Hairspray, 'Journey' Tony's top winners
NEW YORK, June 9 (UPI) -- The musical "Hairspray" and Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" were top winners at the 57th Annual Tony Awards.
Based on John Waters' cult 1988 film, "Hairspray" Sunday nabbed honors for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a musical for Harvey Fierstein, who dressed in drag for the role, and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Marissa Jaret Winokur.
"Hairspray" also won the Tonys for Best Book of a Musical for Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan and Best Score for Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Upon winning the prize for Best Director of a Musical for "Hairspray," Jack O'Brien declared, "Finally!"
"Long Day's Journey Into Night" was named Best Revival of a Play and won Tonys for Best Performance by a Leading Actor for Brian Dennehy and Best Performance by a Leading Actress for Vanessa Redgrave.
Lopez to headline 'Monster-in-law'
LOS ANGELES, June 9 (UPI) -- Jennifer Lopez is in early negotiations to star in New Line Cinema comedy "Monster-in-Law," Daily Variety reports.
New Line picked up Anya Kochoff's comedy script for about $1.3 million earlier this year. Management and production concern Benderspink will produce. Story follows an unlucky-in-love girl who's set to marry what appears to be the perfect guy until she meets his mother, who has plans to derail their courtship.
As yet there is no firm start date for filming and no director has yet committed to helm the comedy. Kochoff is a former senior VP of production at Fox-based Davis Entertainment who worked under a pseudonym as she began her writing career.
Lopez most recently toplined "Maid in Manhattan." The actress also stars opposite Robert Redford and Josh Lucas in the upcoming "An Unfinished Life" and opposite Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon in the remake of the Japanese hit, "Shall We Dance?" Both movies are for Miramax.
Lopez will next be seen opposite beau Ben Affleck in the Martin Brest-directed "Gigli," to be released Stateside July 30 via Columbia Pictures.
Revisiting V
LOS ANGELES, June 9 (UPI) -- Twenty years after NBC's hit sci-fi miniseries "V" invaded the small screen, the network is bringing the aliens back with "V: The Second Generation."
The Hollywood Reporter says the three-hour telefilm will be penned by original creator Kenneth Johnson.
The 1983 "V" (short for Visitors), which spawned a short-lived weekly series on NBC, was a sci-fi allegory of the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1930s. It centered on the Visitors, aliens from a distant planet who'd come to Earth with the promise to solve the world's problems through their high technology.
However, after gaining control of the planet through subterfuge and media manipulation, began to methodically kill their enemies. A small group of humans, who discovered the Visitors' true plan -- to conquer the Earth and eat its population -- form a resistance and lead the fight against the invaders.
Hillary Clinton's book goes on sale
NEW YORK, June 9 (UPI) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's book "Living History" went on sale worldwide Monday and the New York junior senator was scheduled to sign books in Manhattan.
She will be signing copies of her book beginning at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at Rockefeller Center for the first 250 people seeking autographed copies of the senator's book.
The Democratic senator launched her book tour in New York that will continue over the next six months, whenever she has a break in her Senate schedule.
The book is being published with an almost unprecedented first-printing of 1 million copies and earned Clinton a reported $8 million advance.
Despite Clinton's criticizing President George W. Bush for "taking our country in the wrong direction," New York Gov. George Pataki, a Republican and Bush supporter, told the New York Post he will "probably" read the book.
Animals keyboardist dies
LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- Dave Rowberry, the keyboardist who replaced original member Alan Price in the British Invasion band the Animals, died Friday in London at age 62.
Rowberry, who had a history of heart ailments, was found in his apartment by fellow Animals member, Jim Rodford, a bassist who also played with the Kinks.
Rowberry joined the band at the height of its fame in 1965 after Price left to pursue a solo career, and recorded the hits "It's My Life" and "Don't Bring Me Down" with the band.
Group leader Eric Burden disbanded the lineup in 1967 and has continued to perform with various lineups of Animals over the years.
Rowberry had appeared in various Animals reunion gigs in recent years.
