This Week on Stage: Billie Joe Armstrong boosts ‘American Idiot’ just as other shows turn on the dark

Image Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty ImagesForget the fuss about Julie Taymor’s megabudget musical Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark. The other big theater news is the return of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong to Broadway’s American Idiot for 50 shows, starting Jan. 1. This is very good news for producers of the rock musical, which has struggled at the box office for much of the seven months since its opening. Last week, the show filled just over half its seats and grossed a mere $600,000. The hope is that Armstrong’s presence will spike sales to the levels Idiot reached when he leapt into the role of seductive, drug-pushing rebel St. Jimmy for a surprise one-week gig from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 (that week, the show played to 93 percent capacity and grossed $1.1 million).

The timing is particularly smart since Armstrong will be arriving during what is traditionally a slow time for Broadway, the postholiday lull when New York is light on the tourism that typically drives ticket sales. In fact, it’s the fear of the January doldrums that has spurred the recent outbreak of closing notices on the Great White Way. Today, the well-reviewed rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson joined the trend; it  will close Jan. 2.

A lot of Broadway houses will be emptying in the next couple of months. The Kander-Ebb musical The Scottsboro Boys announced its last performance will be Dec. 12, and the Brendan Fraser-topped comedy Elling closed on Sunday after just nine shows. The curtain will also be falling early on Fela! (Jan. 2), Promises, Promises (Jan. 2), Brief Encounter (Jan. 2), West Side Story (Jan. 2), Colin Quinn Long Story Short (Jan. 8), In the Heights (Jan. 9), La Bête (Jan. 9), and Next to Normal (Jan. 16). And that’s not even counting shows like the holiday hit Elf that were mounted this fall for a deliberately limited run.

Are there are any shows you’re hoping to see before they close? (My suggestion: Hurry up and see the sensational Scottsboro Boys!) And will you consider a trip to New York to see Billie Joe belting out “Know Your Enemy” at the St. James Theatre?

More Stage coverage from EW.com:
Sam Mendes and Kevin Spacey announce dates for Richard III
Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark sells $1 million in tickets
Michael Urie joining, Zachary Quinto leaving revival of Angels in America

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Michael Urie picks ‘Brain Trust’ TBS pilot

Image Credit: Charles Norfleet/PR PhotosIt’s a busy few days in Michael Urie news. Longtime EW fave Urie has been cast in a TBS pilot, Brain Trust, the network confirms. It’s a “comic detective series” about a disgraced cop who turns to three “hyper-smart geniuses” (none of those dumb geniuses, please!) from a think-tank to help him solve cases. Urie is one of the geniuses, and D.B. Sweeney is the detective.

Urie, who’s set to take over as Prior in the current revival of Angels in America, stood out amongst the awesome cast of Ugly Betty, and I can’t wait to see him back in a regular gig. As someone who devoutly endured The Lone Gunman once upon a time, I’m not immune to the charms of geek trios, either.

Does Brain Trust sound fun, or were you hoping Urie would land on a different show?

Read more:
‘Ugly Betty’: 10 Quippy Gems!
Michael Urie joins ‘Angels in America’

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Jessica Simpson Wants a 'Simple Wedding' This Time - People Magazine

By K.C. Baker

Wednesday December 01, 2010 04:55 PM EST

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson in New York City

Santiago Baez/Ramey

Jessica Simpson has been so caught up in the whirlwind of her engagement to ex-NFL player Eric Johnson and promoting her new holiday album Happy Christmas that she hasn't even had time to think about the wedding.

"We have not started planning," Simpson, 30, said during NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center live telecast Tuesday night in New York City. "I'm trying to get through all this promotion … Who knows what will happen?"

"I personally have no idea. I have not set a date and I can't even think about putting together like table settings and all that," said Simpson, who attended the annual tree lighting with Johnson, mother Tina Simpson and friends. "We're just going to enjoy the engagement and we'll get married the moment we feel like it."

While she says she isn't sure when she and Johnson will become Mr. and Mrs., she told reporters that the big day would most likely take place within the next year. "By next Christmas, hopefully … we don't have any plans but I'm pretty sure by next Christmas we'll be married."

Whenever the nuptials takes place, Simpson tells PEOPLE that she wants the wedding to be "simple."

Johnson, 31, proposed on Nov. 11 while she was watching Parenthood at home in Los Angeles, surprising her with a five-carat ruby and diamond sparkler from Neil Lane – which she called incredibly romantic and brought her to tears.

And that was only the beginning: "I honestly feel every day is a romantic day with him. He even said [earlier] to my mom and my friend, 'I can't even believe that's my fiancée.' My mom's heart was melting. It's so romantic to be here and celebrate with him."

As for holiday plans, she said during the telecast, "That's up in the air … We spent Thanksgiving here [in New York], so … I think we'll split it up. I think we'll do the Boston thing, because he's from Boston." Texas may also figure into the travel plans, she said.

