News

Before Law & Order or Brooklyn Nine-Nine goofed around booming its iconic ‘dun-dun’, there was NYPD Blue, a raw, gritty, and full of drama that didn’t pull any punches. The show premiered in 1993 and gave viewers a front-row seat to the corruption, chaos, and complicated lives of the 15th Precinct’s finest (and sometimes not-so-fine) in New York City.

The show ran for 12 seasons and became one of the Ogs of police TV drama. NYPD Blue featured themes of tough love, often accompanied by shirtless scenes and detectives who didn’t always play by the rules.

And the cast? Well, let’s just say they were perfect. From the intense Andy Sipowicz to the cool John Kelly, the characters weren’t just solving crimes, they were also dealing with messy personal lives, occasional questionable choices, and drinking problems. Now since the sirens have faded long ago and the precinct doors have closed,...

Welcome to Tony Talk, a column in which Gold Derby contributors Sam Eckmann and David Buchanan offer Tony Awards analysis. Join us as we take you inside the Palace Theatre to discuss the star-studded Broadway revival of David Mamet's profane classic, Glengarry Glen Ross.

David Buchanan: Yesterday, we shared our thoughts on Sarah Snook's Broadway debut in The Picture of Dorian Gray, but we absolutely had to reconvene again today to talk about her Succession sibling as Kieran Culkin just opened Glengarry Glen Ross last night. This is a pretty unique revival, not only because it has attracted all-star talent including recent Oscar winner Culkin, Bill Burr, Bob Odenkirk, and Michael McKean, but also because it's playing the Palace Theatre, which hasn't featured a drama since Frankenstein in 1981. How do you think this incredible ensemble filled the legendary theater, and how many of the cast might get nominated at the Tonys?...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

On Call is a procedural crime drama series created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf. The Prime Video series follows Long Beach Police Department veteran training officer Traci Harmon and her latest rookie Alex Diaz as they patrol the streets to keep the people of their city safe while trying to get over the loss their recently fallen colleague. On Call stars Troian Bellisario, Brandon Larracuente, Eriq Lasalle, Lori Loughlin, and Rich Ting. So, if you loved the thrilling rush, police procedural drama, and compelling characters in On Call here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Rookie (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – ABC

The Rookie is a police procedural action crime drama series created by Alexi Hawley. The ABC series follows John Nolan, a 40-year-old man as he moves to Los Angeles to...

The 1990s marked a golden era of television, introducing several noteworthy cult classics and long-running sitcoms. Additionally, several great yet forgotten 1990s TV shows laid the groundwork for suspenseful thrillers in entertainment that helped shape the trajectory of modern television. 1990s TV helped create a culture of viewers tuning in every week to watch the newest episode of their favorite show and discuss the plot.

The decade was filled with various suspenseful TV thrillers, ranging from mysterious supernatural dramas to crime-solving police procedurals. These shows revolutionized how complex plots and gripping narratives kept viewers coming back every week. The 1990s also brought variety to television, broadening the type of content that was available on cable. Nostalgia is not the only factor keeping these shows' legacies alive, as the ideas of influential directors of 1990s TV shows can still be seen in modern television.

NYPD Blue (1993-2005) Exploring The Personal & Professional...

Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr will hit the Broadway stage next year in a revival of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross.

Set for a spring 2025 opening, Glengarry Glen Ross will mark a return to Broadway for Culkin but Broadway debuts for both Odenkirk and Burr. They’ll be directed by Patrick Marber, the Tony-winning director for Leopoldstadt.

Additional cast, exact dates, full design team, and Broadway venue will be announced at a later date. Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold are the lead producers.

“In 1983, I saw the original production of Glengarry Glen Ross in London,” Marber said. “I was just nineteen. The play blew my young soul away. It was one of the reasons I wanted to work in theatre. Forty years later, I am so thrilled to be directing it on Broadway with these incredible actors.

Thirty years ago today, on September 21, 1993, at 10/9c, NYPD Blue premiered on ABC.

However, its debut didn't necessarily mean it reached every household.

The controversial series premiered to apocalyptic fanfare, with critics wondering if the series would usher in the end of TV as viewers knew it.

It’s funny the things you remember from your youth. I was at the age where the idea of a series willing to push the envelope, delivering a taste of the big screen on the small, sounded like an excellent idea.

