Long John Silver's Reference Website

News and Current Events

This section is dedicated to providing news about various cast members and their recent activities as well as current events relating to our favorite musical. If you have any news to report, please post your news on the Annie:The Musical Forum, and I will do my best to put it up. Full credit will be given to those who submit newsworthy information. Also, check out the Annie:The Musical Forum for the latest news, current events, and discussions.
 

July 9, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: The Legally Blonde soundtrack will be available in stores tomorrow. Be sure to listen to it and post your feedback on Joanna's message board. She wants to know what you think of it.

July 4, 2001: Wet Hot American Summer will be opening Friday July 27 at two theaters in NYC: AMC 25 (42nd St & 8th Ave) and Village East (2nd Avenue & 12th St.). The movie will expand based on attendance the frist two weeks. Cassidy Ladden and Jordan MacLean have small speaking parts. This film is rated R my the MPAA.

June 21, 2001: Rachel gives us this Andrea McArdle update: "Andrea just opened the tour of Cabaret in Tokyo, Japan. She is there with her mother and Alexis. The audiences there are very respectful, but very different from American crowds. For example, they only clap after Andrea sings the title song and during the curtain call, not at the end of each song like we do in the States. Andrea will not be coming to Broadway in Cabaret right away. Gina Gershon just finished her run and former Miss America Kate Shindle will be filling in until July 2nd, when Brooke Shields starts. Kate was Sally right before Andrea, so it is easier for her to come in for the two weeks than to teach someone else the part. Rumor is that Brooke will play Sally until Natasha Richardson comes back to reprise the role and then the show will close. If not, maybe Andrea will get her chance. No word of any permanent plans for when she gets back; perhaps some rest is in order, as she has been working since March 1999 with no break."

June 19, 2001: Yesterday Ashley Rose Orr performed in the staged reading of a new musical called Joe! with Sutton Foster (Star-to-Be in Annie 20th).

June 15, 2001: Heather tells us to look for Bianca Collins on an upcoming McDonald's commercial. Also, she has booked a role in a play opening in Los Angeles called "Pandora's Box."

May 30, 2001: Julie H. says that Kristin Chenoweth has an album coming out (Maybe it's already been released?) and a new sitcom on NBC which starts next week. See the story on the CNN Website for details.

May 25, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna will be performing the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers this Sunday, May 27th. Fox Sports Net Radio will be talking about Joanna before the game as well.

May 24, 2001:Kallie Flynn Childress has been cast in the title role in a production of Annie in Elk Grove Village, IL. The play is scheduled for July 26 through August 12, 2001.

May 24, 2001: Angie reports that Addison Timlin will also be playing the title role in Annie at Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven, NJ from July 24th to August 5th.

April 26, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna will have a song on the upcoming soundtrack for the movie Legally Blonde. The movie stars Reese Witherspoon and will be released in July. This will be a great introduction for Joanna and will give everyone a sneek peak at what is to come.

April 16, 2001: Heather MacLean says that Jordan MacLean's recent movie, Wet Hot American Summer, will premiere in New York this month. Hopefully this means it will hit the regular movie circuit this summer.

April 12, 2001: Barry found this quote on Dana Benedict's Official Website: "Dana will be playing the title role in Annie at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium in San Gabriel, CA. The show will run May 3-20 in San Gabriel and May 24-27 at the Alex Theater in Glendale."

April 10, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna will be singing the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers on Easter Sunday (April 15).

April 7, 2001: Contrary to what was reflected in Jewel and Blaire Restaneo's Website, many people who know these two girls know about how grounded they are and that they are not at all mouthy or braggarts. They keep to themselves and are just doing their thing. Recently their PR people have taken more and more control of things, and the entertainment attorney was notified of the offensive comments on the Website. The people involved with the Website were strongly encouraged to change the writeups to make it read more like Jewel really is, not how they want people to percieve her. One of the production supervisors, Paul Lally (producer from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood) sugested Jewel write her own introduction page on her site, and that's what she did.

April 4, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna is currently living in Los Angeles and is hard at work writing and recording material for her upcoming album.  For those of you who live in the Los Angeles area, Joanna will be involved in a charity concert entitled "Divas Simply Singing" which will be held on May 5th at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.  This event is an annual black tie event that features some of music's best divas singing with the accompaniment of a concert grand piano. Joanna will be opening the show and will be introduced as the "youngest diva."  More information can be found at the Divas Simply Singing Website.

April 4, 2001: The current National Tour is scheduled to run through May 19th, but according to Backstage.com, NETworks has already made plans for a National Tour for the latter half of the year. Adult auditions were held in March and the children will audition sometime in May. Rehearsals begin in July and the show is scheduled to run August through December.

April 2, 2001: Casey Tuma just turned sixteen on the 20th of March. According to Casey's mother, she is still involved in acting and auditioning, but is very busy with her high school: drama productions, captain of cheerleading and taking driver's education classes. She still sees quite a few of the people she worked with in Annie.
 

March 30, 2001: Another update from the cast of the Annie tour: NETworks called Amelia Milar to see if she will come back to play the role of Duffy. (She used to be the swing orphan before Addison Timlin.) The tour members will have a week off after their stop in North Carolina.

