Alan Menken Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Melissa McCarthy looked to her origins performing in New York City under the drag name Miss Y as her inspiration for her Ursula on The Little Mermaid.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Prince Eric will not be forcing himself on Ariel through song in Disney’s upcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Rob Marshall. Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who wrote the music for the 1989 animated movie, returned to work on the 2023 live-action remake and updated some of the song lyrics so they wouldn’t be outdated when it comes to consensual relationships. “There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken recently told Vanity Fair. “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.”

upcoming live-action remake to emphasize consent and female empowerment. In an interview published Tuesday, Vanity Fair asked Alan Menken, the 73-year-old prolific Disney composer, if any changes needed to be made to the music from the 1989 animated flick.

The live-action Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King will have some of the songs updated to modern times, composer Alan Menken recently shared.

Alan Menken, who composed Disney’s most recognizable scores and songs, really enjoyed collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the live-action version of The Little Mermaid.

forever for the live action version of to hit our screens.  was first announced as Ariel in July 2019, but we didn’t get our first of the Disney adaptation until September last year. Luckily, we only have mere weeks to wait now as the film is slated for a May 26 release date, and we’re starting to find out exactly what changes we can expect to see on the big screen—including lyric changes to include consent.In a recent interview with , the film’s composer Alan Menken revealed that there would be tweaks to the lyrics of some of our favorite songs, including “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” “There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken said. We assume the lyrics he is talking about include the chorus which goes: “Yes, you want her / Look at her, you know you do / Possible she wants you too / There is one way to ask her / It don't take a word / Not a single word / Go on and kiss the girl.”These lyrics suggest that Prince Eric doesn’t need Ariel’s verbal consent to kiss her, which of course he does, but there’s the slight issue of the fact that she cannot speak. “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn,” Menken added.

first full-length trailer dropped during the 95th Academy Awards Sunday. The movie stars Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King, Simone Ashley Jacob Tremblay, David Diggs, Lin-Manuel, Awkwafina, Javier Bardem and more. As social media always does, it reacted with some responses praising the film, while others shared their criticisms of it.

“The Little Mermaid” during the awards ceremony. You can watch it above.As far as Disney live-action remakes go, “The Little Mermaid” looks lively and fun.

Julia MacCary editor In the new “The Little Mermaid” trailer, Disney brings viewers “under the sea” to see the beloved characters’ world in all its stunning live-action and VFX glory. Directed by Rob Marshall, the live-action musical brings to life the 1989 animated film with Halle Bailey starring as Ariel. The soundtrack is created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken (who wrote the score for the 1989 “Little Mermaid” film) and will feature classics from the original movie in addition to four original songs. “The Little Mermaid” features Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs voicing Sebastian and Awkwafina voicing Scuttle.

“The Little Mermaid,” and fans are eager to see how this iconic 1989 movie comes to life in this new feature. The animated original is largely responsible for jump-starting a creative resurgence for Disney after a fallow period in the 1980s, as the film’s Broadway-level original songs and emotional story struck a chord with kids and adults alike.

Katie Reul editor Disney has unveiled a new teaser for its live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” beckoning viewers to become part of Ariel’s world. The upcoming musical, directed by Rob Marshall, reimagines the original 1989 animated film with live actors. The new adaptation will once again see the mermaid Ariel fall for a human prince who lives above the water, spurring a devilish plot from the nefarious Ursula. Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, alongside Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian. The trailer gives a first look at Ursula and Prince Eric.

Filmmaker Rob Marshall has spent a long time thinking about “The Little Mermaid.” Nearly five years, to be exact. When speaking to the Oscar-winning director about the 20th anniversary of “Chicago” (and a new deluxe home video release), he offered an update on his live-action redo of the 1989 Disney animated film, due in theaters this May. “I’m very excited to be finishing up after four-and-a-half years,” Marshall said.

Enchanted flipped Disney’s iconic fairy tale script on its head.In the film, would-be princess Giselle, played by a wide-eyed Amy Adams in a star-making role, is thrust from the animated fantasy land of Andalasia to real-world New York City—complete with muggings and cockroaches—by an evil queen desperate to keep her throne. As the effervescent maiden awaits her prince’s rescue (and sings a few catchy Alan Menken-Stephen Schwartz songs in the interim), she’s aided by a cynical-yet-charming lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey).

The success of Hocus Pocus 2 as the most watched Disney+ movie of all-time with a first weekend of 2.7 billion views viewed spurred many to question whether the sequel to the near 30 year old movie should have gone theatrical, especially during a dry spell at the fall box office when theaters were desperate for it.

Fans remember legendary Hollywood icon Angela Lansbury in her magical role as Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast." In a captivating video featured on the Disney+ original documentary "Howard," the talented singer and actress is seen stepping into a recording booth to work on the classic song "Be Our Guest."Lansbury is joined by late actor Jerry Orbach, who voiced Lumiere the candlestick in "Beauty and the Beast," in the dynamic performance.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Lin-Manuel Miranda has a message to the trolls who have targeted their hate at Halle Bailey, star of the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” — watch Brandy in “Cinderella.” “I’m old enough to remember that being a game changer for my generation,” Miranda told me during a Zoom chat from the L’Attitude conference in San Diego, where he was making an appearance with American Express to support Latino small business owners. “And Rob Marshall was the choreographer on that and is now the director of the movie. I’m really thrilled by that symmetry.” Besides, Miranda thinks the positivity and excitement around the new film far outweigh the negativity. Just take a look at the sneak peek of Bailey singing a snippet of “Part of Your World,” which racked up 104 million global views within days of its debut at the D23 Expo. “I’m not interested in giving them any oxygen because I know the lives that are going to be changed. Halle is perfect for the part,” said the Tony winner, who wrote four songs for the movie with composer Alan Menken. “She is going to blow them away. If that’s the thing that makes you mad, then stay mad. But examine your choices.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Martin Short and Shania Twain are in final talks to join ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast” special. Sources tell Variety that Short would play Lumière while Twain will take on the role of Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” The news comes just days after Variety exclusively reported that David Alan Grier will play the role of Cogsworth in the production. Previously announced cast members include Oscar winner H.E.R. as Belle, Grammy winner Josh Groban as Beast and Joshua Henry as Gaston. EGOT legend Rita Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator in the live-action/animated hybrid production.

