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Al Hassan, who had a 40-year-plus career as a road manager for the likes of Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, Tony Danza and Jim Stafford, died April 12 in Washington, his family announced. He was 87.

Hassan’s job took him across the U.S. and to Canada, Africa, Asia and Europe as he also supported Leif Garrett, Susan Anton and Nana Mouskouri, among many other entertainers.

The fifth of six children, Albert LeRoy Hassan was born on Dec. 2, 1936, and raised in the steel town of New Castle, Pennsylvania. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for three years, then graduated from the University of Maryland with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theater.

In college, Hassan worked with football coach Tom Nugent and was involved in the effort to recruit Joe Namath, a star high school quarterback and fellow Pennsylvanian from Beaver Falls. Namath did sign with...

Netflix's Alice in Borderland season 2 concludes with the Queen of Hearts, and her game is anything but straightforward. Essentially the game's final boss, the Queen of Hearts is the culmination of the face cards and yet her challenge appears to be deceptively easy. The other face cards, like the King of Spades, ramp up the difficulty by offering even more advanced physical challenges, but the Queen of Hearts is the embodiment of the psychological nature of the hearts suit. Arisu and Usagi's battle with the Queen not only tests them as individuals but tries their relationship as well.

The main premise of Alice in Borderland is that characters are trapped in a mysterious version of Tokyo and forced to compete in various games in order to collect playing cards from a standard deck. Every game in Alice in Borderland is difficult in its own way, and each suit...

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Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole is brought to life in a whimsical “Alice in Wonderland”-themed collection from Casetify.

The lineup of tech accessories, released today, don illustrations of some of the most iconic characters and scenes from the Disney film. One phone case is designed with an image of Alice in her distinct blue and white pinafore dress, falling amidst dozens of “Drink Me” potion bottles. Another case is covered in several drawings of the mysterious pink and purple striped Cheshire Cat, while one design features the Queen of Hearts in royal red.

“Within the last few years, Casetify has had the pleasure of collaborating with Disney on a wide range of best-selling products,” Wes Ng, Casetify’s CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “We...

The upcoming film Descendants: The Pocketwatch will include younger versions of beloved Disney characters, such as Jasmine, Aladdin, Hades, and Maleficent. The Descendants franchise began with the eponymous first film in 2015, which followed the teenage children of classic Disney villains. Two spinoff television miniseries also debuted in 2015 as part of the franchise. Two sequel films premiered in 2017 and 2019 respectively, and in May 2022, it was confirmed that the fourth film in the series, a spinoff titled Descendants: The Pocketwatch, was in production.

In a post to Disney+'s Instagram page, casting was revealed for several new characters attending Merlin Academy. Check out the post below:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney+ (@disneyplus)

The post reveals that many teenaged versions of classic Disney characters appear in Descendants: The Pocketwatch, as opposed to previous Descendants films which focus on their children. The announcement casts Tristan Padil as Teen Prince Charming,...

Exclusive: Disney+ is rounding out the cast of The Pocketwatch (working title), a music- and dance-filled original movie sequel to the megahit Descendants franchise at Disney+. Production is underway in Atlanta.

That 90s Show‘s Sam Morelos, Anthony Pyatt (When I’m With You), Peder Lindell (Out Of My Hands), Mars (Heather), Tristan Padil (The Lake Merritt Monster), Kabir Bery (Squatting), Grace Narducci (Law & Order: Svu) and newcomer Aiza Azaar join previously annouced cast Kylie Cantrall, Rita Ora, Malia Baker, Brandy, Jeremy Swift and Leonardo Nam in the sequel written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer (Magic: The Gathering)

The Pocketwatch (working title) follows the story of Red (Cantrall), the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Ora); and Chloe (Baker), Cinderella’s (Brandy) perfectionist daughter. When the Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time...

ITV Studios, Fremantle and Federation Studios, partnering with Apple Tree Productions, Elisa Viihde and TV 2 Norge, will go head to head with Nordic powerhouses Glassriver and Dr at next year’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize which promises to underscore the large breadth of current Scandinavia scripted series.

Backed by the Göteborg Film Festival and Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the 7th edition of the Prize, awarded to series’ main writers, also looks set to shine a spotlight on high-profile and on-the-rise writing talent such as Icelandic thesp Anita Briem, who played Jean Seymour in “The Tudors,” and Finnish creator-director Matti Kinnunen, whose “Cargo” was reckoned one of the strongest contenders at the 2021 Prize.

Carrying a €20,000 cash endowment, the Prize will be presented on Feb. 1 to the winning series’ main writer at TV Drama Vision, the Göteborg Film Festival’s conference event and series market.

“Today there is a...