March 25, 2001: Here is an update on the current cast of the Annie tour: Addison Timlin and Angela DeAngelo are now alternating in the title role. It was determined by NETworks that it was too difficult for one girl to do all eight shows each week as was the case with Dana Benedict. NETworks has gone through several Mollys trying to replace Blaire Restaneo, but they couldn't do the new tumbling routines that were written in for Blaire. They apparently liked what they added for Blaire and wanted to keep it.

The girl who plays Molly now didn't audition for the role; one of the girls from the cast before recomended her to NETworks.  Her name is Skylar (last name not available). Tracy Brancifort is still Pepper and dance captain and Amy Sheff is July. Tessie is still being played by Kallie Childress. She has been in the cast since July 2000 and is the only one left from that cast. They cast her after changes were
made from casting Jewel and Blaire in April.

March 22, 2001: Alex was informed that Ashley Wieronski recently played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in a school play. Ashley is also scheduled to play Annie in Mississippi near Memphis, at The Desoto Civic Center in October 2001.

March 22, 2001: Heather says Bianca Collins is busy in California, now doing an equity musical production there. Jordan MacLean (Upmalis) is busy with school musicals, horseback riding competitions, and usual kid stuff. Trust Dance, her first feature film since Annie, is slated to premiere at the Toronto film festival in September. Wet Hot American Summer will likely be in theaters by early summer.

March 22, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: ABC will be showing two games on Saturday, March 31st.  The east coast will see the Philadelphia Flyers vs. Detroit Redwings and the west coast will see the LA Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche (the game for which Joanna will be singing the National Anthem). If you live on the east coast,  make friends with someone who has a satellite dish and can receive ABC West or ABCW.

March 21, 2001: Mary, a.k.a. Annie Kid, and Charlie noted that Andrea McArdle and Aileen Quinn have been nominated in the Best Actress category for the First Annual National Broadway Awards. Victoria Oscar (Miss Hannigan) and David Reynolds (Warbucks) from the current Annie national tour have also been nominated for awards. See the National Broadway Awards Website for more information.

March 21, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: The L.A. Kings representatives say that Joanna's national anthem for the Los Angeles Kings on March 31 will be nationally televised on ABC. The game begins at noon Pacific Time.  Check your local listings.

March 20, 2001: Maria says that Alicia Morton is going to be in a new ABC pilot called The Big House (formerly called Being Brewster). She will be playing one of seven brothers and sisters.

March 19, 2001:Bonnie Gleicher will be leaving the cast of Jane Eyre in two weeks. She says she just wants to live a regular life for a while.

March 19, 2001: Maria had this to say: "I believe Casey Tuma has turned 16, is living in New Jersey, going to school and auditioning and performing whenever the opportunity permits itself. I think Jamie Hughes turned 15, is living in California, going to school, auditioning, and working with a new, yet unkown, pop group. I believe Cassidy Ladden is still living in New York City, auditioning and performing."

March 18, 2001: Kelly says that Courtney Leigh is in Kids for Kids. A picture of her can be found on the Kids for Kids Website.

March 16, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna is mentioned on page 27 of this week's Hits magazine.  She is mentioned as being Ron Fair's first signing as President of A & M Records. It has been predicted that this is just the beginning of many wonderful things to come.

March 13, 2001: Heather says Bianca Collins has just booked a great role in an Equity musical production of Selena in Los Angeles.
 

February 27, 2001: Julia reports that Skylar is the new Molly and until she was ready to perform, the other girls were covering all the other parts which is why there were only 5 and why there were switching around so much. Now Skylar is in, so they are back to a full orphanage but without a swing orphan waiting in the wings. So onstage it looks normal, but offstage it isn't yet. When Ellen leaves, McKenzie will go in as Duffy, but there will still be one orphan short backstage. However, they had auditions in Philadelphia
for more orphans and apparently had a couple of good possibilities for more hiring!

February 26, 2001: Louann noted that Daniella Alswang left the tour a couple months ago, Danielle Freid (Molly) just recently left, and Ellen Hornberger (Duffy) will be leaving shortly to join the cast of Les Misérables. A new Molly and Duffy have just arrived. There are no understudy orphans at this time except for the two girls who alternate as Annie.

February 23, 2001:Joanna Pacitti wanted everyone to know that Zappa, who played Sandy in the 20th Anniversary pre-Broadway tour of Annie, was very ill and couldn't walk, and had to be put to sleep. Joanna said of Zappa: "He was a great Sandy, and a big part of my family. He was the best memory of Annie that I had. He was there for me to cry to when I needed him." Zappa will be missed by his family, neighbors and fans.

February 21, 2001: Steph says Audra McDonald had a baby daughter on Valentine's Day. Her name is Zoe Madeline Donovan, after Zoe Caldwell, who was in Master Class with Audra and Madeline Kahn.

February 21, 2001: Rachel had some news for us about some Broadway Annies of yesteryear. Andrea McArdle had an MRI which revealed two herniated discs and an old stress fracture she knew nothing about in her back. She's in quite a bit of pain but is undergoing some physical therapy. She is in talks now for a The King and I tour next summer. If it happens, it will be short (maybe about 8 weeks) and Alexis may be involved. She wants to play Sally in Cabaret on Broadway, but it will depend on whether the producers choose to keep the Broadway production open. Gina Gershon is in it now, and Jenna Elfman has been hired to take over the part until the end of June. The plans for the summer haven't been determined yet as to whether it will stay open.

