-Movies to fiascoes in fashion, Mr. Blackwell was the original arbiter of wrong and right on the red carpet. From Carol Channing ('Finger paints, chicken feathers, and glue thrown into an electric fan'-1966) to Bette Midler (Potluck in a laundramat'-1973), Blackwell remarked, 'I'm only saying out loud what everyone else is whispering.'

Just as death knells and obituaries are beginning to appear in the press for cabaret in Los Angeles (usually by inexperienced journalists in their 20s who seem to think that entertainment is restricted to their computers, IPads and IPhones), proof to the contrary arrives in the form of one Charles Busch in "THAT GIRL/ THAT BOY" at Rockwell stage and table on March 13th and 14th . With sold out and standing room only crowds, not to mention multiple standing ovations, clearly cabaret's heart was beating strong and proud.

On Friday night, a panel of 8 industry leaders including Ashton Applewhite, B. Harlan Boll, Jobeth Williams, Lesley Ann Warren, Kathy Griffin, Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Lynn Whitfield with moderator Sharon Lawrence, were brought together before an audience at the London Hotel by producers David C. Barry and Robyn Rosenfeld with the support of Women in Film for a panel on Gender Diversity and Ageism in Hollywood

'Hello Magic Castle! And a happy half season's greetings to you!' declared stage legend, Carol Channing, as she took her seat center stage, where she belongs, at the world famous Magic Castle. The Magic Castle was honored and proud to present the iconic Carol Channing for a public Q&A, to a sold out crowd, on Thursday, June 25th. Scroll down for photos!

El Portal Theatre and 22Q Entertainment -- Robert Levinstein& Alan Wager present Always...Patsy Cline, starring Sally Struthers and Carter Calvert as Patsy Cline, through August 3, 2014 at the historic El Portal Theatre, in the NOHO Arts District, North Hollywood, CA. Check below for photos from the opening night!

As a pre-cursor to the Actors Fund's highly anticipated and recently record-breaking successful TONY Awards party, the organization that has been meeting the various needs of those within the field of entertainment, gathered to pay homage to the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare and arguably the first true star of the American theatre - Edwin Forrest.

There may not have been 76 trombones, but Florence Henderson and Constantine Maroulis did excellent impersonations of librarian Marian Paroo and Harold Hill of 'The Music Man' fame, as they lead a 28 piece marching Broadway band into the Skirball Cultural Center in the new Guerin Pavilion/Herscher Hall to begin an evening of co-hosting for the Actors Fund's 18th Annual Tony Awards® Party. Check out the photos below!

Melody Thomas Scott and Alex Trebek will make a special appearance on the HLN June 16th Broadcast to announce the NATAS partnership with The Smithsonian and present Nikki's Wedding Gown from The Young & The Restless to The National Museum of American History.

Brooklyn transplants and Broadway favorites, Ilene Graff (Promises, Promises / Grease / I Love My Wife) along with her husband/musical director, Ben Lanzarone, not to mention the parents of stage success Nikka Lanzarone (Chicago / Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) presented 'Make the Song Your Own', a salon style performance this week before an equally eclectic crowd, which included such noted patrons as screen stars Tippi Hedren and Dee Wallace, cabaret sensation Barbara Van Orden, Daytime Drama personality Kate Linder, commedienne Geri Jewell and ABC Entertainment reporter George Pennacchio. Scroll down for photos from the event!