Simpson also told PEOPLE that Johnson gave her a "thumbs up" for the vegan Thanksgiving she prepared him. "I attempted," she said with a chuckle.

She added, "There's lots to be thankful for this year and a lot to celebrate in the holiday season."

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‘Big Bang Theory’ First Look: It’s geek versus geek!

Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Who makes a better superhero, Howard Wolowitz or Raj Koothrappali? EW snagged this exclusive first look from the Dec. 9 episode of The Big Bang Theory in which the two characters (played by the brilliant Simon Helberg and equally hilarious Kunal Nayyar) try to figure out which one has the right (or should we say better?) stuff. They test each other with various challenges. We may have to go with Koothrappali in this one. Look at that intensity!

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‘Mad Men’ class examines consumerism, why ‘Mad Men’ is so awesome

Image Credit: AMCYou’d think a class about Mad Men might focus on the art of seduction, better living through structured undergarments, or how to win over attractive women and influence drunks. But no! Northwestern University’s MM class is about history and commercialism. Well, that sounds good too.

Professor Michael Allen’s course, Consumerism and Social Change in Mad Men America 1960-1965, is a freshman seminar, and he told the Northwestern Newscenter that he likes teaching history and politics “from the ground up.” “Mad Men provides a good understanding of how ordinary people participated in history and produced change in politics broadly conceived,” he said. “In class we’ll discuss the ways women got involved in second-wave feminism, how they decided to enter the workplace, as well as the emergence of civil rights activism, which often occurred in commercial settings, such as lunch counters and drug stores.”

So … I want to take this class really badly. I want to think about how choices of what to buy inform and are informed by how we see ourselves in a changing society! What was I thinking taking Medieval Women’s Religious Writing instead of stuff like this? (Just kidding — I actually loved that class so hard.)

Shall we sign up for this together or what, PopWatchers?

Read more:
‘Mad Men’ Central
‘Ken Cosgrove’ stars in new ‘L.A. Noire’ trailer
Clip du jour: Don Draper says what?

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How do you like your Christmas movies? Funny? Sweet? Or with a Red Ryder BB gun?

Image Credit: Everett CollectionWhile my local Target happily broke out its festive red-and-green decorations before Halloween this year, personally, I’m just not all that comfortable finding Bing Crosby unironically cool, untangling a twisting string of tiny lights, and watching my favorite Christmas movies until after my calender reaches its final page. And whaddaya know, today is December 1! Happy holidays, PopWatchers!

So: What movie should I watch? Actually, if you’re my boyfriend or my mom, that’s a terribly silly question, since the obvious answer is that 2003 ensemble British gem Love Actually, which I believe I watched at least three times last year. If you’re my dad, meanwhile, the answer is clearly 1989's National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation; I can still vividly recall him laughing harder than I think I’d ever seen him when we saw it together in the theater. But while I certainly do enjoy watching Colin Firth speak halting Portuguese to his beloved with an entire village watching behind him, or Chevy Chase defy the laws of physics riding a metal disc snow sled, in my own heart of hearts, I will always hold 1983's A Christmas Story as my all time favorite Christmas film. From the frozen tongue to the sexy leg lamp, the Red Ryder BB gun to “Oh fudge,” it is sheer holiday perfection.

But that’s me. The great thing about Christmas movies is they come in so many different flavors. You’ve got animated (The Polar Express, The Nightmare Before Christmas), family comedy (Home Alone, Elf), irreverent adult comedy (Scrooged, Bad Santa), heartwarming black-and-white classicism (It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street), and oh-yeah-I’d-kinda-forgotten-that-was-set-at-Christmas genre pics (Gremlins, Die Hard).

So, P-Dubs, what’s your favorite Christmas movie? Sound off in the message boards! If you need a reminder of when you can watch your favorite Christmas films, check out EW’s Holiday TV Guide here!

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'Fringe' exclusive: 'Entrada' trailer!

The new episode of Fringe on Thursday night at 9 p.m. promises to be a pivotal outing in this sensational if (criminally!) under-watched season, electric with ideas and emotion. When we last saw Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson), he had just been tipped off that the Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) he’s been swapping spit with isn’t exactly the Olivia Dunham he thinks she is. Meanwhile, in the “over there” parallel world, “over here” Olivia, now operating with awareness of her true self, was busted by “Walternate” (John Noble), who now knows that she knows who she really is.

And so we come to a turning point in the season’s saga, and to properly mark the occasion, Fox has created an appropriately grandiose movie-style trailer for the episode, making its premiere exclusively here in this space. I think this exchange sums up the intense vibe. Fauxlivia: “Are you going to kill me?” Peter: “No. I’m going to get answers. And if I find out you’ve done anything to Olivia? Then I’m gonna kill you.” Also, the bone saw? Chilling. Those of you skilled and equipped to decipher reverse-recorded audio messages, get ready to decode — and please, share your findings in the message board below.

Read more:
‘Dexter,’ ‘Fringe,’ ‘Psych,’ ‘Grey’s,’ more: Find out what’s next in the Spoiler Room

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