They say that all publicity is good publicity, but people around the country were so concerned about the effect the show may have on the morals of the everyman that 57 local stations around the country refused to air the premiere.

A month later, there were still 45 ABC affiliates who, due to the possibility of coarse language and nudity, were still not airing it.

Norman Lear, Mimi Kennedy, George Takei, Marla Gibbs and George Wallace are encouraging Hollywood to take steps in creating more stories about the lives of older adults in a new #RethinkAging campaign.

In partnership with the University of Southern California Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center, the industry veterans created an amusing video announcing that they’re still very much in the game — and their stories matter.

“They said 91 is the new 60,” Gibbs said in the video. “I don’t know where they got that, honey. Ninety-one is the new 30.”

Gibbs most recently appeared in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 as the grandmother of one of the hospital’s new residents, but she’s best known for her portrayal of Florence on Lear’s 1970s sitcom The Jeffersons and her role as Mary Jenkins in the ’80s comedy 227.

Lear, who will be 101 in July, cheerfully shared that he became the oldest person...

Broadway’s To Kill A Mockingbird has rounded out its return-to-stage cast, with Hunter Parrish, Portia, Michael Braugher and Gordon Clapp among the actors joining the previously announced Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger.

Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of the Harper Lee novel resumes performances at the Shubert Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

Daniels and Keenan-Bolger are reprising their original performances as Atticus and Scout Finch. Joining them will be Portia as Calpurnia, Parrish as Jem Finch, Braugher as Tom Robinson, Russell Harvard as Link Deas, Neal Huff as Bob Ewell, Erin Wilhelmi as Mayella Ewell, Noah Robbins as Dill Harris, Zachary Booth as Horace Gilmer, Clapp as Judge John Taylor, Patricia Conolly as Mrs. Dubose, Christopher Innvar as Sheriff Heck Tate, Ted Koch as Mr. Cunningham, and Amelia McClain as Miss Stephanie, with Ian Bedford, Rosalyn Coleman, Anne-Marie Cusson, Michael Bryan French, Steven Lee Johnson, Tyler Lea, Mariah Lee, Geoffrey Allen Murphy,...

It sure looks like we found out who killed Erin McMenamin in Mare of Easttown‘s penultimate episode… but the killer might be looking to add to the body count.

Sunday’s episode opens with Mare waking up in the hospital after killing Potts and saving Katie Bailey and Missy. She’s a hero now, with the press mobbing her as she returns home, but Colin is still dead (R.I.P.), and Potts couldn’t have killed Erin because he was out of town that night. Plus, Deacon Mark insists he didn’t kill her in a teary interview with the cops,...

Swing and a miss. Striking out. Fair or foul. Rounding the bases. Touching them all.

Baseball is back. The latest opening day in history is upon us but nonetheless it’s still opening day.

Baseball is as much a part of America as mom, apple pie, the flag – and the movies.

No sport has been romanticized on the silver screen as often as baseball. Hollywood has been betting on baseball for decades and it still delivers a winning performance. Diamonds Are Forever isn’t just a James Bond film. It perfectly describes the relationship between the Silver Screen and the American Pastime.

Grab your peanuts and Cracker Jack, because you’re about to get caught in a run down of the greatest baseball films ever made.

42 (2013)

A biopic of when Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier while wearing No. 42 for the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, hence the title. The film earned $27.3 million during its opening weekend.

John Sayles’ coal strike epic is grand American filmmaking bolstered by fine Haskell Wexler cinematography, great performances by dedicated actors, and a screenplay that avoids the common pitfalls of liberal filmmaking — by assuming the structure of an action Western. Filmed on a shoestring not far from the site of historical events, the pro- Union picture revs up viewer emotions, winding up as a moving, satisfying experience. Matewan’s been out of circulation far too long, but those that remember it will give it a high recommendation.

Matewan

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 999

1987 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 133 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 29, 2019 / 39.95

Starring: Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham, David Strathairn, Ken Jenkins, Kevin Tighe, Gordon Clapp, Bob Gunton, Jace Alexander, Joe Grifasi, Nancy Mette, Jo Henderson, Josh Mostel, Gary McCleery, Maggie Renzi, Tom Wright.

Cinematography: Haskell Wexler

Film Editor: Sonya Polonsky

Original Music: Mason Daring

Produced by Peggy Rajski,...

