Kristin Chenoweth

Kristin Chenoweth says success is a combination of training, ambition

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:13:23 +0000

By Silas Allen via newsok.com

Chenoweth's decision not to go to the Academy of Vocal Arts disappointed her mentor at OCU, the acclaimed vocal teacher Florence Birdwell, Chenoweth said. And rightfully so, she said — studying opera at the academy would have been a tremendous opportunity.

But Chenoweth always had dreamed of being on Broadway, and the role she'd been offered placed her in a position to reach that goal.

“I'm an actress, first and foremost,” she said.

Thinking back on that decision, Chenoweth suspects she would have found her way into something like her current career if she'd chosen to go to Philadelphia.

Chenoweth has explored a wide range of genres, including performing at the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, as well as recording country and gospel albums, and she thinks she still would have had those opportunities if she'd made different decisions.

Chenoweth believes God's plan for her was to go into entertainment, and that plan would have been fulfilled, regardless of the choices she'd made, she said.

“I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't do that,” she said.

Whatever luck she's had along the way, Chenoweth said part of the credit for her success goes to OCU. The university offered the right combination of training and performance experience, she said, and her experience with Birdwell left a lasting mark on her career.

The level of talent among students at OCU was high, she said, meaning competition was fierce. But she forged friendships with fellow students who, even today, know her as Kristi Dawn Chenoweth from Broken Arrow.

“I met some of the best friends that I've ever had,” she said.

Kristin Chenoweth sings the praises of The St. Regis Punta Mita

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:45:50 +0000

By Kelly Carter

The St. Regis in Punta Mita continues to attract the glitterati. Singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth is the latest star to check in to the resort in Mexico’s magical Riviera Nayarit.

Chenoweth and two girlfriends stayed in the Suite Sueños, a luxurious two-bedroom suite that put them directly on the beach and where they enjoyed sipping margaritas in their private pool on the suite’s terrace.

“My friends and I loved our girlfriend getaway to The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort,” the Tony- and Emmy-award winning star cooed. “I’ve never felt more relaxed than during my fabulous treatment at Remède Spa.”

The trio was pampered with customized massages at the 10,000 square foot Reméde Spa and dined at Sea Breeze restaurant one evening. But it was the butler, who delivered goodies to the 2,490 square-feet suite, which comes with a fully equipped kitchen that includes a separate entrance for the butler, who left the most lasting impression on Chenoweth.

“I have to say that my favorite part of each day was when our butler would bring fresh guacamole and chips to our suite to enjoy while watching the beautiful Punta Mita sunsets,” Chenoweth said.

Singer Selena Gomez, Kirsten Dunst, actress Felicity Huffman and actor husband William H. Macy, actress Hilary Duff, actress Sarah Lancaster and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees are also among the boldface names to experience The St. Regis Punta Mita.

Outlook 2013: Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth has found considerable success in the entertainment industry

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:15:30 +0000

From theater and concerts to film and television, Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth has earned praise for her considerable talents.

Kristin Chenoweth seems to pop up everywhere these days.

On March 24, the PBS series “Live From Lincoln Center” broadcast her television special “The Dames of Broadway — All of ’Em!!!” That was followed by back-to-back appearances on NBC’s “The Jay Leno Show,” Bravo’s “Kathy” and CBS’s “The Talk.”

Finally, the independent film “Family Weekend” opened in theaters March 29 (and was released on DVD April 23). Not a bad week for a performer who headed to New York 27 years ago with the modest dream of getting cast in the chorus of a Broadway show.

During what has become an endlessly fascinating and storied career, Chenoweth has enjoyed considerable critical acclaim, including a Tony Award for her role in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and an Emmy Award for her work on the television drama “Pushing Daisies.”

To reach the pinnacle of success in two areas of the entertainment industry is a rare accomplishment indeed.

“I’m keeping my head above water and trying to stay relevant,” Chenoweth said recently by phone from New York. “But I’m also at a point in my life where I can be a little bit more choosy. I want to do things that are passion projects for me, things that are fun and inspiring. I’ve worked so hard, and I’m glad. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I could use a vacation.”

Popularity grows

That may be wishful thinking for a performer who’s become one of the most popular entertainers working today.

She recently performed at the Long Center in Austin, Texas, and has a summer engagement booked at the Hollywood Bowl.

A concert tour of Australia is also in the works.

Fame and success often come with a steep price tag and Chenoweth is the first to admit that she has had to make some sacrifices along the way.