The Masked Singer season 8 contestants, the Lambs, will make history on finale night. The Lambs impressed the panelists, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger, as they made songs their own with their incredible harmonies. In their debut performance on Muppets Night, they sang a rousing rendition of "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry. They then dethroned the reigning Queen of The Masked Singer, Kat Graham (Robo Girl) in the Battle Royale, singing a powerful version of "Call Me" by Blondie.

The following week, the Lambs earned their spot in the semi-finals by defeating Le'Veon Bell (Milkshake) in the '90s Night Battle Royale, singing "What Is Love" by Haddaway after their beautiful rendition of "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette. During the semi-finals, the Lambs sang "Need You Now" by Lady A. They later took on Harp and Snowstorm, singing "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson in the Battle Royale.

Brandy will be slipping into those glass slippers once more, this time for the forthcoming Descendant sequel.

The singer’s reprisal of her role as Cinderella comes 25 years after she first made history as the first Black actor ever to portray the iconic Disney princess. Her original performance was in Walt Disney Television’s 1997 iteration of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical Cinderella.

The Pocketwatch, a new story in the Descendant franchise, will see Brandy’s Cinderella journey to the kingdom of Auradon, an unincorporated territory of Wonderland, the magical and mysterious location in Alice in Wonderland.

After Cinderella’s teenage daughter Chloe (Malia Baker) crosses paths with Red (Kylie Cantrall), the teenage daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), unexpected chaos in Auradon ensues.

“In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter’s son,...

Brandy will be donning her glass slippers once again for an upcoming Disney+ original movie.

The actress and singer will return to her role as Cinderella in “The Pocketwatch”, which is the working title for the newest installment in “The Descendants” franchise.

Read More: Brandy Breaks Her Silence After Medical Emergency, Blames ‘Dehydration And Low Nutrition’

According to the official synopsis, “The Pocketwatch” takes audiences “through the rabbit hole to the hostile unincorporated territory of Wonderland, a magical, mysterious place made famous in ‘Alice in Wonderland’.”

Rita Ora also joins the cast as the tyrannical Queen of Hearts.

Read More: Brandy Breaks Her Silence After Medical Emergency, Blames ‘Dehydration And Low Nutrition’

Brandy first played the role of Cinderella in Walt Disney Television’s 1997 version of “Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella”.

Brandy and Ora join previously announced cast members, including China Anne McClain, Kylie Cantrall and Dara Reneé.

Whitney Houston was right: "Impossible things are happening every day." The first Black woman to ever play Cinderella on screen and the Vocal Bible herself, Brandy will be wearing her glass slippers once again as she reprises the role for the "Descendants" prequel film, "The Pocketwatch" for Disney+, according to Variety. Brandy first played the role in the 1997 "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" made-for-tv movie. At the time of release, the film was the most expensive made-for-tv film in history, a delightfully zany adaptation of the classic tale featuring catchy songs, an unbelievable costume design from Ellen Mirojnick, and a racially diverse cast that was a revolution.

"The Pocketwatch" takes place in the ridiculously popular "The Descendants" franchise, which focuses on the children of some of Disney's most memorable characters. The story centers on Red (Kyle Cantrall), the rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), who crosses paths...

Brandy returns to her role as Cinderella in a new Descendants movie for Disney+. A modernization of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1957 musical, Walt Disney Television's Cinderella was the first adaption to feature a Black woman in the role of the fairytale princess. Airing on ABC in 1997, Cinderella saw Filipino actor Paolo Montalbán as the Prince, opposite Brandy as Cinderella. The late pop legend Whitney Houston also starred as the Fairy Godmother, and Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen. Drawing in 60 million viewers when it aired, Cinderella's cast recently reunited at a 25-year anniversary special on ABC, celebrating the film's groundbreaking diversity and lasting legacy in Hollywood.

Now, IndieWire reveals that Brandy will return as Cinderella in a new Descendants film for Disney+. Based on a script by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, the movie is currently using the working title The Pocketwatch, and will also feature pop star Rita Ora as The Queen of Hearts.

Rita Ora joins ‘The Pocketwatch,’ a new ‘Descendants’ movie (Photo Credit: Hayley Louisa Brown)

Rita Ora and Brandy (Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella) have joined China Anne McClain, Kylie Cantrall, and Dara Reneé in The Pocketwatch, a new entry in Disney+’s Descendants franchise. Ora will be playing Alice in Wonderland‘s Queen of Hearts and Brandy’s on board to reprise her role as Cinderella in the new musical directed by Jennifer Phang (The Flight Attendant).