On Sunday nights, millions of viewers watch Brian Cox deliver a gargantuan performance as Logan Roy on HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series “Succession,” but eight times a week Cox steps into the shoes of the truly towering, historical figure Lyndon B. Johnson in “The Great Society” on Broadway.

“The Great Society,” the second play about President Johnson from Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Schenkkan, opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on October 1. Its predecessor play “All The Way,” which depicts Johnson’s first year in office from 1963-64 after the death of John F. Kennedy, bowed in 2014 and won the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actor for Bryan Cranston. Cranston would later reprise the role for an HBO film adaptation, which landed him a SAG Award win and Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, TCA, and Gold Derby nominations.

Depicting Johnson’s full term as President, “The...

As Robert Schenkkan’s The Great Society begins pulling you back back back to a cultural moment that rivals our own in meanness, division and barrel-scraping crumminess, Brian Cox would seem to have the toughest job on Broadway. Portraying the accidental president who succeeded the martyred one only to land waste deep in one big muddy after another, Cox must convince his audience that he can match, hog-tie and serve up like so much barbecue a personality as big as the Lone Star State itself.

I mean, just imagine having to follow Bryan Cranston.

If you’ve seen HBO’s robust Succession, you already know Cox seems up for just about any challenge tossed his way, including the role of Lyndon Baines Johnson in the second of Schenkkan’s two-part bio-drama. The first installment, All The Way, debuted on Broadway in 2014, winning Cranston a Tony Award for his uncanny performance...

A new Broadway season is gearing up, and there are currently nine productions of plays set to open this fall. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, we recap the plot of each play as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative types, the opening, and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Betrayal” (opens September 5; closes December 8)

In the third Broadway revival of Harold Pinter’s 1978 award-winning play, the story charts a compelling seven-year romance, thrillingly captured in reverse chronological order.

The original Broadway production received Tony nominations for star Blythe Danner and director Peter Hall. This production is coming in after a successful run in London’s West End earlier this year. The cast includes Emmy nominee Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton, SAG winner Charlie Cox, and is directed by Laurence Olivier Award winner Jamie Lloyd.

“The Height of the Storm...

This story about “NYPD Blue” and the Emmys first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.

When “Game of Thrones” received 32 Emmy nominations for its eighth and final season, the show broke a record that had stood for 25 years and had seemed unassailable for most of that time. The previous record holder was Steven Bochco and David Milch’s “NYPD Blue,” which debuted on ABC in late 1993, shocked some people by bringing profanity and nudity to broadcast television and racked up 27 nominations for its first season, a total it never again came close to achieving.

The series, which followed a group of Manhattan police detectives, dominated the Emmy drama categories at the 1994 Emmys to the point that it landed four of the five nominations in the drama-series directing category and all five in the writing category. (No show has turned that trick since then.

Robert Schenkkan’s Broadway-bound The Great Society, his second Lbj play following the celebrated All The Way, has completed casting and set an opening night for Tuesday, October 1 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Joining the previously announced Brian Cox (as Lyndon B. Johnson) will be Marchánt Davis as Stokely Carmichael, Brian Dykstra as Adam Walinsky, Barbara Garrick as Lady Bird Johnson, David Garrison as Richard Nixon, Ty Jones as Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Christopher Livingston as James Bevel, Angela Pierce as Pat Nixon, Matthew Rauch as Robert McNamara, Nikkole Salter as Coretta Scott King and Tramell Tillman as Bob Moses.

Previews begin on the previously announced Friday, September 6 for a strictly limited 12-week engagement.

The newcomers join the previously announced Cox, Grantham Coleman as Martin Luther King Jr., Marc Kudisch as Richard J. Daley, Bryce Pinkham as Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Frank Wood as Senator Everett Dirksen, Gordon Clapp as J. Edgar Hoover,...

When “Game of Thrones” made history this year by scoring 32 Emmy nominations — the most ever for a series in a single year — it broke a record that had previously been held by the premiere season of “NYPD Blue.”

It’s been 25 years since the Steven Bochco and David Milch cop drama helped change TV storytelling, ushering in a new era of more sophisticated, commercially successful small screen that eventually led to its new “golden age.” And it also altered the Emmy landscape: In 1994, “NYPD Blue” landed 27 nominations, a feat that wouldn’t be topped until this year.

