All stories by Debra Birnbaum on BroadwayStars

Saturday, July 5, 2025

The latest Golden Globes controversy, explained by Debra Birnbaum

What the original HFPA members are fighting for and why

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 12:09AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 29, 2025

'Retirement Plan' crowned best of fest at Palm Springs International ShortFest by Debra Birnbaum

The winners in the five Oscar-qualifying categories are eligible to submit for the upcoming Academy Awards.

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:57PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 19, 2025

The case of Leslie Abramson vs. Marcia Clark: Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson on 'defending' their characters by Debra Birnbaum

Marcia Clark and Leslie Abramson may have been on opposite sides of the legal aisle, but the women who played them on TV " Sarah Paulson and Ari Graynor " are actually close friends. It stan…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:00PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Marc Maron's 'Are We Good?': What happens when stars clash with their documentary filmmakers by Debra Birnbaum

In Steven Feinartz's documentary Are We Good? about comedian and podcast pioneer Marc Maron, the director and subject grapple over who is in control of the narrative. When Feinartz sugges…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 01:00PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 13, 2025

'The Day of the Jackal': Inside the 'high wire act' of hiding Eddie Redmayne in plain sight by Debra Birnbaum

Audiences have just gotten too smart for their own good " especially when it comes to disguises. Conveniently pulling off a face mask has become just another Hollywood trope. But for the …

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 08:30PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 12, 2025

Tina Fey on 'The Four Seasons': 'It was a challenge to be restrained about where we put jokes' by Debra Birnbaum

"Just one more time," says Tina Fey. "It was time for me to go back into something just one more time, before they put me in the ground." With a string of successes from 30 Rock, Mean Girls,…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 06:10PM[SHARE]
Saturday, June 7, 2025

'What's next?': Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on 'The Diplomat,' 'West Wing' 25 years later by Debra Birnbaum

"At that time, I never dreamed that it would go where it's gone," says Allison Janney of her acting career, when she's told it has been 25 years since she won her first Emmy Award. In 2000, …

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 10:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 4, 2025

'Wicked: For Good' trailer teases more monkeys, a wedding, and Dorothy by Debra Birnbaum

"Elphaba, they're coming for you." And now we're finally getting to see what that looks like. Universal just released the trailer for Wicked: For Good, which will hit theaters November 21…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 11:29PM[SHARE]

How Seth Meyers is still laughing after 11 years: 'We've taken advantage of bad things' by Debra Birnbaum

It's been 11 years since Seth Meyers took over as host of Late Night, and yet he's showing no signs of slowing down. "I can't believe I'm still doing this, but there's literally nothin…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 04:00PM[SHARE]
Monday, June 2, 2025

'It's in my contract that I have great clothes, funny lines, and a lover': Christine Baranski on her surging career in her 70s by Debra Birnbaum

It's hard to think of two more different characters on television right now than the unapologetically uptight Agnes van Rhijn on The Gilded Age and the unapologetically outspoken Victoria…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 01:23AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 1, 2025

'The Gilded Age' cast on what to expect in Season 3: feuding sisters, robber barons and a wedding? by Debra Birnbaum

"Welcome to the sober circus!" When The Gilded Age returns for its third season on June 22, the fallout from the characters' ongoing power struggles, both large and small, will be immediatel…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 11:50PM[SHARE]
Friday, April 25, 2025

'Étoile' star Gideon Glick: 'I've made a career out of playing strange, interesting people' by Debra Birnbaum

"He's a strange little man." That's how Gideon Glick described Seymour, his character in Little Shop of Horrors, to The New York Times back in 2020, but the same could be said of Tobias, the…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 08:46AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 30, 2025

'Gilmore Girls,' 'Maisel' creator Amy Sherman-Palladino on the star who's 'separated at birth,' who wanted to get fired, and who will ne by Debra Birnbaum

It was a family reunion as the stars of Amy Sherman-Palladino's multiverse gathered for the final night of this season's Paleyfest LA"make that a Gilmore/Maisel/Palladino family reunion. And…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 02:33PM[SHARE]
Monday, January 20, 2025

'So Popular': Wooing Oscar voters with candles, candy, clothes and more by Debra Birnbaum

Blueberry pie-scented candles (Heretic). Emotion-themed Sugarfina candy boxes (Inside Out 2). Shiz University sweatshirts (Wicked).  That's just a (literal) taste of some of the swag (aka…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 07:49PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 30, 2024

'Wicked': Inside the making of the 'most beautiful love story' between friends by Debra Birnbaum

With the theatrical release of "Wicked" just weeks away, the buzz is already defying gravity, with every frame, clip, and nugget blowing up on social media. While critics were getting a firs…

