David Mamet

You guys, Haley Joel Osment is 20 years old! 20! We'll always see him as the creepy kid who saw dead people in The Sixth Sense. God, we're old. Anyway, Mr. Osment is all grown up and making his Broadway debut in the revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo, according to BroadwayWorld. At least he still has those rosey baby-faced cheeks! He joins John Lequizamo and Cedric the Entertainer was junk shop workers who scheme to steal a rich man's coin collection. The show opens Nov. 17 at the Belasco Theatre.

We told you about the revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo co-starring John Leguizamo and Cedric the Entertainer, and now we can report about its new home: the Belasco Theatre. American Buffalo takes over the stage from another Mamet play, Speed-the-Plow. That Jeremy Piven-starring production will move to the Barrymore Theater where Godspell was supposed to be performed. The Godspell production was postponed because of a financial fallout from an investor.

Directed by Robert Falls, previews of American Buffalo will begin Oct. 31 at the Belasco with an official opening scheduled for Nov. 17. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 4 through Telecharge by calling (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com.

This Halloween, Mamet is returning to Broadway (again) with a revival of American Buffalo. Directed by Robert Falls, previews will begin Oct. 31 with a premiere set for Nov. 17. Latin "Sexaholic" John Leguizamo and "Original King of Comedy" Cedric the Entertainer will lead the cast about "the bungled heist of an old nickel by three lowlifes based in a Chicago pawnshop." According to press notes, the play suggests how the language and practice of American business and power politics are insidious forces in our society.

Playbill reports:

David Mamet's 1976 Obie Award-winning play, American Buffalo, originally opened at Chicago's Goodman Theater.

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It's the 20th anniversary David Mamet’s Speed-The-Plow and the Belasco Theatre will start the birthday celebrations on Oct. 3. with director Neil Pepe (who recently helmed Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening) and stars Jeremy Piven as greedy producer Charlie Fox hugging it out with The Homecoming's Raul Esparza as Bobby Gould, according to BroadwayWorld.com.

The play is a scathing portrait of the film industry and the people who are willing to sell their souls for sex, fame and fortune--a timely revival with the Screen Actors Guild and studio negotiations still in the works. Speaking of unfinished business, producers have yet to cast is the role of Karen that Madonna originated on Broadway in the 1988 production.

O.K., so we knew that Leonardo DiCaprio was like the first person to buy a Toyota Prius, but last week he even rode up to the opening of Bonhams Flagship Showroom with his mom on bikes, and parked right out front on 57th and Madison. [P6]

David Mamet interviews himself about his new film. [New Yorker]  read more »

If you remember this year's White House Correspondent's Dinner, you weren't there. Felix Gillette, John Koblin, and Choire Sicha flood the zone in D.C..

Janet Silver is moving from Houghton Mifflin to Nan Talese's imprint at Doubleday. Leon Neyfakh checks in with with Ms. Talese who says, "I called Janet and she sent us a list of the authors she had worked with and the ones who’d said they wanted to come with her, if not immediately then eventually." That list may include Philip Roth and Jonathan Safran Foer. Plus: Islam observers on Wieseltier's Amis review; James Frey's PR Dream Team; Spitzer's bio; Nabokov's unfinished novel.  read more »

On Friday, April 25, Redbelt, a riveting David Mamet cops-and-con-men drama set in the world of professional jujitsu, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The cool table at the after-party, held at the Honey nightclub on West 14th Street, included Mr.  read more »

JUVENILE DELINQUENTS!

Boy A., Pace University, 5 p.m.

Boy A. is about Jack Burridge, recently released from a British prison after serving a 14-year sentence for a crime he committed as a child. From director John Crowley, also known in the theater world (he was nominated for a Tony for directing Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman). Oooh, and oh also! According to the notes on the film provided by the festival, “this story also sheds light on the vast difference between the American and British criminal justice systems”—we’re guessing the British jails are much more polite. Lots of people have buzzed around on this one, and Harvey Weinstein’s company is releasing it so take from that what you want.

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A DANE

Worlds Apart, Village Cinema East, 5:30 p.m.

Is Danish film where it’s at these days? In 2006 we had Susanne Bier’s excellent After the Wedding (she went on to do the stinker Things We Lost in the Fire, but we don’t blame her really for that one). At this past Sundance there was the excellent Just Another Love Story (which so far is being released here around ... let me check my calendar ... never), and now at Tribeca there’s Worlds Apart. Making its North American premiere this evening, this film gets into the murky waters of Jehovah Witnesses, following a devout 17-year-old who falls in love with a nonbeliever. Based on a true story! Expect lots of men named Niels.  read more »

It's the battle of the Broadway revivals! David Mamet's American Buffalo and the Lerner and Loewe musical Brigadoon will both open during 2009. Buffalo producers are courting Sexoholic and Summer of Sam star John Leguizamo, according to the New York Times. No casting is set for Brigadoon, the hit Broadway show about two Americans wandering into a Scottish village that comes alive every 100 years, according to Playbill. But the play, written by the team who brought us scores for My Fair Lady, Gigi and Camelot, will be directed by Tony winner Rob Ashford and will include a new book by another Tony winner, John Guare. We're putting the 1954 movie version of Brigadoon, starring the "incomparable" Gene Kelly and "sensational" Cyd Charisse belting out those classics "Almost Like Being In Love," "There But For You Go I" and "Come to Me, Bend to Me," into our Netflix queue right now.

What makes people laugh? Or, as David Mamet’s hapless President Smith asks in November, “Well, who’s to say what’s perjury?”

In a moment of mock seriousness during Mr. Mamet’s broad—very broad—political farce, the president’s speechwriter, who’s an activist lesbian known as Bernstein, muses sentimentally on this great nation of ours and on the mysterious nature of comedy itself:  read more »

Dylan Baker, who you might recognize as the nerdy doctor in Spider-Man 2 or the creepy, perverted dad in Happiness, will join David Mamet's November, which will begin previews on Dec. 20 starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf.

Playbill reports:

"Set just days before a major presidential election," press notes state, "November involves civil marriages, gambling casinos, lesbians, American Indians, presidential libraries, questionable pardons and campaign contributions."

In the world premiere, Metcalf will play Clarice Bernstein, aide to President Smith (Lane). Baker will take on the role of presidential adviser Archer Brown.