Film Musical Nine Barely Makes the Box Office Top Ten

The latest Hollywood movie musical, Nine, opened to wide release on Christmas Day, and as usual the Broadway wags have all been keeping a close eye on it and its public reception. Theater fans are a notoriously difficult group to please, and the word of mouth has skewed negative on this film, helmed by Rob Marshall, the director of the Oscar-winning movie musical version of Chicago. Unfortunately Nine has not managed to get either the critical or public acclaim that Chicago received. Based on the Broadway stage musical of the same name (which recently had a successful Broadway revival starring Antonio Banderas), Nine stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a troubled Italian filmmaker alongside a slew of famous actresses (Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren) who play the many women in his life. All of that star power didn't translate into big box office receipts, though, as Nine only came in at Number 8 during its opening weekend. With so little positive buzz and continued competition from blockbusters like Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, there seems to be little hope that the movie's fortunes will improve during New Year's weekend. Even if Nine does better internationally, which seems likely given its cast of international stars, the movie will still likely be regarded as a flop in the U.S., which is never a good sign for other film musicals in development. Of course, even the string of previous Broadway-turned-movie-musical failures (such as The Producers and The Phantom of the Opera) has not stopped the production of further film musicals which has amounted to a musical Renaissance in Hollywood. As long as there is an occasional success (Hairspray and Mamma Mia were recent box office favorites), hopefully Hollywood will continue looking to Broadway for inspiration.

Soundtrack To Film Musical Nine Now Available For Digital Download

The original motion picture soundtrack to Rob Marshall's film adaptation of the musical Nine is now available to be purchased and downloaded online. The actual CD will be released in stores on December 22. The 16-track recording features several songs from the original Broadway score, including "Guido's Song" (sung by Daniel Day-Lewis), "A Call From the Vatican" (Penelope Cruz), "Be Italian" (Fergie), "My Husband Makes Movies" (Marion Cotillard), "Cinema Italiano" (Kate Hudson), and "Unusual Way" (Nicole Kidman). There are also a couple new songs that composer/lyricist Maury Yeston wrote specifically for the movie, as well as four bonus tracks. The film Nine, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a troubled Italian movie director, opens nationwide on December 25.

Maury Yeston Has Written Three New Songs For Nine Film

The forthcoming film version of the Broadway musical Nine will contain three brand new songs, written by the musical's composer, Maury Yeston. Variety has reported that one of them, "Guarda la Luna," is sung by Sophia Loren; the second, "Cinema Italiano," will be sung by Kate Hudson; and the third, "Take It All," is performed by Marion Cotillard. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine is about an Italian filmmaker and the many women in his life, including his mother, wife, and mistress. Also starring in the film, to be released in theaters this November, is Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz.

Tony Presenters To Include Ferrell, Chenoweth, Fonda, Kidman, and More

The presenters for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards ceremony have been announced, and it's quite a starry line-up, full of theater celebrities (many who are currently appearing in Broadway shows) and well-known personalities from film and TV too. The stars currently scheduled to present awards and introduce the evening's performances on the telecast are: Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Kristin Chenoweth, Anne Hathaway (upcoming Twelfth Night in Central Park), Angela Lansbury (Blithe Spirit), Kevin Spacey, Lauren Graham and Oliver Platt (Guys and Dolls), Jessica Lange, Audra McDonald, Susan Sarandon (Exit the King), Carrie Fisher (upcoming Wishful Drinking), Piper Perabo (Reasons To Be Pretty), Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Edie Falco, Hallie Foote, Colin Hanks, Frank Langella, David Hyde Pierce (Accent on Youth), John Stamos, Chandra Wilson, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis (God of Carnage). Neil Patrick Harris will host the ceremony, which will air on June 7, broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.