Andrea's brother Michael got final callbacks for both Rent and Aida. Allison Smith is still in Los Angeles shooting more episodes of The West Wing. And Shelley Bruce is out of show business for good and has settled down with her family.

February 13, 2001: Jennifer first broke the news that Ellen Hornberger will be joining the cast of Les Misérables on March 10. Carla, Christiana Anbri's mom, gave us the following schedule: Ellen will play Young Eponine on Wednesday evening, March 14 and Saturday matinee, March 17. Ellen's schedule as of March 19th will be: Young Cosette on Wednesday matinees and Friday evenings, and Young Eponine on Wednesday evenings and Saturday matinees.

February 9, 2001: Tina read on Backstage.com that Networks is holding more auditions for the National Tour. Adult auditions will be in March and the children will audition sometime in May. Rehearsals begin in July and the show is scheduled to run August through December.

February 8, 2001: Mary found out that Charles Strouse performed today at a Fundraising Press Conference today at the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center in Nyack, New York. He played "Tomorrow" on the piano and sang as well. Then the orphans who were in the Annie show there in December came out and sang and danced to "Never Fully Dressed". I think it was a successful event!

February 1, 2001: Debbie Benedict, mother of Dana Benedict, wanted to clear up a few things about Dana: "First of all, Dana does not have vocal nodes. She performed as Annie for almost 7 months. As you all know this is a very demanding part for anyone, especially a child. Because of my concern for her voice since this is a very vocally demanding part I took her to an ENT to see if she was doing any damage. I was assured she did not have nodes, but she was showing some stress. The doctor said she could continue, but the producers, the director and I all felt that Dana had done this long enough (almost 7 months) so we all decided enough was enough and it was time to go home.

"I can assure you that this was not an easy decision. Dana loved doing the part and the company was very happy with her. She worked very hard and had an amazing experience doing this. The company was very happy with her and loved her work. Martin Charnin was very kind and made sure that Dana knew that he thought she did a wonderful job and hopes to work with her again.

"I would also like you to know how hard these children work. They do 8 shows a week. Travel from town to town by bus or plane. At least 3 hours of school a day week. Usually rehearse during the week. They never have any free time. But they have become great friends and will probably stay friends the rest of their lives. It is an amazing experience, but a lot of hard work.

"We haven't gone home yet, we're now in New York visiting Jewel and Blaire Restaneo. We went and saw them in Annie Get Your Gun with Reba McEntire. It was an amazing show. The girls are having a blast playing together. They haven't spent time together since Blaire and Jewel left the Annie tour. Dana is going to meet with her agent and then go home and rest for her next adventure."
 

January 31, 2001: The subject of who plays which roles in the orphan cast has been a hot topic lately, so I thought I would let everyone know what I found out from someone associated with the show. Dana Benedict and Daniella Alswang are out. Two new girls have joined the cast, and one or two more will be joining the show shortly. Here is the current children's cast list for the non-Equity tour:

Molly = Danielle Freid (New cast member!)
Pepper = Traci Brancifort (adult orphan)
Duffy = Ellen Hornberger (New cast member!)
July = Amy Sheff (adult orphan)
Tessie = Kallie Childress
Kate = Addison Timlin (swing)
Annie = Angela de Angelo

At the moment there is no swing and no official Annie understudy. Addison is being considered as an Annie understudy, and she has started rehearsing for the part. Time will tell whether she will work out or not. If she becomes an official understudy, she will probably keep her role of Kate, and one of the new girls will likely take the swing role; otherwise, Addison will probably play the swing and the new girl would then play Kate. The other of the two girls who may be joining the show in the near future would theoretically then be an Annie. It is unclear whether she would be playing Annie full time, only understudying, or sharing the role with Angela. Only time will tell.

January 30, 2001:Jordan MacLean's mom had this to say about the Sundance Film Festival: "We just got back Sunday night and had such a blast!! We didn't see any other kids there, but several of the 'stars' from Wet Hot American Summer were there to promote the film. David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garafalo, Molly Shannon, and Amy Poulter were among them. The film was very well recieved. They turned away over 100 people per screening, and the reviews were excellent. The producers won't know for a few weeks if a major studio is interested, but it looks very encouraging. Jordan had a few auditions while she was there too."

January 29, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna is currently in rehearsals for her upcoming run as Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ at the North Carolina Theatre. The show will run from Feburuary 9 - 18.  Joanna is enjoying rehearsals and seeing old friends from the theatre.  She is looking forward to doing the show for a audience but mostly about the fact that she gets to fly in one of the scenes!  If you live in or near the area of Raleigh, NC, you can find out more information about the show by visiting the North Carolina Theater Website. After Joanna completes the show, she will be traveling to Los Angeles to begin work on a forthcoming album for Interscope/Geffen/A & M Records.