“NYPD Blue” pushed the primetime envelope as no other broadcast show had, testing the boundaries of sex and language, and presenting complicated characters whom you didn’t always root for. Its TV DNA led to such shows as “The Sopranos” and “The Shield,” that in turn, spawned the explosion in original series on cable and then streaming.

Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and Frank Wood (Side Man) have joined the cast of Broadway’s upcoming The Great Society, playwright Robert Schenkkan’s follow-up to his Tony-winning All The Way play about President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The new cast announcements follow last week’s news that The Great Society will begin performances Friday, September 6 at Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater for a 12-week limited engagement. Brian Cox will play the 36th President of the United States.

Clapp will play J. Edgar Hoover, Pinkham will be Robert F. Kennedy and Wood has been cast as Senator Everett Dirksen.

The Great Society is the second of Schenkkan’s two-play Lbj project. Bill Rauch will direct, as he did with All The Way. The latter play won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play and Bryan Cranston took the Tony for his lead role as Lbj.

ABC’s “NYPD Blue” sequel pilot has cast British actor Fabien Frankel as Andy Sipowicz’s son, the series’ leading man, an individual with knowledge of the casting tells TheWrap.

Written and executive produced by original series writers Matt Olmstead and Nick Wootton, the new drama will center on Andy Sipowicz’s (Dennis Franz) son Theo as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder.

Frankel joins “NYPD Blue” alums Kim Delaney and Bill Brochtrup, who have signed on to reprise their roles for the sequel pilot

Also Read: 'NYPD Blue' Sequel Pilot Adds Original Stars Bill Brochtrup and Kim Delaney

Delaney will reprise her role as Det. Diane Russell, who she played on the original run of “NYPD Blue” beginning in its second season, serving as series regular for Seasons 3 through 8. Brochtrup first joined the show...

“NYPD Blue” stars Kim Delaney and Bill Brochtrup have signed on to reprise their roles in the “NYPD Blue” sequel pilot that is currently in the works at ABC.

Delaney will reprise her role as Det. Diane Russell, which she played on the original run of “NYPD Blue” beginning in its second season, serving as series regular for Seasons 3 through 8. Brochtrup first joined the show in a recurring capacity as administrative assistant John Irvin in Season 2, before being upped to series regular later in the show’s run.

Written and executive produced by original series writers Matt Olmstead and Nick Wootton, the new drama will center on Andy Sipowicz’s (Dennis Franz) son Theo as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder.

Also Read: ABC Sets Up 'NYPD Blue' Sequel Series Following Andy Sipowicz's Son

“Seal Team...

Are you a big fan of NYPD Blue? Deadline reports ABC is developing a follow-up to the classic TV show.

The police drama was set in the 15th precinct of New York City's police department. The cast included Dennis Franz, David Caruso, James McDaniel, Sherry Stringfield, Amy Brenneman, Nicholas Turturro, Gordon Clapp, Sharon Lawrence, and Gail O’Grady. The show ran on ABC for 12 seasons before ending in 2005.

Read More…...

ABC has given a pilot production commitment to an “NYPD Blue” sequel series centered on Andy Sipowicz’s son.

Written and executive produced by original series writers Matt Olmstead and Nick Wootton, the new drama will center on Andy Sipowicz’s (Dennis Franz’s) son Theo as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder.

Jesse Bocho, son of “NYPD Blue” co-creator Steven Bocho, who died in April after a long battle with leukemia, will direct and executive produce. Dayna Bochco, Steven’s widow, will produce the drama, which hails from ABC Studios and 20th Century Fox TV.

Also Read: Steven Bochco's Legacy: 4 Ways 'NYPD Blue' Co-Creator Changed TV

Created by Steven Bochco and David Milch, “NYPD Blue” ran for 12 seasons on ABC between 1993 and 2005. The police procedural was praised for pushing the boundaries of serialization, and is...

The Flash vet Teddy Sears has found religion at Chicago Fire: The actor will recur during the current Season 7 of the NBC drama as Chaplain Kyle Sheffield, TVLine has learned exclusively.

Sheffield — who makes his debut in Episode 6 — enters Firehouse 51 after the beloved Chaplain Orlovsky (played by Gordon Clapp) announces his retirement. He is described as a “warm, kind-hearted, clean-whistle, open and eager” clergyman. The born leader has a caring soul, and speaks with affection and authority. While the character is a fresh face to viewers, the audience will discover that Sheffield already shares a history with new paramedic Emily Foster,...

