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SideShow: 'Mermaid' cast member hurt in fall
An actor in The Little Mermaid broke his wrists after falling at least 20 feet through a trap door minutes before a performance of the popular Broadway production, authorities said.
Contact "Sideshow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services and Web sites.
Adrian Bailey, 51, was taken from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, the Fire Department said. The Broadway veteran was treated at Bellevue Hospital Center.
Bailey is an ensemble member who plays various roles throughout the musical, show spokesman Chris Boneau said. The actor fell while preparing for the opening scene, in which a boat is lowered to the stage, Boneau said.
The audience was in the theater, but the curtain was down. The opening was delayed about an hour. Bailey's Broadway credits include La Cage aux Folles, Smokey Joe's Cafe and The Who's Tommy.
Roadblock
Speed Racer was lapped in its opening weekend at the box office as Iron Man continued to fire its jets with $50.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released yesterday.
The anime-inspired race movie edged into the No. 2 spot with $20.2 million, slightly ahead of the 20th Century Fox comedy What Happens in Vegas, which debuted at $20 million.
Speed Racer will have trouble recouping its $120 million budget, says Dan Fellman of Warner Bros.
Writer's block
Winning the Nobel Prize for literature has been "a bloody disaster," Doris Lessing says.
The 88-year-old author told the British Broadcasting Corp. that she no longer has the energy to write a full novel, blaming constant media demands. "All I do is give interviews and spend time being photographed," Lessing said in an interview to be broadcast today.
Lessing, the author of more than 50 novels, volumes of short stories, memoirs and plays, is best known for The Golden Notebook, regarded as a feminist classic.
Finally . . . graduation
Vanessa Williams has received her bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University, nearly 25 years after she dropped out to become the first black Miss America.
The actress-singer, who stars in ABC's Ugly Betty, also delivered the convocation address Saturday to graduates of Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Williams, 45, attended Syracuse's drama department as a musical theater major from 1981-1983. She earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and performances. She became Miss America in 1983.
R-E-P-E-A-T winner
After six rounds and countless strategic plays, returning champion Matt Silver, 14, of Westport, Conn., and teammate Logan Rosen, 13, won the National School SCRABBLE Championship in Providence, R.I.
They won the $5,000 grand prize by defeating 13-year-olds Joey Krafchick of Roswell, Ga., and Dorian Hill of Tucker, Ga., on Saturday.
Fifth graders Courtney Collins and Aijee Austin represented Philadelphia's A Step Ahead Program as one of 100 teams of students in grades five to eight from 23 states.
The board game is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
More than a little bit country
Carrie Underwood is the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
The singer joined the cast of the long-running country music show Saturday. Garth Brooks handled her formal induction, and Vince Gill sang a duet with her.
"This really seems like a great family to be part of," Underwood said, fighting back tears. "I promise I'll do everything I possibly can to not make you regret it."
Contact "Sideshow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services and Web sites.