January 24, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: For all of the list members who live in the California area, Joanna will be performing the National Anthem for two Southern California teams in the month of March: March 18th, Los Angeles Clippers; March 31st, Los Angeles Kings. Both games are at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

January 23, 2001: From Joanna Pacitti's ListBot: Joanna has signed a recording contract with Interscope/GeffenA & M Records.  Ron Fair, who is famous for such artists as Lit and Christina Aguilera, has become President of A & M and has personally signed Joanna on as his first artist.  Ron is considered a musical genius in the industry and Joanna is thrilled that he wants to work with her. Joanna is joining a label that already has a huge roster of successful artists, including Sting, Sheryl Crow, U2, Eminem, Dr. Dre, No Doubt, Mya, Nine Inch Nails, Samantha Mumba, Limp Bizkit, Jordan Knight, Enrique Iglesias, and the list goes on and on.

January 20, 2001: Here is an update from Jordan MacLean's mom: "Jordan and I will be going to the Sundance Film festival in Utah this coming week. Although her part in the film, Wet Hot American Summer, is a small one, it is still a thrill for us to experience the whole festival. She plays the part of Alexa, a camper at the camp during the filming set in the 80's. The buzz re this film out there is very positive; in fact, ALL the tickets for all 4 screenings sold out immediately. The movie was filmed in the Poconos last summer. All the "Campers" had to be there every day for 2 weeks. Jordan only had 5 filming days, so we weren't able to meet everyone .The schedule was pretty tightly organized, but we were lucky enough to have been there on many of the days when the 'stars' were there. Although Jordan's part was small, it really was a thrill to be involved in the whole process.

January 12, 2001: I found out, quite accidentally, that Lalaine, who played Kate in Disney's Annie, is now playing Lizzie's friend in the new Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire.

January 7, 2001:Jordan MacLean's mom spread the word that the movie Wet Hot American Summer
is being screened at the Sundance Screen Festival on January 24-28. It stars David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, Janeane Garafalo and Chris Meloni. Jordan has a bit part, but speaking and hopefully one little scene (if it doesn't land on the cutting room floor!). The film screens at the Sundance Resort at 8pm on Wednesday January 24, and on the other nights somewhere in Park City, Utah. Tickets can be obtained starting January 9 online at the Sundance website.

January 5, 2001: A person who is indirectly involved with the Annie tour wanted to offer us the following information: Angela DeAngelo is now splitting time with Dana Benedict playing the role of Annie. They recently cut and dyed Angela's hair, so it looks like Angela will not leave the tour any time soon. Addison Timlin is still the swing. Elizabeth Buchman and Amelia Millar have left the show.Daniella Alswangwill be leaving the show soon as well. There is a new Molly to replace Elizabeth. Angela is taking a LOT of undeserved flack because management made her cut and dye her hair, and this was seen as a threat to the current "main" Annie, Dana Benedict (who by the way has supposedly developed vocal nodes).

January 4, 2001: Elisabeth Zaremba, Kathryn Zaremba's sister, reports that Kathryn's new CD, "Kids with Heart", is now available for purchase. Information and ordering instructions can be found on the Kids with Heart Website. The website also contains a list of all the songs and who sings on the album.

January 3, 2001: Shara says that Aileen Quinn is going to play Annette in the National Tour of Saturday Night Fever.
 

December 30, 2000: Jon Merrill gives us this update on the cast from the 1982 Annie movie: "I just got a Christmas card from Aileen Quinn that says she enjoyed Los Angeles, but her first love is New York, and she is looking for some parts there. She did the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown in Utah last summer. Toni Ann Gisondi had a baby on November 1 named Molly (!) and substitute teaches in southern New Jersey. Rosanne Sorrentino is a middle school English teacher on Long Island, New York and has two children. Lara Berk is a lawyer in the New York City area.

There is a plan to try to get all seven of the principal kids together in May 2002 for a reunion celebrating the 20th anniversary of the movie, similar to what the Sound of Music kids did on a TV show in 1985. We would like to have Rosie O'Donnell host the Annie reunion, but I understand she may no longer be on the air by then.

December 29, 2000: Michael tells us that Joanna Pacitti will be performing the role of Dorothy in an upcoming North Carolina Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz from February 9-18, 2001. You can find more information on the North Carolina Theatre Website.

December 28, 2000:Mekenzie Rosen-Stone's mother wanted to verify that Mekenzie is playing Suzie Rogers in the show, not Becky. Becky Thatcher is played by a 22-year-old and Tom is 21 -- they decided to go older. Mekenzie was having a ball on a ski trip with her friends and looks forward to rehearsals next month.

December 28, 2000: A Forum poster who calls himself/herself "Citizen King" informed us that Harve Presnell currently plays "Big Ed" in The Family Man.

December 18, 2000: Mary L. says that Andrea McArdle has just been booked to do an international tour of Cabaret which starts in January 2001.  She is running up to NYC on her days off working with the director.  Some of the stops include:.  Japan, Toronto and Philadelphia.  There are other U.S. cities that the show is going to go to, but the complete itinerary has not been finalized yet After that the show will be going to Broadway.

December 13, 2000: Paul Muscarella informed me that Mollie Hall appeared at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, PA. in a production of Singin' in the Rain.  She was a member of the ensemble.  The show ran through the first weekend of 2001. Mollie has appeared in several other shows at the Walnut and other local Philadelphia theaters.