Twenty-five years ago, audiences were captivated by a most arresting and original spin on a TV staple — the police drama. Steven Bochco, who was already well-known as one of television’s chief innovators and reinventors thanks to high-quality series like “Paris,” “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.”, co-created “NYPD Blue.” This was his second reinvention of the genre (he was also responsible for “Hill Street Blues”), but in teaming up with David Milch the envelope was pushed even farther.

Not only would “NYPD Blue” pioneer a grittier, more frenetic storytelling style with the use of regularly jerky and very verite handheld camera, it would challenge long-established broadcast network limits regarding violence, nudity and four-letter words. Of course, the road for such a disruptive new approach would not be an easy one, with high drama playing out both among the opposition to the game-changing series and within its own ranks before...

On a sunny weekend afternoon, the Fox lot was quiet except for the group that gathered to dedicate Building 1 to the writer-producer-showrunner who occupied it for the last few decades: Steven Bochco. The building now bears his name and a plaque with his distinct signature, which was also used as his production card on his television shows.

Gary Newman, chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group, spoke at the dedication, acknowledging the presence of cast members from “NYPD Blue,” “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” including Jimmy Smits, Dennis Franz, Kim Delaney, Jill Eikenberry, Michael Tucker, Gordon Clapp, James B. Sikking, Susan Ruttan and James McDaniel. Looking around those gathered, Newman noted, “Steven always cast the best of the best.”

Newman said the decision to rename the building was made swiftly and with the full agreement of the studio bosses. He pointed out, “As long as I’ve been on this lot,...

On a beautiful sunny Southern California spring day, the Steven Bochco players gathered to see the TV legend, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-bochco-dead-hill-street-blues-la-law-nypd-blue-creator-741199" target="_blank">who died April 1</a>, honored on the 21st Century Fox studio lot. And oh, what a reunion it was: In one corner,<em> NYPD Blue</em> alumni Jimmy Smits, Dennis Franz and Mark-Paul Gosselaar huddled together; in another stood an<em> L.A. Law</em> foursome of Corbin Bernsen, Susan Ruttan, Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry; and across the room was Doogie Howser’s parents (James Sikking and Belinda Montgomery) and his boss Dr. Canfield (Lawrence Pressman).

Sprinkled in the crowd were Kim Delaney, Gordon Clapp, James McDaniel and other ...

Recently, NBC released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Chicago Fire" episode 5 of season 4. The episode is entitled, "Regarding This Wedding," and it turns out that we're going to see some very drama-filled and intense stuff go down as more heat gets thrown at the Firehouse crew. A huge fire messes up the neighborhood, and more! In the new, 5th episode press release: Friction From The Brass Above Causes Problems For Everyone At Firehouse 51. Press Release number 2: After a fire ruins a neighborhood wedding, Boden (Eamonn Walker) will step up to host the ceremony at the firehouse. That's much to the chagrin of his boss, Chief Riddle (guest star Fredric Lehne), whose political aspirations have caused friction from within the firehouse. Meanwhile, Dawson (Monica Raymund), who returns to the house, will also butt heads with Riddle over her ability to perform and is forced to defend herself despite Boden's support.

Recently, NBC served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Chicago Fire" episode 20 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "You Know Where To Find Me," and it turns out that we're going to see some very intense and drama-filled stuff take place as Mills gets faced with a critical choice to make and not a lot of time to do so, and more! In the new, 20th episode press release: Mills Makes A Critical Assessment At The Scene Of An Accident. Press release number 2: Truck and squad is going to get called to the scene of a car crash that has Mills (Charlie Barnett) desperately working to save the life of a driver seriously injured in the wreck. In the meantime, Casey (Jesse Spencer) is going to have some doubts about Jack Nesbitt (guest star Eric Mabius), whose strip club he is remodeling on the side. Elsewhere,...

Recently, NBC released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Chicago Fire" episode 18 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Forgiving, Relentless, Unconditional," and it turns out that we're going to see some very interesting and dramatic stuff go down when Herrmann takes it upon himself to hunt down the culprit responsible for a baby being left in a burning building, and more! In the new, 18th episode press release: Herrmann will save an infant in a blaze and the repercussions are going to drive him on a search to uncover the truth. Press release number 2: During a harrowing call to a structure fire, Herrmann (David Eigenberg) will rescue a trapped toddler, but the questionable circumstances surrounding the event, are going to send him on a personal mission to locate the father and get to the bottom of the situation. Severide (Taylor Kinney) will make up for lost time...

