Promises, Promises Opens on Broadway

Today the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises opens at the Broadway Theatre. The new production stars Broadway newcomer Sean Hayes (best known as Jack on TV's Will & Grace) as Chuck Baxter, an ambitious young businessman who tries to work his way up the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to executives for their extramarital affairs. Kristin Chenoweth (best known as the original Glinda in Broadway's Wicked) plays Fran Kubelik, the object of Chuck's affection, who he is unhappy to discover has become the mistress of one of the execs. Based on the film The Apartment, the 1968 Broadway musical Promises, Promises has a book by playwright Neil Simon and a score by Burt Bacharach. The show's songs include the title tune and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," and the song "I Say a Little Prayer" has been added to the score especially for this production.

Kristin Chenoweth To Be Guest Judge on American Idol

It's that time of year again, when Fox's ratings juggernaut American Idol takes over the airwaves and a new slate of aspiring performers become incessant water cooler talk (a select few even go on to superstardom). During the audition episodes of American Idol, several guest judges will be sitting in on the panel, and among them will be a couple of Broadway babies. Kristin Chenoweth (of Wicked fame) will serve as a guest judge on January 20 for the Orlando auditions, and Neil Patrick Harris (who has several Broadway credits but is more recently known for TV's How I Met Your Mother) will join the Dallas auditions on January 26.

The Drama Desk Awards

The Drama Desk Awards will be handed out this Sunday, May 20 at the LaGuardia Concert Hall in New York City. Unlike the Tonys, the Drama Desk doesn't only honor Broadway shows, but also includes Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. We'll be sure to highlight the major winners here, but if you'd like to see the ceremony (which will be hosted by Kristin Chenoweth), NYC's PBS station will be broadcasting it on May 27 at 12:30pm.