News and Press Releases

November 20, 2019

Educational Theatre Foundation Raises More Than $180,000 for Theatre Education at Event Honoring Bernadette Peters

By Logan Culwell-Block

Education Theatre Foundation’s annual Thespians Go Hollywood benefit raised more than $180,000 to support theatre education in underserved schools.

Held November 18 at Hollywood, California’s The Avalon, the gala honored three-time Tony recipient Bernadette Peters with performances from Rachel Bloom, Merle Dandridge, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Jennifer Kumiyama, Matthew Morrison, Juan Pablo Di Pace, and Marissa Jaret Winokur. The evening was hosted by Nia Vardalos. Watch highlights from the even above.

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November 20, 2019

Photo Flash: Bernadette Peters Honored At 2019 THESPIANS GO HOLLYWOOD Gala

by BWW News Desk Nov. 19, 2019

Broadway legend Bernadette Peters was honored with the Craig Zadan Theatre for Life Award by the Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) at the annual star-studded Thespians Go Hollywood Gala held on Monday, November 18, at The Avalon in Hollywood, California. Over 300 people were on hand to help raise more than $180,000 that will support ETF’s national theatre education programs for schools in need.

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October 10, 2019

Lifetime’s “Patsy & Loretta” Premieres at NYC’s Carnegie Hall

by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | October 8, 2019

On Oct. 7 at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lifetime hosted a premiere of its upcoming friendship flick, Patsy & Loretta, which chronicles the real-life bond between Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn in the 1950s and ’60s. Patsy & Loretta is set to debut on Lifetime on October 19 at 7 p.m. CT.

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September 4, 2019

‘Brain Trust’ Drama From Eric Charmelo & Nicole Snyder In Works At NBC; Neil Meron To Exec Produce

EXCLUSIVE: NBC has put in development Brain Trust, a drama from Ringercreators Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder, Neil Meron (Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Patsy & Loretta) and Universal Television, where Charmelo and Snyder are under an overall deal.

Written by Charmelo, Snyder and Katie Lunskis (Midnight, Texas), Brain Trust asks what would you do if you could project your mind into another person’s body? What if you could experience the life of anyone you wanted? The Brain Trust centers on a group of young grad students who have developed cutting-edge technology to do just that, but they soon will learn that everything has consequences — some darker than they could have ever imagined.

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August 22, 2019

Sarah Michelle Gellar To Star In ‘Other People’s Houses’ Dramedy In Works At Fox From ‘Ringer’ Duo & Neil Meron

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ringer alumna Sarah Michelle Gellar is eying a return to primetime. Gellar has reteamed with Ringer creators Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder for dramedy Other People’s Houses, which has been set at Fox for development. Gellar will star and executive produce the project, based on the book by Abbi Waxman. It hails from Neil Meron (Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert) and Universal Television, where Charmelo & Snyder and Meron have overall deals, with Fox Entertainment co-producing.

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July 31, 2019

‘Patsy & Loretta,’ ‘Mr. Mercedes’ & More Stars in Our TCA 2019 Portrait Studio

The Televsion Critics Association 2019 Summer Press Tour is currently underway, and the stars of TV’s upcoming projects have been filing into the TV Insider portrait studio for some photo fun.

Link to Photos

On Day 1, stars from Lifetime’s upcoming film Patsy & Loretta dropped by, including Patsy Cline’s own daughter. Stars from America’s Top Dog also stopped by with their furry friends for a sweet photo-op.

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July 30, 2019

New Biopic Explores the Friendship of Country Icons Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn — Watch the Trailer

Former Smash actress Megan Hilty plays Patsy Cline and Broadway actress Jessie Mueller plays Loretta Lynn in Lifetime’s new film, Patsy & Loretta

The untold true story of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn’s friendship will soon hit the small screen.

A new biopic titled Patsy & Loretta, which is set to premiere on Lifetime in the fall, follows the two country legends as they help each other make their marks on the industry — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the trailer.

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June 10, 2019

Director Callie Khouri’s PATSY & LORETTA First Poster Debuts From The First Lady Of Country Music, Loretta Lynn – Produced By Neil Meron

By Movie Geeks | June 6, 2019

To say we’re big fans of these women is an understatement. We grew up watching COAL MINERS DAUGHTER (Academy Award for Best Actress Sissy Spacek – who did her own singing) in 1980, followed by SWEET DREAMS in 1985 starring Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline.

Spacek’s co-star Beverly D’Angelo, who played Patsy Cline, also did her own singing rather than lip-synching; she was nominated for a Golden Globe as was Tommy Lee Jones.

