"Him and Us" lead actor chosen

This is the first time I have heard of the lead character being gay, although its not surprising. I just haven't read this anywhere else, or I just haven't noticed.

‘Buffy‘ star channeling Elton John in ABC comedy

01 February, 2006
By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British actor Anthony Stewart Head , formerly of WB series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has landed the lead in "Him & Us," ABC‘s comedy pilot inspired by the life of Elton John .
The project revolves around an over-the-hill gay rock star and his relationship with his long-time manager and the rest of his colorful entourage.
Head, who played Rupert Giles on "Buffy," also co-starred in the HBO film "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

UPDATE:
The press release has be pulled back and corrected. Here is the new release with the corrections explained at the top. Interesting.

please read "... ABC's comedy pilot executive produced by Elton John" instead of "... ABC's comedy pilot inspired by the life of Elton John."

and In paragraph 2, please read, "The project revolves around a fictitious, popular rock star..." instead of "The project revolves around an over-the-hill gay rock star..."

Also makes headline conform to corrected information.

A corrected repetition follows.

'Buffy' star starring in ABC's Elton John comedy
By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British actor Anthony Stewart Head, formerly of WB series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has landed the lead in "Him & Us," ABC's comedy pilot executive produced by Elton John.

The project revolves around a fictitious, popular rock star and his relationship with his long-time manager and the rest of his colorful entourage.

Head, who played Rupert Giles on "Buffy," also co-starred in the HBO film "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Lestat preview and opening pushed back 2 weeks

The previews and opening night for Lestat have been pushed back two weeks.

Choreographer Jonathan Butterell, who worked on such shows as The Light in the Piazza and the recent revival of Fiddler on the Roof, has been brought in as a creative consultant "to provide an objective overview as it undergoes revisions," the producers, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, said Thursday in a statement

UPDATE: A good article on the changes being made appeared today in the NY Post (free registration required).

John is taking the brutal notices — including one that called his score "bland" — in stride and with a sense of humor.

"I can take it," he says. "I've been called worse things than bland, believe me.

"I did read one review that said I've obviously been watching 'The Phantom of the Opera,' 'Les Miserables' and 'Jekyll and Hyde.'

"Well, thank you very much. I nearly killed myself. Where is the Golden Gate Bridge?"

John concedes the critics had a point when they complained that the show, especially the first act, is weighed down by too much plot.

Spanning centuries, "Lestat" tells the story of a lonely vampire searching for companionship and love.

"Right now, we've got too much information. The first act is a history lesson," John says. "A lot of it isn't necessary. We've done a lot of pruning, and I think I'm going to have to write another song or two."

Sanctuary outlines rescue plans for itself.

UK music group Sanctuary has unveiled a £110m rescue deal after revealing a fivefold increase in annual losses. Sanctuary said it would raise the cash through a shares issue after revealing losses had surged to £142.6m from £26.7m a year earlier.

It blamed the loss on an "awful" year in which it was hit by record release delays and a string of profit warnings.

Many of the losses stemmed from Urban Records, a firm it bought from singer Beyonce Knowles' father, it added.