Now 44, she’s put some aspects of her personal life on hold to focus on sustaining her career.

“I was at the doctor the other day, and I told her I thought I’d be married with children by now,” Chenoweth said. “I’m from Oklahoma. That’s what we do. She said, ‘Kristin, that’s not what you do. You do something different.’ She reminded me that all these sacrifices have definitely come at a cost but I’m not sorry about the choices I’ve made. I’m very content and I feel very lucky and blessed.”

During the filming of an episode of “The Good Wife” in July 2012, Chenoweth was struck in the head by a piece of lighting equipment that was dislodged due to an unexpected gust of wind. The actress suffered a concussion and numerous cuts and bruises.

“I didn’t have speech loss, but I had trouble getting my thoughts out in the way I wanted them to be,” Chenoweth said. “My nose was also cracked in two places. It wasn’t a pretty sight. That’s why I went underground for a while. I’m still having some issues but I’m doing so much better.”

Chenoweth said that while she’s adjusted to having a career that keeps her in the public spotlight, building free time into her busy schedule remains an ongoing challenge.

It’s a delicate balance that requires considerable planning.

“I get so little time to myself anymore,” Chenoweth said. “And I sometimes feel like I live on planes because I travel so much. Of course that’s by choice. But when I do have time, I take it and I enjoy it. I live life.”

The Broken Arrow native says that luck, talent and perseverance have all contributed to her success in a highly competitive business. And while such a career is enormously demanding, one of the most important lessons she’s learned is applicable for anyone, regardless of their career.

“When I was a little kid, my dad always told me not to sweat the small stuff,” Chenoweth said. “There are so many more important things in life than reading or hearing a negative story about yourself. Even something falling on your head. Life’s too short so I cherish every minute of it.”

Visiting Oklahoma

With her parents and other relatives still living in Oklahoma, Chenoweth returns to visit whenever her schedule allows.

And she’s particularly pleased by the continued revitalization of downtown and the many new projects that are in the works.

“I think Oklahoma City will continue to grow over the next 20 years,” Chenoweth remarked. “Oklahoma City is full of kind, good people, and there are new restaurants and shopping areas springing up every day. Also, more and more films are shooting in the area.

“William H. Macy will be filming there shortly. There are also wonderful colleges, including my alma mater, Oklahoma City University. They’re pumping out stars every day. The future is ours … and man is it bright!”

Kristin Chenoweth at the Hollywood Bowl!

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:53:20 +0000

Emmy- and Tony-winning actress and recording artist Kristin Chenoweth returns to the Hollywood Bowl with her first solo show, featuring the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic for a very special evening of music and more. The uniquely talented and acclaimed star will perform from her Broadway, television and film successes (Wicked, Glee, Les Misérables), as well as some personal favorites, time-honored greats and entertaining surprises. A grand evening for the entire family!

August 23, 2013

Kristin Chenoweth at the Hollywood Bowl!

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:04:40 +0000

Kristin Chenoweth To Co-Star In CBS’ Matthew Broderick Pilot, Gayle Rankin Cast In HBO’s ‘Missionary’

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:39:34 +0000

via deadline.com
Kristin Chenoweth is set to co-star opposite fellow Broadway boldface Matthew Broderick in CBS‘ untitled Tad Quill multi-camera comedy pilot directed by James Burrows. The project, from CBS TV Studios, centers on Jack (Broderick), a recently widowed father who raises his 12-year old son while jumping back into the dating pool. Chenoweth, repped by CAA, Untitled and attorney James Adams, will play Marnie, Jack’s cute but judgmental sister who works as a waitress at a nice but not-too-upscale restaurant. It is not clear if the two siblings share any musical talent. This marks Chenoweth’s return to CBS where she was booked for a major arc on The Good Wife last season, which was cut short by an on-set accident that injured the Tony-winner.

Gayle Rankin will co-star opposite Ben Walker and Jesse Plemons in HBO’s Cold War spy drama pilot The Missionary, from Charles Randolph, Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg and author Malcolm Gladwell. Set in Berlin in the late 1960s, The Missionary centers on Roy (Walker), a young American missionary who gets caught up in Cold War intrigue while helping a young woman escape East Berlin. Juilliard graduate Rankin, repped by Principal Entertainment NY and Stewart Talent, plays Molly Elbridge. At first glance, Molly appears to be the traditional, religious wife of Sherwood Elbridge (Plemons) — one with an affectionately exasperated relationship to her preacher Roy (Walker) — but we soon discover she has more on the ball than the men around her. Baltasar Kormakur is directing.

