Tyson, Lee team up for Broadway tell-all
Mike Tyson wants his next knockout to be on Broadway.
The former boxer announced Monday that he will team up with director Spike Lee to bring his one-man show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” to the Longacre Theatre for six nights, July 31 to Aug. 5.
The show, a raw confessional on the highs and lows of the life of the retired heavyweight and tabloid target, will mark both Tyson’s and Lee’s debut on Broadway. It made its debut in April for a weeklong run at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“I’m very vulnerable and I’m just telling you who I am and where I’m from and how this happened,” Tyson said at a news conference at the Longacre, wearing white pants, a white shirt and a gray jacket.
Tyson, like Lee a Brooklyn native, became the youngest-ever heavyweight champion in 1986, when he won his title as a 20-year-old. His life since then has been marred by accusations of domestic violence, rape and drug use.
“It takes courage to get in the ring,” said Lee, who urges theatergoers to have an open mind when it comes to the work. “But it takes courage to get on the stage.”
Hall to try late-night TV again
The Dog Pound will woof again: Arsenio Hall is returning to late-night TV.
Two decades after his self-titled show rebuilt the talk genre for a new generation, the 56-year-old comic and recent “Celebrity Apprentice” winner will attempt a major comeback with a nightly syndicated offering starting in September 2013.
Hall is partnering with syndicator CBS Television Distribution and Tribune Co., which will broadcast the 11 p.m. show on its 17 TV stations, including outlets in Chicago and Los Angeles, giving it instant access to more than half the country. Tribune also owns or is a partner in scores of websites and operates eight daily newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times.
“In the end I’m a comic, and nothing fits the talk-show mode like a stand-up comic,” Hall said in an interview Monday. Referring to the crowded field in late-night TV – which includes “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” as well as traditional venues such as “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” – Hall added: “I know there are a lot of shows, but I think there’s a space for my show.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Gena Rowlands is 82. Singer Ann Wilson of Heart is 62. Actress Kathleen Turner is 58. Singer-dancer Paula Abdul is 50. Singer-guitarist Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe) is 48. Actor Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) is 40. Actress Zoe Saldana (“Avatar”) is 34. Actor Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine”) is 28.