The cast also includes Malia Baker (The Babysitter’s Club), Ruby Rose Turner (Coop and Cami Ask the World), Morgan Dudley (Jagged Little Pill on Broadway), and Joshua Colley (Senior Year). Melanie Paxson will return as Fairy Godmother, a character she played in the previous Descendants films.

Disney+ released the following description of The Pocketwatch (the tentative title) as well as detailed character descriptions:

“The Descendants movies unfurled an imaginative mythology of two new lands,...

Brandy is getting refitted for a pair of glass slippers because she’s about to reprise her role as Cinderella for a new installment of The Descendants franchise! The uber-talented singer and actress is traveling to the kingdom of Auradon for The Pocketwatch, set in a corrupted Wonderland, where Jabberwockys hide in the shadows, caterpillars philosophize, and heads will roll.

In The Pocketwatch, Red (Kylie Cantrall), the teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Malia Baker), the adolescent daughter of Cinderella, cross paths at a meaningful celebration at Auradon when unexpected chaos throws Wonderland into further disarray. “In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter’s son, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences,” reads the feature’s official logline.

Joining Brandy in the next chapter of...

One of Disney’s most beloved princesses is coming back onscreen. Brandy will reprise her role as Cinderella for a new Disney+ film in the “Descendants” franchise.

Brandy previously famously portrayed the fairytale princess in a TV film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” musical, which was watched by 60 million viewers when it first aired on ABC in 1997. The film’s inclusive and diverse casting — which included Brandy as the first Black woman to play Cinderella, Whitney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg as the Fairy Godmother and the Queen, and Paolo Montalbán as a Filipino Prince Charming — was widely regarded as groundbreaking, and the film has since become considered a classic. This August, Brandy reunited with the cast of the film for an ABC special to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The new “Descendants” film, currently under the working title “The Pocketwatch,” will be the first time in the role since the 1997 film.

Brandy is putting on the glass slippers again.

The singer and actor, whose most lauded screen performance was her turn as the humble princess in the 1997 Disney TV movie “Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” will play Cinderella again in the upcoming Disney+ film “The Pocketwatch.”

The movie musical takes place in the universe of the popular “The Descendants” franchise. Kylie Cantrall stars as Red, the rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, opposite Mia Baker as Chloe, the cheerful but naive daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. They cross paths at a momentous celebration in the kingdom of Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out. In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter’s son, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.

Rita Ora has also newly joined “The Pocketwatch,...

“The Masked Singer” is one of the biggest hits on the Fox network. This American version of the South Korean show, which debuted in 2019, has already run for seven seasons. We’ll update this post throughout season 8 as we learn more about the “The Masked Singer” cast from both the clues given during the show and those posted online at Instagram and Facebook. Here’s everything to know about “The Masked Singer” season 8, including the premiere date.

When does “The Masked Singer” season 8 start?

Filming for season 8 took place in the summer of 2022. Allowing for time to edit the performances and put together those tantalizing clue packages, “The Masked Singer” season 8 premiere is scheduled for September 21 in the show’s usual Wednesday night time slot.

How many episodes will there be of “The Masked Singer” season 8?

Season 5, which was filmed at the height of the pandemic, had only 11 episodes. Season...

Joni James, a popular singer in the 1950s who scored several pre-rock hits including “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” and “How Important Can It Be?” and continued to chart throughout the decade, has died. She was 91.

James’ son, Michael Acquaviva, told The Washington Post that she died February 20 of natural causes in West Palm Beach, Fl.

Born Giavanna Carmello Babbo on September 22, 1930, in Chicago, James was working as a dancer by age 12 and toured in Canada in the late 1940s. She also was modeling by high school. After pivoting to music, she first recorded for Sharp Records before moving to MGM.

James was 22 when her first hit topped the U.S. chart. Her version of “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” spent three weeks at the summit in December 1952, starting a run of eight Top 20 singles in 1952-53 including the Top 10 hits “Almost Always” “Have You Heard?” and a...

Who needs new music? In this week’s issue of the magazine, our critics show us what’s in their personal collections of old culture, much of it you might’ve missed. All of it is available online, somewhere. Herewith, Jody Rosen’s list of sixty great albums you probably haven’t heard. 1950s1. Joni James, 100 Strings and Joni (1959) There are symphonic pop albums—and then there’s 100 Strings and Joni, on which fifties songbird Joni James tackled a dozen show tunes and standards, backed by a mammoth orchestra. The music is grandiose, of course, but James has a voice equal to the task, delivering stirring—and, lo and behold, subtle—readings of songs like “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” 2. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Gospel Train (1956) Rosetta Tharpe is one of gospel’s greatest singers and one of the slyest musicians ever to strap on an electric guitar. Both qualities...