Kristin Chenoweth To Perform At CANY Gala

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:19:50 +0000

via looktothestars.com
Tony Award winner Dick Latessa, Honorary Board Chair, brings together Broadway stars to help raise funds for Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY) which uses drama therapy to help New York’s most vulnerable children and adults.

This year’s 2013 Annual Gala, which celebrates 30 years of the CANY mission of creativity, community and change to rebuild lives, will be held on Monday, April 29, 2013 at the Edison Hotel Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). The 2013 Honorees are Tony Award winners Katie Finneran and Kathleen Marshall, and in memoriam, CANY Founding Chairperson, Janet L. Levy.

Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails, appetizers and silent auction. Dinner, show and live auction start at 7:45 p.m. and includes a Special Performance by Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, and video presentation by stage, film and television actor Victor Garber. Tony Award winner Judith Light will present the award to Ms. Finneran, Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick will present the award to Ms. Marshall, and CANY Founding Board Member James I. Black, III will present the award to Mrs. Levy’s family.

For additional information, please contact CANY at (212) 222-1969, or publicrelations@cany.org.

For 30 years, Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY) has been offering drama therapy programs to traumatized children and adults in the New York Metropolitan area, helping them to build new life skills and realize their potential through the art of drama. Working in partnership with leading social service organizations and health care institutions, CANY provides approximately 1,400 therapeutic theatre groups annually in residential centers for children and youth, special schools, veterans mental health centers, and domestic violence safe shelters. CANY was honored with the 2012 Aaron Stein Memorial Fund Award by The American Group Psychotherapy Association, given to organizations that utilize the creative applications of group theory and technique to benefit the community, particularly in non- psychotherapeutic settings.

“As an artist, I strongly believe that theatre can change lives,” said Academy Award-winner and CANY Board Member Susan Sarandon. “At CANY this is being proven on a daily basis.”

Mika And Kristin Chenoweth Sing “Popular Song” Together In NYC

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:19:07 +0000

via buzzfeed.com
Mika's The Origin of Love tour picked up the “Popular” witch of Wicked on Tuesday night at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. And, Alex Goldschmidt captured all this amazingness.

Kristin Chenoweth at Purple Party 5!

admin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:10:06 +0000

Saturday, April 6
Dell Hall

BUY TICKETS

Celebrate the Long Center’s Fifth Anniversary with the sensational Broadway and screen star, Kristin Chenoweth!

Chenoweth’s dazzling performances on stage, television and film make her the perfect headliner for Purple Party 5 at Austin’s Creative Home™. Many remember her show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in "You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in "Wicked," which earned her a leading actress Tony Award nomination.

Kristin’s critically acclaimed performance in the ABC series "Pushing Daisies" won her an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Her guest appearance on Fox’s comedy "Glee," earned her two Emmy Award nominations and a People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Guest Star. Chenoweth also starred as Annabeth Schott on the hit drama "The West Wing" and guest judged on "American Idol".

Ms. Chenoweth is currently featured on CBS’ The Good Wife and can be seen in the film "Hit and Run," written by Dax Shepard and co-starring Kristen Bell. In Spring 2013, she will co-star in the film "Family Weekend."

Join us as we celebrate this amazing milestone with one of our generation’s most spectacular performers!
VIP Dinner tickets ($500) are still available by contacting the Development Department at annualmembers@thelongcenter.org

Stay after the Kristin Chenoweth performance for the Purple Party 5 After Party on the Long Center City Terrace featuring the Matt Wilson Band. Matt Wilson is a homegrown crooner with national exposure as well. He wowed sold out audiences across the country as the "Piano Man" in the First National Tour of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Tony-award winning musical "Movin’ Out." Matt’s big gospel voice and the down-home flavor of his tasty piano playing made him ideal to represent Joel’s music.

Kristin Chenoweth on Her Darker Role in ‘Family Weekend’

admin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:30:46 +0000

by Kevin Fallon via thedailybeast.com

Chipper. Perky. Kooky. Cheerful. Brooding? Hollywood’s pint-size diva talks to Kevin Fallon about balancing her ceaseless pep with darker fare in her new movie, ‘Family Weekend.’