SOURCE: Gold Derby at 03:40PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

TV Review: 'Cobra Kai' on YouTube Red by Debra Birnbaum

If the Broadway musical "Wicked" has taught us anything, it's that even villains have sympathetic backstories. This is certainly the case with the new YouTube Red dramedy "Cobra Kai." A thou…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:22PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 22, 2018

Television Academy Sets New Standards of Professional Conduct by Debra Birnbaum

Following the lead of the film academy and other Hollywood guilds, the Television Academy has established its own new code of ethics and standards of professional conduct. Chairman Hayma Was…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:03PM[SHARE]
Friday, February 9, 2018

Remote Controlled: '2 Dope Queens' Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson, Plus Alan Cumming on 'Instinct' by Debra Birnbaum

Welcome to “Remote Controlled,” a podcast from Variety featuring the best and brightest in television, both in front of and behind the camera. In this week's episode, Va…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:05PM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 4, 2018

Seth MacFarlane on Disney/Fox Deal and That Kevin Spacey Joke by Debra Birnbaum

The pending Disney/Fox deal has raised plenty of questions about the future of content creators, but “Family Guy” uber-producer Seth MacFarlane, who has an overall deal with 20th…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:59PM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 26, 2017

'House of Cards' Extends Production Hiatus in Wake of Spacey Investigation by Debra Birnbaum

“House of Cards” has extended its production hiatus, in the wake of the ongoing investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against series star Kevin Spacey. The Netflix dra…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:45PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Kevin Spacey to Seek 'Evaluation and Treatment' by Debra Birnbaum

Actor Kevin Spacey is now seeking treatment in light of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, Variety has learned. “Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:40PM[SHARE]
Monday, October 30, 2017

International TV Academy Revokes Kevin Spacey Award Amid Sexual Assault Claims by Debra Birnbaum

Kevin Spacey will not be receiving a planned award from the International Television Academy. “The International Academy has announced today that in light of recent events it will not …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:29PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 28, 2017

Tony Goldwyn on Sexual Harassment: 'We Have to Keep Talking About It' by Debra Birnbaum

Tony Goldwyn says he has been “surprised” by the response he’s gotten since coming forward with his own story of sexual harassment. The “Scandal” star had share…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:49PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 27, 2017

Tony Goldwyn, John Wells on Why They're Playing Their Part in MPTF by Debra Birnbaum

For Tony Goldwyn, working with the Motion Picture and Television Fund is the family business. The “Scandal” star’s grandfather was involved in starting the MPTF, and his fa…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:52PM[SHARE]
Thursday, August 3, 2017

Elisabeth Moss and Sterling K. Brown on Politics, Plot Twists & Season 2 Plans by Debra Birnbaum

Two of the year's most talked about performances came from actors we've been watching for years. Elisabeth Moss grew up onscreen, from "West Wing" to "Mad Men" to her now acclaimed role on H…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:30AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 8, 2016

Inside 'Hairspray Live's' Social Media Push by Debra Birnbaum

It’s an hour before the live broadcast of NBC’s musical “Hairspray Live,” and the show-within-the show is going through last-minute rehearsals. Darren Criss, who̵…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:38PM[SHARE]

Aaron Sorkin to Receive WGAW Paddy Chayefsky Award by Debra Birnbaum

Aaron Sorkin, the creator of “The West Wing” and “The Social Network,” will receive the Writers Guild of America, West's 2017 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Televis…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:20PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 2, 2016

Remote Controlled: Craig Zadan and Neil Meron on Reinventing 'Hairspray' by Debra Birnbaum

Welcome to Remote Controlled, Variety's podcast series featuring the best and brightest in television, both in front of and behind the camera. This week's episode features Variety exec…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:07PM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 17, 2016

Kristen Chenoweth Looks Ahead to 'Hairspray Live!,' 'American Gods' by Debra Birnbaum

Kristin Chenoweth, who's been performing since childhood, has made her mark on the stage, screen and television, with memorable roles on "Wicked" and "The West Wing." Never one to sit still,…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

'Gilmore Girls': Secrets of the Musical in the Netflix Revival (Watch) by Debra Birnbaum

Broadway is coming to Stars Hollow. The return of “Gilmore Girls” not only heralds the much-anticipated reunion of all the fan favorite characters " along with Rory’s li…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:12PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 9, 2016

How Busy Chad Hodge Manages His Projects by Debra Birnbaum

In a town full of multi-taskers, producer Chad Hodge certainly has a full " and varied " plate: a new drama, "Good Behavior," debuting on TNT; a feature in the works, "Darkest Minds"; and a …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:45PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off