December 12, 2000: Shara let us know that Conrad John Schuck, who played Warbucks on Broadway and on Tour, will play Buffalo Bill Cody in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway beginning December 26th.

December 11, 2000: Serena from Australia pointed me to the news that, in addition to the Australian production of Annie that opened in Sydney on November 10, 2000, two more productions will open soon. The first is in Melbourne on February 17, 2001 at the Regent Theatre, and the second is in Brisbane on May 22, 2001 at the Lyric Theatre. You can find more information about the Australian productions at their Official Website.

December 2, 2000: Someone who is in contact with the non-Equity tour had a few updates for me. Blaire and Jewel Restaneo, who played Molly and Duffy on the tour, left the show in October and now play two of the Oakley sisters in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway, with Cheryl Ladd. Elizabeth Buchman now plays Molly and Amelia Milar plays Duffy.

The shows that were scheduled for December 12-18 (I think those dates are correct) have been cancelled. Most of the cast will be going home that week, and the rest will stay in Seattle until the show opens there.

Elizabeth Buchman, Angela DeAngelo, and Amelia Milar will likely be leaving the show late this month or early next. Addison Timlin, currently the swing orphan, will probably be playing an actual role, and the cast will be taking in some new recruits from the recent auditions that were held earlier this month.
 

November 6, 2000: Jon Merrill says Toni Ann Gisondi (Molly in the 1982 motion picture) had a baby girl, Molly Marie, on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 at 6:11 p.m., 8 lbs., 6 oz. Mom and baby and hubby are all doing fine, and Toni Ann says "we are all very excited!" Congratulations, Toni Ann and family--and that includes Grandma and Grandpa Gisondi and Aunt Lisa, Linda, and Kristen.

October 30, 2000: Jon Merrill gave us this report on Aileen Quinn: "Aileen is 29 and living in Los Angeles. This past summer she starred in a theater production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown as Molly near Salt Lake City, Utah. In late 1998 Aileen was on Broadway with Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan playing Jane and understudying Wendy. She left the show in February 1999 to move to LA. Like many other former Annie kids, Aileen is looking for movie/TV work in Hollywood."

October 5, 2000: Mary (handimar11) was the first to break the news that the 1982 Columbia Pictures release of Annie: The Movie of Tomorrow will be available on DVD on November 14th. Katarina from Norway found a link to Express.com, which has more information. (Express.com says the DVD version is scheduled for release on December 12th.) Included on the new DVD: theatrical trailer, production notes, cast and crew biographies, interactive menus, direct scene access, French subtitles, and of course it will be in a wide screen format.

September 30, 2000: Several people contributed the story that Peter Gennaro, original choreographer for Annie, died recently at the age of 80. Jennifer (AngelofGod80) contributed the link to the story on Playbill.com.

September 29, 2000: Jillian in CA first released the news that Sutton Foster will play the role of Millie in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. She was originally going to understudy Millie, but will now play the title role permanently. This musical is scheduled for Broadway at a later date. Elin came up with links to two related stories: one on Playbill.com and another on a San Diego Website.

September 14, 2000:Serena told me on my personal Forum that Disney's Annie will be released in England on November 20th.

September 8, 2000:Mekenzie Rosen-Stone's mom Lynn says Mekenzie was cast in the role of Becky Thatcher in a new musical version of Tom Sawyer, which is scheduled for Broadway at a later date. No details are known at this time, but as soon as I hear anything more from Lynn, you will see the late breaking news either here or on the Annie: The Musical Forum.
 

August 6, 2000: Serena Hockey has informed us that Disney's Annie is finally going to be released in Australia on September 6th.

August 4, 2000: Allison gave us a list of songs on Brittny Kissinger's new CD, Whispers: (1) Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You; (2) Hero (Mariah Carey song); (3) Angel; (4) My Heart Will Go On; (5) The Rose; (6) Somewhere Out There (duet with Zac Kissinger); (7) Whispers; (8) Somewhere (from West Side Story); (9) The Prayer.

July 30, 2000:Joanna Pacitti had this to say: "I am hoping to soon move to Los Angeles for a while and live. My demo has been shopped to 10 major labels and there is quite a bit of interest. It's up to the people that handle me now whether I accept or not. They are also from L.A. I will keep you updated on everything going on. If I am signed, I will be traveling the country and outside the country to visit writers and record songs that an A&R person thinks is good. After about 12 songs they will release a single. They will then proceed to do a full CD. I do not have a CD out yet. I just have a demo with 5 brand new pop songs on it, which Allison will have wave files of on my Website."

July 26, 2000: Maghen R. and her mom recently reported that Brittny Kissinger's new audio CD, called Whispers, is now available to the general public from the following locations:

The Saratoga Springs Urban Heritage Area Program and Visitors Center
297 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Phone: (518) 587-3241
E-mail: VisitorsCenter@spa.net
Website: www.saratoga.org

Barnes and Noble, Phone: (518) 459-8183
Borders, Phone: (518) 482-5816, (518) 482-5800

July 25, 2000: Bianca Collins wrote this little note: "I thought you might want to know I got a part in a feature film! I am so excited about it! It's called "All That Glitters". Mariah Carey is in this film. I play young Mariah. It is a life story, but not Mariah's life story. I film in August and September in NY and Toronto, Canada. Da Brat is also in it - I dunno if you guys know who that is, but she's a rap star (I guess. I haven't really heard of her). I just thought you guys might want to know!"

