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Anika Noni Rose | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Steve Carell to Make Broadway Debut in 'Uncle Vanya'

Steve Carell is set to make his Broadway debut!

The 61-year-old actor will be portraying Vanya in the famed Anton Chekhov play Uncle Vanya.

According to THR, other stars include William Jackson Harper as Astrov, Jayne Houdyshell as Mama Voinitski, Mia Katigbak as Marina, Alfred Molina as Alexander Serabryakov, Alison Pill as Sonya and Anika Noni Rose as Yelena. This is also the Broadway debut for Mia as well.

Keep reading to find out more…More Here! »

4 A-Listers Were Up for Anika Noni Rose's 'Princess & the Frog' Role (1 Allegedly Refused to Audition)

Playing a Disney Princess is a dream role, and it turns out that at least four other stars were interested in landing Anika Noni Rose‘s role as Princess Tiana in 2009′s The Princess and the Frog.

Disney fans have the animated movie, which also starred Terrence Howard and Oprah, on their minds again amid rumors that a live action remake might be in the works.

The likes of Ari Lennox are expressing interest in playing the character in the future. She even submitted a video of herself singing the movie’s hit “Almost There” as proof that she was up for the role.

While nothing has been confirmed about a remake just yet, you might be interested in knowing that the original version of the movie could have been drastically different.

Four A-list musicians and actresses expressed interest in playing Tiana. One even auditioned three times before Anika was ultimately cast. Another reportedly refused to audition.

Disney decided that Anika was “most qualified.” But we pulled together the other stars who were in the running.

Scroll through a gallery of four actresses and musicians who expressed interest in playing Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog…

Anika Noni Rose Photo Gallery

Anika Noni Rose Married Former 'Raisin In The Sun' Co-Star Jason Dirden Last October - Details!

Anika Noni Rose is married!

The 50-year-old actress, who is best known for being the voice of Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, tied the knot with longtime love, Jason Dirden, back in October!

Anika is now sharing all the details from her nuptials with Jason, with a new feature from Brides.com.

Find out if Anika and Jason’s wedding was fit for a Disney princess…More Here! »

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Danielle Brooks, Hannah Waddingham, & MJ Rodriguez Step Out for Christian Siriano Fashion Show

The stars are stepping out for Christian Siriano‘s latest fashion show!

Danielle Brooks and Hannah Waddingham posed for photos together while sitting front row at the fashion show on Saturday (February 12) in New York City.

Other stars in attendance included MJ Rodriguez, Drew Barrymore, Alicia Silverstone, Susan Sarandon, Anna Chlumsky, Tony award winner Anika Noni Rose, Pearl actress Larsen Thompson, Sex & the City author Candace Bushnell, along with RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Symone and Aquaria.

This singer was also at the fashion show, and she debuted a bold new hair color!

It was recently announced that Danielle will be starring in the upcoming The Color Purple movie musical! You can check out the full star-studded cast here.

Click through the gallery for 35+ photos of the stars at the fashion show…More Here! »

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Anika Noni Rose Teams Up With Ben Platt To Perform 'Move On' From 'Sunday In The Park With George' at Tony Awards 2020

Anika Noni Rose gets a hug from Ben Platt following their performance at the 2020 Tony Awards on Sunday (September 26) at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.

The 49-year-old singer/actress joined Ben on stage for a performance of “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George.

“@AnikaNoniRose and #BenPlatt absolutely slaying Sondheim’s gorgeous “Move On” from “Sunday in the Park With George” at the #TonyAwards #TonyAwards2021,” one fan wrote about the performance on social media afterwards.

Another added, “Ben Platt and Anika Noni Rose – AHHHH #TonyAwards.”

You can stream The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! right now on Paramount+ and watch on CBS, too. The primetime special will include performances from beloved classics and the three Best Musical nominees.

FYI: Anika wore a Christian Siriano dress and Wempe jewelry.

Click through the gallery for 20+ photos of Anika Noni Rose and Ben Platt at the 2020 Tony Awards… More Here! »

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Forest Whitaker Helps Kick Off Holiday Season in 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' Trailer - Watch!

Netflix is kicking off the holiday season early this year!

The streaming site just released the trailer for their upcoming holiday movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey starring Forest Whitaker.

Here’s the official synopsis from Netflix: “A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.”

The movie also stars Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose.

It was recently revealed that this country star also has a Christmas movie coming to Netflix this year!

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey will be released on Netflix on November 13.

Disney Is Turning Splash Mountain Into a 'Princess & The Frog' Themed Ride!

The petition to get Disney Parks to rebrand the Splash Mountain ride worked!

The company just announced that Disneyland and Disney World’s rides will be now be themed around The Princess and the Frog, the studio’s only movie with a Black princess.

The ride, which debuted in 1989 at Disneyland, and is also featured at Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, currently pays homage to one of Disney’s racist movies, Song of the South. Disney has been distancing itself from Song of the South for quite some time and the movie is not available on Disney+ at all.

Now, the ride is going to be completed different!

“Today we are thrilled to share a first glimpse of a project Imagineers have been working on since last year. Splash Mountain – at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida – will soon be completely reimagined,” Disney Parks said on their blog. “The theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.” We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.”

“Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new ‘land’ added to Disneyland park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of The Princess and the Frog to our parks,” they added.

Voice of Tiana, Anika Noni Rose, shared her reaction to the exciting news.

“It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us The Princess and the Frog Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for, and I’m here for it!” she said.

Disney also just announced that Disneyland’s planned phased reopening may be pushed back from it’s original July 17th date.