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What a way to start off the week! The formidable cast list for Showtime's forthcoming Twin Peaks revival series was revealed this morning, and man, is it a doozy. In addition to boasting such key returning players as Kyle MacLachlan (Dale Cooper), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson) and Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), there are a number of surprising A-listers in the mix including Michael Cera, Trent Reznor, Amanda Seyfried and Naomi Watts. On the downside, a not-insignificant number of cast members from both the original series and the 1992 prequel film Fire Walk with Me are completely absent from the list. Where, for instance, is Lara Flynn Boyle (or Moira Kelly, for that matter)? Michael Ontkean? Piper Laurie? Joan Chen? Anyone from the mill? (Literally, there is no one from the mill.) So while I'm thankful that most of the major players are back in action, I can't help but...

Twin Peaks, Season 1, Episode 6, “Cooper’s Dreams”

Written by Mark Frost

Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter

Aired May 10, 1990 on ABC

“Laura wanted to die. She told me. She said people try to be good but they’re really sick and rotten, her most of all, and every time she tried to make the world a better place, something terrible came up inside her and pulled her back down into hell. It took her deeper and deeper into the blackest nightmare. And every time it got harder to go back up to the light.” —Bobby Briggs

In the first scene of “Cooper’s Dreams,” Agent Cooper complains to Diane, via tape recorder, that the sense of peace he found in Twin Peaks has been shattered, proving one of his oldest maxims: “Once a traveler leaves his home he loses almost 100% of his ability to control his environment.” And indeed, control is...

Several Tony Award-winners teamed up to bring an adaptation of the 1988 musical Lucky Stiff to the big screen. Starring Jason Alexander, the late Dennis Farina, Dominic Marsh, Nikki M. James, Don Amendolia, Pamela Shaw and Kate Shindle, the movie will compete in the 'Feature Film' competition of this year's Montreal World Film Festival. Click below to check out the first trailer for the film...

Arclight has boarded the musical comedy Lucky Stiff for sales in Cannes.

The New Oz/Branded Pictures Entertainment production stars Jason Alexander, Dennis Farina in one of his final roles, Dominic Marsh, Nikki M James, Don Amendolia, Pamela Shaw and Kate Shindle.

Broadway director Christopher Ashley directs from lyrics, music and screenplay by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Lucky Stiff follows a down-and-out shoe salesman who is told he will inherit a fortune if he takes his dead American uncle to Monte Carlo and shows him the time of his life.

Victor Syrmis and J Todd Harris produce.

Producer David Binder announced today that the critically acclaimed production of Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations starring Jane Fonda will end its run on Thursday, May 21st, 2009. The limited engagement will close three days earlier than previously announced and a performance has been added to the beginning of the final week now playing at the Eugene O?Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street). ?Jane has had a scheduling conflict on her calendar for several months? said Binder, ?but despite many efforts to work around her schedule, we all agreed today that it is best to close on Thursday, May 21st.? Speaking on behalf of the producers, Binder said ?Jane Fonda is extraordinary. Working with her in Moisés Kaufman's new play has been an incredible thrill for us all and she is a remarkable and dedicated actress. On top of that, she is a true star whose return to Broadway after 47 years...

33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda, Samantha Mathis, Colin Hanks, Zach Grenier, Don Amendolia, Susan Kellermann, Erik Steele and Diane Walsh. 33 Variations, written and directed by Mois?s Kaufman opened on Monday, March 9th at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway. Catch all the Opening Night excitement with clips from the show and interviews with the stars direct from Broadway Beat and BroadwayWorld! Jane Fonda heads a cast of eight in 33 Variations, a new American play written and directed by Mois?s Kaufman, about Katherine Brandt (Jane Fonda) trying to solve a centuries-old mystery about the world's greatest composer. Katherine's obsession takes her from present-day New York to 19th century Austria. As the music that consumes Katherine comes to life on stage, she races against time to find common ground with her daughter and to embrace the legacy of her own life.

Jane Fonda's return to Broadway has divided New York's theatre critics - who have described her performance as a terminally ill academic in 33 Variations as both "elegant" and "strained".

The Oscar-winner, 71, took to the stage in the Big Apple for the first time in 46 years on Monday, to star alongside Samantha Mathis and Colin Hanks in the Moises Kaufman play.

A star-studded audience, including Renee Zellweger, Dolly Parton, Geoffrey Rush and Rosie O'Donnell, rewarded the actress with a standing ovation - but the celebrity turnout wasn't enough to fully win over reviewers.

A critic for the New York Times put aside what is branded as a "clunky" opening to applaud Fonda for her "elegantly restrained" performance, while a Washington Post writer adds, "Fonda's agelessness owes something to both the longevity of her fame and the intensity of her struggle against physical decline... On this occasion, she not only manages to transcend time, but also the material."

But a reviewer for Backstage.com is more hesitant: "Her voice is occasionally strained, and she lacks the passion to make us care... Despite (co-star Zach) Grenier's robust performance and solid work from Samantha Mathis, Colin Hanks, Don Amendolia, Susan Kellermann, and Erik Steele, these Variations are on themes that are all-too-familiar."

Fonda made her Broadway debut in 1960 play There Was a Little Girl, earning her a Tony Award nomination for best featured actress, and her last stint came in 1963 drama Strange Interlude.

33 Variations is scheduled to run until 24 May.

Producer David Binder announced today additional casting and the design team for the upcoming Broadway production of Mois?s Kaufman's 33 Variations starring Oscar & Emmy Award winning actress Jane Fonda.Rehearsals began for the cast including Jane Fonda (Katherine Brandt), Samantha Mathis (ClaraBrandt), Colin Hanks (Mike Clark), Zach Grenier (Beethoven), Don Amendolia (Anton Diabelli), Susan Kellerman (Dr. Gertie Ladenburger), Erik Steele (Anton Schindler) and Diane Walsh (Pianist).