The Little Mermaid has been unveiled.The teaser was premiered at Disney’s D23 Expo, which is currently taking place in Anaheim, California today (September 9).The Little Mermaid will see singer Halle Bailey of duo Chloe X Halle take on the lead role of Ariel. The one-minute-23-second-long teaser gives a first look at her in the part, featuring the actor swimming through the ocean with a shiny blue tail.Bailey also can be heard singing a part of ‘Part Of Your World’ in the teaser.

Disney’s Live-Action “The Little Mermaid” shows Halle Bailey’s Ariel singing “Part of Your World” in the teaser trailer.Bailey swims around the ocean floor to the piano notes of “Part of Your World” before she shoots up through a tunnel toward the surface of the water.We saw even more footage inside the room at D23 than what’s revealed in this teaser.As introduced by director Rob Marshall, who was last at the D23 Expo to show off “Mary Poppins Returns,” the sequence is very similar to the original film, with Ariel (Halle Bailey) browsing her collection of surface doodads. It’s incredibly moving and you could feel the room falling in love with Bailey as the song was progressing.

Wilson Chapman editor Get ready for Halle Bailey to be part of your world. The first footage of the highly anticipated “Little Mermaid” live-action remake has been unveiled at Disney’s D23 expo, revealing the acclaimed R&B star and actor in the iconic role of mermaid princess Ariel. Director Rob Marshall, of “Chicago” fame, celebrated the fact that this was a live action musical. Bringing up his Oscar-winning movie from the past “When we started this journey it was very important to honor the original” but also reimagine and “bring some depth” to the new film Marshall explained. The director also asked “Little Mermaid” longtime Disney alum and Alan Menken to link up with the award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda to come up with four new songs. “They’d never collaborated together before, and it’s magical…. We still retain the beauty of the original score by the late great Howard Ashman.”

The first trailer for Disenchanted is finally here!

Eminem could be the next artist to achieve an EGOT status following his win at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Slim Shady became an Emmy award winner when the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show won for Outstanding Variety Special.

Ron Logan, a Disney Legend who as EVP and executive producer for Walt Disney Entertainment transformed live entertainment in its parks and helped bring Beauty and the Beast to Broadway, died August 30. He was 84.

Jon Burlingame editorMike Lang, one of the preeminent pianists in Hollywood history, died of lung cancer Friday morning at his home in Studio City. He was 80.Lang played piano (or organ, harpsichord or celeste) on an estimated 2,000 film and TV scores dating back to the mid-1960s, including scores by virtually every great film composer of the past 50 years: John Williams (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Catch Me If You Can”), Jerry Goldsmith (“Gremlins,” “The Russia House”), John Barry (“Body Heat,” “The Specialist”), Henry Mancini (“10”), Alex North (“The Shoes of the Fisherman”), Elmer Bernstein (“The Rainmaker”), Miklós Rózsa (“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”) and many others.Composer Lalo Schifrin (“Mission: Impossible”) was among Lang’s earliest champions in Hollywood, adding Lang’s piano to what eventually became the Grammy-winning Paul Horn album “Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts” in 1965.

Apple and Skydance have unveiled the voice cast for their upcoming animated musical film “Spellbound,” adding Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem to lead the cast alongside the previously announced Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”). Vicky Jenson (“Shrek”) is directing “Spellbound.” Additional cast includes John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, André De Shields and Jordan Fisher. Kidman will voice the role of Ellsmere, Lumbria’s kind and just queen; Bardem will voice Solon, the boastful and big-hearted king.

The animated film Spellbound led by West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler has expanded its voice cast, with the Being the Ricardos duo of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem signing on for roles, along with John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon), Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building), Jenifer Lewis (I Love That for You), André De Shields (tick, tick… BOOM!) and Jordan Fisher (The Flash).

grossed more than $340 million worldwide, four times its production budget.)  After 14 years, they finally got their wish. In late 2020, Disney announced that Adams will reprise her role in a sequel called “Disenchanted.” Like one of Narissa’s poison apples, information about the upcoming sequel has been bobbing to the surface in the year and a half since the announcement.

Sasha Urban editorGuy Ritchie, who directed Disney’s “Aladdin” in 2019, is set to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1997 film “Hercules,” Variety has confirmed.As Variety previously reported, “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO is producing the film being developed by Disney, which hired action specialist Dave Callaham to write a first draft. AGBO is in the process of hiring additional writers.Ritchie most recently filmed an untitled action thriller with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Tony awards in New York on Sunday night. Known as US entertainment’s grand slam, the illustrious acronym EGOT signifies a recipient of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award.