Last night, NBC dropped the new promo/spoiler clip (below) for their upcoming "Chicago Fire" episode 12 of season 3, and it gives us new looks some very drama-filled and intense action when Chaplain gets severely injured in a car accident and the crew isn't entirely sure how to get him out, and more. The episode is labeled, "Ambush Predator." In the new, 12th episode official plotline: Surprising evidence is going to end up, getting uncovered which sheds new light on the fire that killed Shay-Richard Roundtree. Plotline number 2: Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) will discover startling evidence found at a storage unit fire that appears connected to the fire that took Shay's life. Elsewhere, the firehouse is going to band together when Chaplain Orlovsky (guest star Gordon Clapp) is the victim of a bad car accident. Elsewhere, Chief Boden's (Eamonn Walker) father (guest star Richard Roundtree) will visit,...

Recently, NBC released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Chicago Fire" episode 12 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Ambush Predator," and it turns out that we're going to see new evidence get brought to light about Shay's tragic death, and more. In the new, 12th episode press release: Surprising evidence is going to get uncovered that sheds new light on the fire that killed Shay-Richard Roundtree. Press release number 2: Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) are going to discover startling evidence found at a storage unit fire that appears connected to the fire that took Shay's life. In the meantime, the firehouse is going to band together when Chaplain Orlovsky (guest star Gordon Clapp) is the victim of a bad car accident. Elsewhere, Chief Boden's (Eamonn Walker) father (guest star Richard Roundtree) will visit, but quickly wears out his welcome with his unsolicited parenting advice.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced that Nicole Parker, nominee for Lead Performance in Funny Girl, will host its 45th Annual Awards ceremony replacing the previously announced James Roday. Joining performers Constance Jewell Lopez nominee for Lead Performance in Dreamgirls, Beth Malone, and Lowe Taylor will be Shannon Warne and Kim Huber. Gordon Clapp and Richard Schiff will also perform an excerpt from the La Theatre Works production of Glengarry Glen Ross.

The United Solo Festival returns to NYC’s Theatre Row Sept. 18–Nov. 23 and is currently seeking worldwide submissions for solo shows. So if you’ve got a one-person performance that incorporates improv, dance, musical theater, puppetry, multimedia, stand-up comedy, magic, or anything where you’re on a stage utterly alone, submit by March 3 to be considered for the festival. Last year’s eight-week engagement had over 120 productions spanning six continents, and this year’s fifth anniversary includes an extended, 10-week run during which artists chosen for the festival have a shot at ticket sale profits, awards, and participation at the United Solo showcase in Europe. World premieres or previously performed shows are equally welcome, and previous winners include director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Gordon Clapp. For more information, visit www.unitedsolo.org.

Paige Davis (TLC’s Trading Spaces) is set to star opposite David Koechner in A+E Networks‘ half-hour comedy pilot Whitey, from producer Leslie Greif. Greg Tuculescu (Bridesmaids) also has booked a series regular role in the project, which centers on Guy “Whitey” White (Koechner), a bright, conservative and frustrated guy in his 40s who is struggling to understand the changing values of a country in a world that has forever gone with the wind. Davis will play Whitey’s wife. Tuculescu, repped by TalentWorks and Odenkirk Provissiero, will play his friend, a paranoid war vet who maintains all sorts of wild political conspiracy theories. I hear the pilot, which is being produced under the A+E Networks umbrella, is being earmarked for History, though a decision about which net it will go to will be made if the pilot is picked up to series. Broadway veteran Davis, repped Michael Einfeld Management,...

L.A. Theatre Works records David Mamet's scathingly funny Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross, about small-time real estate brokers who vie for the hot leads at a Chicago firm selling shoddy properties. Joe Mantegna reprises his Tony Award-winning role as Richard Roma from the original 1984 Broadway production Gordon Clapp returns with his Tony-nominated portrayal from the 2005 Broadway revival and Richard Schiff stars as George Aaronow, the role he played in the most recent, 2012 Broadway production. The L.A. Theatre Works cast also stars Richard Dreyfuss and Bruce Davison.