July 18, 2000: Shari, Elisabeth Zaremba and Jennifer C. all contributed to this news clip. Sarah Hyland (Molly in the 1999 Disney movie) is now playing Allison McDermott on the soap opera As the World Turns. In case you are a soap opera fan, Allison is Emily's half-sister. Emily is a nutcase who is always in trouble and getting herself into bad situations. This time she borrowed some "dirty" money to buy a tabloid paper. The man she got the money from, David Stenbeck, is in prison, and gave her the money so she would print an article advocating his release. She decided not to print the article, so now David has hired some people to kidnap Allison. Allison's mother knows about the planned kidnapping, and has taken steps to protect her daughter. Stay tuned. You don't want to miss this.

July 12 (?), 2000: Paul Muscarella reports that Jennine Babo recently played Martina McBride in a dinner theatre/concert production of A Country Jamboree. She performed six songs from Martina's hit list. Local critics said she was wonderful. Jennine is currently recording her own album.

July 4, 2000: Maghen R. wanted to let everyone know that Brittny Kissinger will be performing at Family Day hosted by NYRA at the Flat Track, on Union Avenue in
Saratoga Springs, NY. Brittny will be singing on July 23rd between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The most interesting news, however, is that Brittny's new CD will be available starting the same day. The CD features a special song written for her by her brother. More information to come.
 

June 22, 2000: Carla de Sautel, mother of Christiana Anbri, says Nan is still in Les Misérables, but she is doing a workshop for a new show called Was, which is a rewrite of The Wizard Of Oz. She will be playing the role of young Dorothy at the Lincoln Center on June 30th.

June 14, 2000: Kyle has informed me that Toni Ann Gisondi (Pugliese), who played Molly in the 1982 Annie movie, is currently expecting her first child. Having been married nearly two years ago, the now fully grown brown hair and brown eyed woman has been reported as due in September. If a girl is delivered, the name Molly is being considered.

June 9, 2000: Jon Merrill gets credit for reporting this update on Aileen Quinn: "Currently, she is in Los Angeles looking for TV or film work, having moved out there from the East in February 1999. She decided to leave her role on Broadway in Peter Pan to move out to LA.

"I took Aileen out to lunch about a week before she went to LA and got all caught up on her activities. I haven't heard anything from her or about her since she moved, but I'm pretty sure her mom, who lives near where I work, will call me if something significant happens."

Be sure to catch the Aileen Quinn Page on Jon's Website.

June 6, 2000: Kelly and Tracy found out and reported on the Forum that Alicia Morton is shooting a TV movie for CBS in Vancouver. It is called "Faithful Travelers", and David James Elliot is in it. It's based on the book "Fathful Travelers: A Father, His Daughter, A Fly-Fishing Journey of the Heart" by James Dodson. Check out this article in Forbes Magazine for info on the story line

May 21, 2000:Casey Tuma posted this on the Forum: "After not working for a while in New York, I booked a reading called Children's Letters To God, based on the best-selling children's book by Stuart Hample. I was one of five children in the cast. (Many familiar names are included in the five!) It was a two week project which ended with 2 performances. It was such a blast, and I enjoyed working with everyone and feeling the New York vibes again! It was very difficult to be doing my high school rehearsals for Fiddler On The Roof (which opened this weekend and will run through next weekend) and juggle CLTG, too. I played Shprintze, the second youngest daughter, in FotR. I originally auditioned for Chava, but it
was given to a senior. (I'm only a frosh!) As much stress and hours I had to put in to both, I have to say, I wouldn't take it back for the world! I was recently contacted to do another performance for some people with a company (I am not sure of the details) on June 12th. It will be such a nice reunion for us all! I hope that this show goes well and far ... it's so cute! Thanks to everyone for your support and enthusiasm!"

May 20, 2000: Elin reported on the Forum that Bernadette Peters will be playing Rose in a London revival of Gypsy in 2001.

May 17, 2000: Here is one more update from Jordan MacLean's mom, posted on the Forum: "Jordan is currently in the middle of a shooting schedule for her second movie since returning from the Annie Tour. This one is called 'Wet Hot American Summer'. It is a summer camp type comedy, more of a spoof on summer camp romances. It is being filmed in the Poconos, they have taken over a whole campsite and it is really incredible. Jordan plays the part of a preppy little 'camper' named 'Alexa'. The kids are really background for the raucous romances taking place between the counselors! Lots of name actors play major parts. David Hyde Pierce from Frasier, Jeanine Garafalo, Molly Shannon, from S.O.L., Christopher Meloni from Oz, and Law and Order, Special Victims Unit, and also Paul Rudd, who was the adorable stepbrother in Clueless. It is scheduled to come out next summer, and it sure is making this summer fun for Jordan's family!"

