Broadway superstar Audra McDonald is adding a new chapter to her long history with Lincoln Center. The singer-actress is the new host of “Live From Lincoln Center,” the center said Tuesday.
Miss McDonald will emcee seven broadcasts from December through spring 2013, starting Dec. 13 with “The Richard Tucker Opera Gala” and Dec. 31 with the New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve gala.
“It’s a great honor. I’m thrilled that they came to me and trusted me to do it,” said Miss McDonald, 42, whose five Tony Awards include a trophy this year for “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”
Her memories of the performing arts complex in Manhattan run deep.
“I remember watching Beverly Sills broadcasting from [the center’s Metropolitan Opera House] on my PBS channel at my home in Fresno,” Miss McDonald said, adding that she was amazed at the venue’s size and “inspired by the music.”
As a high school student, she had a chance to visit the center and recalled thinking, “This is where I want to be some day.”
Miss McDonald, who starred in “Private Practice” as Dr. Naomi Bennett, has performed on the long-running PBS showcase several times, including programs with Elvis Costello, Patti LuPone and the New York Philharmonic.
She will be working especially hard on New Year’s Eve when she hosts and performs in the holiday program, “One Singular Sensation: Celebrating Marvin Hamlisch.”
“We’ll see if I fall down by the end of the evening, or by the middle,” she said lightly.
“Live From Lincoln Center” is in its 37th broadcast season. In recent years, artists and actors including Yo-Yo Ma and Alec Baldwin have filled the host’s job, which previously saw long tenures by famed opera singer Sills and TV personality Hugh Downs.
BBC’s ’Sherlock’ getting delayed start on next season
Expecting the return of “Sherlock” next summer?
Try late 2013. Perhaps even 2014, depending on where you live.
Start of production on the third cycle of the fan-adored detective drama has been moved from January to March. Sources say the shift was necessary to accommodate the busy schedules of the show’s breakout stars, Benedict Cumberbatch (who’s in “Star Trek 2”) and Martin Freeman (starring in “The Hobbit”).
The BBC has not announced a premiere date for season three, but given that January was announced previously as the start of production, fans hoped to see Holmes and Watson return in the summer. Sources say the BBC will air the season three in late 2013. A PBS spokesman said “Sherlock” will air in either late 2013 — or early 2014 — because PBS has to wait until the BBC airs the series.
The first cycle of “Sherlock” debuted in the United Kingdom in July 2010. The eagerly anticipated second season premiered there last January, with PBS premiering the three 90-minute episodes in May.
The news comes on the heels of two other announcements about favorite British imports, with “Downton Abbey” receiving a fourth-season order and the creators of “Merlin” announcing the show will end after the upcoming fifth season.
Florida man adds suit to claims against Elmo puppeteer
A Florida man has sued the former Elmo puppeteer who resigned amid a sex scandal, saying the voice actor met him in New York after trolling gay telephone chat lines seeking underage boys for sex.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday by a man who remains anonymous.
The man said he met Kevin Clash in 2000 on a chat line when he was 16 years old and exploring modeling opportunities in New York.
The lawsuit says Mr. Clash had numerous Elmo dolls in his apartment when he met the teen for sex. The man, now 29, is the third to make claims against Mr. Clash, who resigned from “Sesame Street” last week after 28 years.
A spokeswoman said Mr. Clash “believes this lawsuit has no merit.”
HBO documentary on Beyonce to air in February
Beyonce is getting personal.
HBO announced Monday that a documentary about the Grammy-winning singer will debut on Feb. 16. Beyonce is directing the film, which will include footage she shot with her laptop.
The network said the documentary will include “video that provides raw, unprecedented access to the private entertainment icon and high-voltage performances.” It also will feature home videos of her family and of the singer as a new mother and owner of her company, Parkwood Entertainment.
Beyonce said in a statement that the untitled project was “personal” to her. She is married to Jay-Z. They had their first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter, in January.
The 31-year-old will perform at the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 3, 13 days before the documentary airs.
Hagman’s ashes to be scattered ’around the world’
The ashes of former “Dallas” star Larry Hagman are to be scattered around the world after two private ceremonies in Texas and California this week, his agent has said.
The actor, who as unscrupulous oil magnate J.R. Ewing captivated the hit show’s global audience for more than a decade, died last week after complications arising from throat cancer.
“His family will decide what to do with his ashes,” agent John Castonia said in a video published on “Entertainment Tonight’s” website, confirming that there will be no official burial.
“He’ll be spread around the world, basically. His son travels a great deal, and I know it’ll give Larry great pleasure,” Mr. Castonia said.
There is some talk of a statue being erected in Dallas to mark the late actor’s place in the affections of Texans after his 1978-91 role in the original show, which has been revived recently on the TNT network.
“It would be a fine tribute to him,” Mr. Castonia said of Hagman, who was 81 when he died Friday at Medical City Dallas Hospital.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
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