L.A. Theatre Works records David Mamet's scathingly funny Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross, about small-time real estate brokers who vie for the hot leads at a Chicago firm selling shoddy properties. Joe Mantegna reprises his Tony Award-winning role as Richard Roma from the original 1984 Broadway production Gordon Clapp returns with his Tony-nominated portrayal from the 2005 Broadway revival and Richard Schiff stars as George Aaronow, the role he played in the most recent, 2012 Broadway production. The L.A. Theatre Works cast also stars Richard Dreyfuss and Bruce Davison.

The New Group presents the world premiere of An Early History of Fire, a new play by Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe. Directed by Jo Bonney, this production features Gordon Clapp, Erin Darke, Jonny Orsini, Devin Ratray, Dennis Staroselsky, Theo Stockman and Claire van der Boom. Limited Off-Broadway engagement plays through May 26 at The New Group Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street. Official Opening Night is set for Monday, April 30 at 700 Pm.

When it premiered in 1993, NYPD Blue was a fairly standard TV police drama, except for having the most swearing heard on broadcast TV at the time and more naked butts per episode than a diaper commercial. As we will see in this on-going, episode-by-episode recap, NYPD Blue was a trailblazer for more adult programming on network television not merely for its frank depictions of sex and violence and its use of language, but also because it paid careful attention to the broader themes of masculinity, heroism, father/son relationships, and inner human turmoil.

Season 1, Episode 3

Brown Appetit

Original Air Date: October 5th, 1993

Three episodes in, and the one thing firmly established is the god-awful episode titles. Just about every episode has a really, really bad pun for a title (This one specifically refers to Sipowicz surreptitiously getting his archenemy Giardella to eat a dog turd; oh, for fun), but fortunately,...

The New Group will present the world premiere of An Early History of Fire, a new play by Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe. Directed by Jo Bonney, this production features Deema Aitken, Gordon Clapp, Erin Darke, Jonny Orsini, Devin Ratray, Dennis Staroselsky, Theo Stockman and Claire van der Boom. Limited Off-Broadway engagement is slated April 5 May 26 at The New Group Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street. Official Opening Night is set for Monday, April 23 at 700 Pm. Lily Rabe, who was previously slated to star in the play will no longer be taking part in the production.

Michael Emerson traded in his role of a creepy know-it-all on "Lost" island for the role of a creepy know-it-all on Manhattan island. But will Emmy voters follow the popular actor to his well-received new CBS procedural "Person of Interest"? At first glance, things don't look very good. It's no secret that of all the genres on television, crime procedurals receive the least amount of awards love. In fact, other than a pair of leading ladies -- Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") and Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") -- it has been over a decade since a whodunnit series prevailed in any of the lead or supporting acting categories at the Emmys. Emerson would be contending in the Drama Supporting Actor race, and the last time a crime show performer prevailed here was in 1998, when Gordon Clapp won for "NYPD Blue." Emerson is a two-time Emmy winner, so it's...

The opening of Blood From a Stone, a new off-Broadway play starring Ethan Hawke, has been delayed a week. The Jan. 6 debut was pushed to Jan. 12 "to give the actors more time to absorb script revisions," notes the New York Times.

The play had been running over three hours in previews last week. Playwright Tommy Nohilly and director Scott Elliott trimmed 15 minutes off the production and the extra preview time will allow the show to gel, according to Elliott.

Blood From a Stone also stars Gordon Clapp and Natasha Lyonne.

Arielle Kebbel ("The Uninvited", "The Grudge 2"), Db Sweeney ("Jericho", "Crash"), Nicholas Brendon ("Criminal Minds", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Jack Lauffer ("Huff"), Michael Welch ("Twilight", "Joan of Arcadia"), Elaine Hendrix ("Privileged", "The Parent Trap"), Jim Beaver ("Harper's Island", "Supernatural"), Todd Grinnell ("Desperate Housewives"), Eric Nenninger ("Generation Kill". "Malcolm in the Middle"), Dale Dickey ("My Name is Earl"), Spencer Daniels ("Star Trek", "The Office"), Hallie Hirsch ("E.R.", "90210"), Greg Ellis ("Star Trek, "Pirates of the Caribbean", "24"), and Emmy Award-winner Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue", Tony nom. for Broadway's "Glengarry Glen Ross") are all starring in The Blank Theatre Company's 17th Annual Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival; a month-long Festival of 12 plays by teenaged playwrights, aged 15 -19 from across the United States.