May 15, 2000: Here is an update from Jordan MacLean's mom: "Hi. [Jordan and I] just got home from the set. We had a ball. Paul Rudd is sooo nice. Turns out Cassidy Ladden is also in the movie. She plays a character type, called "Mallrat Girl", I think. We are excited, [for on] Jordan's next day back all the stars will be there filming. Jeanine Garafalo, David H Pierce, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni and Paul Rudd. I am whipped now. Just drove 3 hours home. [I] will e-mail you later. This should be a wacky, fun movie."

May 10, 2000: Heather MacLean, Jordan MacLean's mother, shared with me that Jordan just booked a speaking part in an upcoming movie being shot in the Poconos. It's an adolescent comedy, a welcome change after the drama of Trustdance.  Jeanine Garafalo, David Hyde Pierce, and Paul Rudd are the stars. It promises to be very funny.

Jordan starts filming this week. The movie is based at a summer camp about twenty years ago. Her role is that of a wisecracking teenager named Alexa. It is not a big role, since the story line revolves around the camp counselors, and how they reunite after several years apart. Jordan has received the script, and Jordan and mom will go up to the place they are shooting tomorrow. So far she has 5 days booked. Jordan's agent is hoping they will expand the children's roles, but either way, it's supposed to be a fun thing, and will get Jordan that much closer to eligibility for the Screen Actors Guild. One more movie after this one, and she's eligible.

Jordan's mom will be away from the computer until next week, when (hopefully) she will send me an update. Stay tuned!

May 4, 2000: I received this e-mail from Karen Maria Schleifer, who played Kate and understudied Molly on Broadway from June 1978 to January 1980:

"... I was cast along with my fellow replacement orphans and Shelley Bruce as Annie. I am living in Los Angeles now, directing and producing theatre of all things and doing production work for TV and film.

"I graduated from SUNY Purchase and moved out to Los Angeles in 1996.  I see Sarah Jessica Parker from time to time when I am in NY and am able to.  I am an independent producer in the film and television industry and produce and direct (and still sing a lot) in theater here in Los Angeles.  I moved out here primarily to produce though.  I had kept in touch with Kim Fedena (original cast - u/s then Tessie) for years, went to her wedding and saw her give birth to two boys.  As far as I know she is living in Pennsylvania still.  I will hopefully be working on the Democratic National Convention in LA this summer planning some events on the celebrity end.

"Work, life, all that stuff. Just a regular ole' child star gone normal, if you can call it that.  I lost both of my parents to cancer over the last 5 years, so that is what I have been trying to accomplish most in life, is to just live a happy one for as long as I can."
 

April 2, 2000: Heather S. just gave me these updates: Courtney Leigh is featured in the play and film Live To Tell, and the musical Abby's Song which was performed at City Center. She was also featured in the new musical MIM at the off-Broadway Producer's Club.

Sarah Hyland and Hallee Hirsh just booked the new film, Joe Gould's Secret and will be playing daughters of Stanley Tucci.

March 25, 2000: Callie has informed us that Sarah Hyland will play the daughter of an FBI agent in Falcon on CBS. It shows for eight nights.

March 19, 2000: Tracy, a.k.a. Traponine, informed us that Lalaine (1999 Movie "Kate") will be in a national Microsoft commercial that starts airing April 15th. She just finished filming a Public Service Announcement as well, and it should air soon. In addition to this, she did a national Burger King "Pokemon" commercial for Spanish stations recently that will be airing again.

Lalaine has also done voice overs for Snow Day, Rules of Engagement, Reindeer Games, and other shows. And she has yet another project in the works! More details to come.

March 16, 2000: Jess says that Albert Finney (Warbucks in the 1982 movie) will be in the film Erin Brochovich with Julia Roberts. Coming soon to a theatre near you.

March 14, 2000: Elisabeth Zaremba has informed us that Kathryn Zaremba (Annie in Annie Warbucks) is playing the role of Bonnie in a high school production of Anything Goes on the coming weekend. She is having a great time, of course. Coincidentally, the director of the show, Jo Jo Nichols, was also the director of Kathryn's first show ever, which, of course, was Annie. If Elisabeth gets any good pictures, she has promised us that she will have them posted on the Internet.

March 4, 2000: Elisabeth Zaremba, Kathryn's sister, informed us that Bill Berloni, the dog trainer for nearly all of the Sandy dogs, gave her some very sad news. Cindy Lou, the dog that played Sandy in Annie Warbucks and various tours/regional Annies, passed away. She was 11 years old and in really good shape. She died suddenly from a stomach condition called "bloat". It is usually fatal and gives no warning signs until it is too late. She was too weak for the surgery which could have corrected this condition. She was scheduled to perform in a couple of productions this summer. Needless to say, Cindy Lou will be missed by a lot of people.

February 17, 2000: Heather S. gets the credit for bringing this to our attention: Maggie Task, the Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional actress who originated the role of Miss Hannigan when Annie was still in development at Goodspeed Opera House, died January 20 at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, according to friends. Ms. Task, 76, had battled cancer for six years.

Ms. Task had the job of playing the villainous Miss Hannigan when writers Martin Charnin, Charles Strouse and Tom Meehan were creating the musical in 1976. The role was rewritten during and after Ms. Task's association with the tryout in Connecticut, and eventually Dorothy Loudon was cast, to great acclaim. Annie opened on Broadway in 1977.

