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New York Monthly Herald. July 2006 Issue P. 40                                                                                           

World Entertainment

Superman premiere: Superstars Affairs

The premiere was held at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

The stars of summer blockbuster Superman Returns have attended the film's US premiere in Los Angeles.  Many of the cast and crew paid tribute to the 1978 Superman film and its star, Christopher Reeve. "I am so excited to be able to follow in his footsteps," said Brandon Routh, who plays the superhero and his alter ego Clark Kent in Superman Returns. The film, which has had overwhelmingly positive reviews, opens in the US on 28 June and in the UK on 14 July. Routh says he was contacted by Reeve's wife, Dana, while he was making the film. "Dana Reeve sent a very nice letter giving her blessing to the film and to me playing the character so that was very nice - it meant a lot," he told reporters outside the Mann Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Kevin Spacey, who plays villain Lex Luthor, also paid tribute to Reeve, who was paralysed from the neck down after a riding accident in 1995. "In so many ways he became a bigger superhero as a result of his accident then when he was wearing that costume," he said. Reeve died in October 2004, aged 52. Dana Reeve died of lung cancer in March 2006.

Gay rumours: Director Bryan Singer, who was behind the first two X-Men films, addressed speculation that, in his film, the Man of Steel is gay. "He's pretty straight," said the director, "he's Superman." Kate Bosworth, who plays reporter Lois Lane in the film, dismissed the rumour. "I play his love interest so I think that's probably pretty ridiculous." Superman Returns sees the superhero returning to Earth after several years' absence, where he faces a plot to take away his powers.

Minogue announces Australian tour

Kylie Minogue appeared on stage in London earlier this month.

Pop star Kylie Minogue is to begin her postponed Australian Showgirl tour in November following her recovery from breast cancer surgery. "Obviously she has still got a few mountains to climb," said Australian concert promoter Michael Gudinski. "But we are very confident that the tour will be going ahead in November," he added. Minogue was due to start the Australian leg of her world tour in May 2005 when she was diagnosed with cancer. The singer had then planned to tour Asia but no announcement has been made about any other possible tour dates. Mr Gudinski said the tour has been renamed the Showgirl Homecoming tour and will be spread out over a longer time to ease the pressure on Minogue. "She is still getting tired on the odd day, but she looked fit as a fiddle," said Mr Gudinski, who is also a long-term friend of Minogue. "I spent the weekend with Kylie. She's looking great. She's definitely through the worst of everything," he added. He said the singer had been working on some new songs. "You can't keep Kylie down. She's actually recording in the studio and working on songs as we speak." Minogue made her first stage appearance earlier this month since her diagnosis, joining younger sister Dannii at London's GAY.

 

Rings musical heads for West End. The Lord of the Rings to Replace Mel Brook's "The Producers"

The musical has had a mixed reception from critics.

The Lord of the Rings stage show will arrive in London next year, replacing Mel Brooks' musical The Producers in the West End. Rings producer Kevin Wallace said the $24 million show, which premiered in Toronto in March, will be among the most expensive to be staged in London. The Producers closes on 9 January. The Lord of the Rings will preview from 9 May at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The Toronto version, which received mixed reviews, will be reworked. The official opening night in London will take place on 19 June 2007. Originally, the plan was to premiere the show in London but it had to be shelved as no suitable theatre was available for staging the production. The Toronto show, based on JRR Tolkien's trilogy about a hobbit called Frodo and his quest to rid the land Middle-earth of evil, will be cut from three and a half to three hours. The third act will also be rewritten. "It's on a scale audiences would expect to see in somewhere like Las Vegas. It's not something audiences would expect to see in the West End," said Mr Wallace. Some critics have praised Toronto's lavish production values but bemoaned its lack of depth. "Innovative stage designs seamlessly carry the audience through transitions of mood and locale for this grand, mythic journey," said John McKay of Canada's National Post. But the Toronto Globe was less enthusiastic: "All it needs is an engaging storytelling approach, an emotional arc, credible performances and a more coherent musical score. "Unless The Lord of the Rings addresses these issues before it transfers to London's West End, it will remain a pale imitation of the books, the films and, tragically, theatre itself," wrote critic Kamal Al-Solaylee. The show's script and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, with music by Bollywood composer AR Rahman and Finnish folk group called Varttina. Mr Wallace was confident that a London audience would be enthusiastic about the show. "It probably does have a European sensibility, a British sensibility in terms of the use of text and the use of the spoken word. It's coming back to its spiritual home," he said.