Entertainment Express: Lana Del Ray, Steven Spielberg, Aaliyah, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, All the Way
Hello from NYC – where tickets to Kenneth Branagh’s Macbeth at the Park Ave Armory are going for a steal on Stubhub at just $1400.
* Her debut album may have moved 7 million copies worldwide, but Lana Del Rey earned more than her fair share of criticism. No matter, because she stuck it out and releases her third album today – one she worked on with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach (that guy is everywhere!) With a title inspired by A Clockwork Orange, Ultraviolence has been earning itself positive reviews so far – and for good reason.
* If you were wondering what Steven Spielberg would be doing next (as one does), his latest projects have been given release dates – an untitled Cold War spy thriller, starring Tom Hanks, will come out in October 2015, while the adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s children’s book The BFG will open in July 2016. I almost hadn’t realized he hasn’t made anything since Lincoln because he always seems so busy.
* Two music biopics have landed lead actors – 17-year-old Disney star Zendaya Coleman will play Aaliyah in a Lifetime pic about the late R&B singer, based on a biography written by Christopher Farley, with the blessing of ‘Aaliyah Productions.’ On the other side of the scale, two classically-trained actors have been cast in the NWA biopic. Director F Gary Gray held an open casting to find Marcus Callender, who’ll play Dr Dre, and Jason Mitchell, who’ll be Eazy-E. Filming is expected to start within the next two months.
* Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett teamed up for the ultimate surprise, visiting the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens on Monday, where they hosted a master class. The pair, who collaborated for a song on Bennett’s Duets II album, are working on a jazz album together too. No one-hit-wonder, their friendship. [Insert lame joke drum sound here.]
* Following its Tony win last weekend, All the Way, starring Bryan Cranston, who also scored a Tony for his role in the production, has seen an increase in ticket sales, by 30% – the biggest bump experienced by any of the shows that were nominated. Now, about those Macbeth tickets…