Ms. Task appeared in more than 25 New York musicals, including Sweeney Todd, Look to the Lilies, Coco, Anya,Funny Girl, Greenwillow and The Most Happy Fella. She appeared in The Club Off-Broadway. Her stock and regional credits included Kenley Players in Ohio and St. Louis, MO.

February 7, 2000: One of the Forum regulars, Mary (not the one with the Annie Website; this is another Mary), has brought an interesting bit of news to my attention. Leonard Starr, artist and writer for the Annie comic strip since December 1979, has announced that he is retiring from his job as cartoonist of the "Annie" comic strip on February 20, 2000 after over twenty years. Starr's work on the popular comic strip began in 1979 when he was asked to "revive" the strip, which had been re-named "Annie," to make it seem more contemporary and to reflect the popular musical. Starr's craftmanship will be missed.

February 3, 2000: According to Carla de Sautel, Christiana Anbri's mom, Christiana has just won the role of Gavroche understudy in Les Misérables. Christiana has been playing Young Cosette/Young Eponine for over a year now, and will now be playing all of these parts until this fall, when she will be playing in a new Hans Christian Anderson musical (hopefully) on Broadway.

January 4, 2000: Jordan MacLean's mother Heather just informed me that Jordan's latest movie, Trust Dance, is still being worked on. Believe it or not, they are going to shoot two additional scenes at Jordan's house on the weekend! They will also be filming in a hotel dining room, which belongs to a local individual. As this is a low-budget movie, most of the talent and locations have been donated by supporters of the cause.

The director unexpectedly made the decision to withdraw the movie from the Sundance Film Festival so more could be added to it. He is expected to premier it in Toronto in September 2000. Apparently Toronto is a really good festival. Jordans agent has been agitating for months to get some video clips, but the director has not been forthcoming due to some legal concerns. There are quite a few clips on the movie's website, however, in case you're interested.

January 4, 2000: Melissa O'Malley's mom says that Melissa is currently in Broadway Kids. She works in community theater, does benefits for Shriner's Hospital and is a member of the Conflict Resolution Theater in Philadelphia. Otherwise, she is living a normal life, going to school and keeping up with her music, dance and vocal lessons.
 

December 17, 1999: Mekenzie Rosen-Stone's mom Lynn says that Mekenzie was offered the role of Brigitta inthe National Tour cast of The Sound of Music in the Spring of 2000, if she's available. Mekenzie is currently finishing her run with the Rockettes.

November 18, 1999: Heather MacLean, Jordan MacLean's mother, submitted this biography and update: "Jordan joined the 20th Anniversary cast of Annie, just before it left Broadway in October 1997. She was cast in the role of Pepper, and as one of the understudies for Annie. Jordan toured with the company until the end of June 1998, ending in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The experience was invaluable, and Jordan was thrilled to have the opportunity to perform the title role of Annie on Thanksgiving Day, 1997, in Buffalo, NY. That summer Jordan returned to her family in PA, and enjoyed a family holiday in Alaska.

"Her next challenge came in the form of a leading role in an independent film by a local director near her hometown. A former social worker, this director/writer won many awards for his script, and had gained preadmission to submit to the prestigious Sundance film festival for January 2000. Despite a gruelling shooting schedule, 10 full days shooting, Jordan proved herself a trooper, and was pleased to receive other film auditions following. Right now, she is happy at home, playing a lead in her school play.

"Jordan also did some print work, appearing in a catalogue for dance recital costumes called A Dream Come True, which is a national publication available to many dance studios. Like all the other Annie20th girls, Jordan was disappointed not to be chosen to appear in the Disney movie, but was thrilled to be considered for the title role well into the extensive auditions. It has been a great time in Jordan's life, Annie being a big part of her introduction into the wonderful world of the performing arts."

November 18, 1999: Elisabeth Zaremba, Kathryn Zaremba's sister, had this to say: "Kathryn is 16 now, as most of you know. She drives a black Jeep Wrangler, which she adores. She is a sophomore at Broken Arrow and is really enjoying it. Performing wise, in October she recorded a CD in New York with The Kids With Heart group. She is going back the first week of December to perform in some benefit concerts with the rest of the group. I will post more about both when I hear, but apparently the CD is going to be awesome. Kathryn recorded "My Philosopy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, "Someone Like You" from Jekyll and Hyde and "Who Will Love Me As I Am" from Side Show, in that one she sings both parts and harmonies. It is really incredible. Her voice has matured so much it will really take you by surprise! At school she is in the Audio Visual classes. That sounds like a nerdy group, but at her school it is all about broadcasting and stuff. They do the morning announcements on TV and stuff, she really really likes it! Anyway, I think that is pretty much it. Last summer we were in The Wizard of Oz together, that was really fun. Crazy, but fun!"

November 15, 1999: Carla de Sautel, Christiana Anbri's mother, says that Christiana continues to enjoy playing Young Cosette and Young Eponine in Les Misérables (she has played these roles for about a year altogether), and has just shot a "Nick Nation" commercial, which will air on Thanksgiving week.

November 9, 1999: Shara (Blokensmoy) reports that Alexandra Kiesman, Melissa O'Malley, and Gemini Quintos are performing in The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway. Alexandra is touring and Gemini and Melissa are still rehearsing.