Now comes Lifetime’s Patsy & Loretta.

The official Loretta Lynn Facebook page debuted this first poster from the upcoming film.

The movie will star Megan Hilty (Smash, The Good Wife) as music legend Patsy Cline and Grammy winner Jessie Mueller (Broadway’s Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as country icon Loretta Lynn.

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April 15, 2019

Patsy & Loretta first look: See Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller as the country legends in upcoming Lifetime movie

In honor of Loretta Lynn’s 87th birthday, EW is sharing the first image from the upcoming Lifetime movie Patsy & Loretta.

The film stars Megan Hilty of Smash fame as Patsy Cline and Jessie Mueller, who won a Tony award for her portrayal of Carole King on Broadway in Beautiful, as Lynn. The movie aims to tell the story of the friendship between the two country music legends, which ended with Cline’s untimely death in a plane crash in 1963.

The photo depicts the two stars on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, aka the “Mother Church” of country music. (Coincidentally, Lynn was recently feted right down the street from the Ryman for her birthday, complete with Keith Urban jumping out of a birthday cake.)

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March 11, 2019

‘Patsy & Loretta’: Megan Hilty & Jessie Mueller To Star In Lifetime Movie About Country Music Icons; Neil Meron Producing

Lifetime has greenlighted Patsy & Loretta, an original movie about the friendship between country music stars Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. Smash alum Megan Hilty will play Cline, whose hits included “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces,” and Broadway’s Waitress star Jessie Mueller is set as the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” singer.

Set to film this month on location in Nashville, Patsy & Loretta will be executive produced by Neil Meron, in his first solo project since the death of longtime producing partner Craig Zadan. Oscar-winning Thelma & Louise writer Callie Khouri is directing, and Mark Nicholson is co-EP.

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November 12, 2018

Producer Craig Zadan Remembered In Dazzling, Star-Filled Tribute At TV Academy

By Pete Hammond // Deadline

“Craig would have loved it” was a common refrain heard in the lobby of the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre on Sunday night at the conclusion of Thespians Go Hollywood, a tribute to the life and work of the late prolific film, TV and Broadway producer Craig Zadan. Not only would he have loved it, he could have produced it from above as it was the kind of dazzling, star-laden musical show only Zadan and his longtime producing partner Neil Meron could put together, as they have proven time and again in a long career celebrating the art and science of show biz.

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August 10, 2018

‘Flint’ Producers on Bringing Real-Life Water Crisis to the Screen: “There Was Not a Happy Ending”

 

As the real fight continues in Michigan, Lifetime’s TV movie, starring Queen Latifah and Betsy Brandt, chronicles three women who join forces to save their hometown during the devastating saga.
Lifetime’s Flint follows three women — LeeAnne Walters (Betsy Brandt), Melissa Mays (Marin Ireland) and Nayyirah Shariff (Jill Scott) — who join forces after disc
overing that the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, is contaminated and causing a slew of devastating medical problems for their families.

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June 18, 2018

Craig Zadan & Neil Meron: ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ Figuring Out ‘Hair’ Nudity, and ‘Smash’ on Broadway — Turn It On Podcast

The producers say “Smash” may be one step closer to revival on stage. Also, they say Aaron Sorkin continues to work on a major rewrite of “A Few Good Men” for their live NBC play, hopefully next year.

Click here to listen to Podcast

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron knew “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” was a success when they noticed something unusual on social media: No snarky tweets.

“This is the first time we had love tweets,” Zadan said. “On some of the others, even though we didn’t think we deserved them, we got hate tweets, because people didn’t want it to be done the way they were done. Same thing happened to us at the Oscars!”

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June 15, 2018

Neil Meron & Craig Zadan On ‘Jesus Christ Superstar!’, Reviving Live TV Musicals And Making The Oscars Work – Behind The Lens

Watch Craig and Neil’s interview with Pete Hammond’s “Behind the Lens” at Deadline:

Neil Meron & Craig Zadan On ‘Jesus Christ Superstar!’, Reviving Live TV Musicals And Making The Oscars Work – Behind The Lens

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are one of the top producing teams in show business with a vibrant career covering all the bases from movies (Chicago, Hairspray, Footloose, The Bucket List) to Broadway (revivals of Promises Promises, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying) and television. where they have become the go-to team for the new craze of live musicals that began with their ratings smash The Sound of Music, and followed by Peter Pan, Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live! and upcoming next spring Hair Live!. This past Easter the guests of this week’s Deadline video series Behind the Lens had perhaps their biggest critical success in the genre to date with the concert staging of Jesus Christ Superstar! which aired to great success on NBC.

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