If cheery people are seen as a ray of sunshine, then consider Kristin Chenoweth a blinding solar flare. The 4-foot-11 shaken soda can of fizz and energy has made a career out of playing über-luminous, larger-than-life scene-stealers—characters so bright it’s remarkable that they radiate out of such a small body.

A Broadway breakout and Tony winner 14 years ago for playing Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, in which she debuted the precocious and sardonic blend—backed by a brassy belt and four-octave range—that’s become her trademark, Chenoweth is the rare modern star to parlay a rabid musical theater fan base into an successful TV and film career. After more than a decade of being defined by and revered for her plucky performances and reaching almost ubiquitous status as a ceaselessly chipper TV host (American Country Awards, Oscars red carpet, Live With Kelly and Michael), Chenoweth is ready to show off a darker side—one we’ve only glimpsed at with recent roles in Pushing Daisies, Glee, and Broadway’s Promises, Promises—to shade some of that shine.

“I have a lot more dark, frankly, in me than people think,” Chenoweth tells The Daily Beast while promoting this weekend’s theatrical release of her new film, Family Weekend, in which she plays a cold, driven mother who constantly ignores her family, with disastrous effects. But are her fans, who embrace and cherish Cheno the Cheery, ready to accept it?

After all, the actress’s fans are practically conditioned to expect a certain type of character from the star. There was Glinda the Good Witch, so bubbly that she even comes and goes by bubble, in the Broadway blockbuster Wicked. She leapt to the small screen to play quirky media consultant Annabeth Schott in The West Wing. Then came quirky best friend to Nicole Kidman in Bewitched; quirky neighbor in Running With Scissors; and the quirky yet wise housewife in Four Christmases.

Not to short-sell the star’s formidable talents—with her wide eyes and warm, wry tone, Chenoweth was transfixing in each of those roles, proving why she should teach an actor’s master class on how to nail the perfect one-liner and walk away with a scene.

But it wasn’t until her next string of parts that the real breadth of her talent and range began surfacing. On Pushing Daisies, her Olive Snook was lonely, lovesick, and brokenhearted, while still positively hysterical. (Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy win.) On Glee, her fast-talking, show-tune-singing man-eater could barely hide her inner pain through her witty repartee. (Two Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations.) And back on Broadway for Promises, Promises, Chenoweth’s startling turn from grinning second banana to introspective ingenue earned her, perhaps unjustly, the most mixed reviews of her career.

Yeah, I get off on being on that happy high a lot. I get excited. I get inspired a lot, and I don’t hold back. But I can also be sad. I’ve battled depression.”

If dropping the always happy façade, erected through years of peppy roles and peppier talk-show appearances, turns some people off, that may be just fine with Chenoweth. “I definitely am that happy overall, broad strokes,” she says. “But there’s a couple of dark strokes in there, too. Yeah, I get off on being on that happy high a lot. I get excited. I get inspired a lot, and I don’t hold back. But I can also be sad. I’ve battled depression—I don’t think that’s a secret. I mean, I’m a woman.”

In Family Weekend, then, Chenoweth gets what may be her most womanly film role yet. She’s the distracted matriarch of a dysfunctional family. Her husband (Matthew Modine) is an absent and absent-minded artist; her teenage son (Eddie Hassell) pretends to be gay to make himself more interesting to his parents; her tween daughter (Joey King) pretends to be Jodie Foster’s adolescent prostitute character from Taxi Driver; and her youngest son (Robbie Tucker), when not mute, cannot tell a lie. The biggest problem child of the bunch, however, is 16-year-old Emily (Olesya Rulin), who gets so fed up by her parents’ self-involvement that she drugs them, ties them up in chairs, and keeps them under house arrest until they can work out their family issues.

Sure, Chenoweth’s delivery is as sharp as ever. But different this time is the coldness the actress—so perennially warm—gives the character, in addition to a series of flaws that aren’t adorably hapless or endearing, but instead downright unappealing. The film may not have the mass reach or win the accolades of some of her more blatantly bread-and-butter efforts, but it’s a bit of a revelatory moment as far as proving what Chenoweth is capable of doing as an actress.

“She’s dealt with anxiety and dealt with unrequited love, and things that people don’t want to see her do,” says Erin Dilly, a fellow Broadway actress who has been best friends with Chenoweth since first spotting her drowning in a fur coat 15 years ago, when they were co-stars in a Minneapolis regional production of Babes in Arms. “They want to be laughing at her because she’s so hilarious.”

That Chenoweth would be suited to a role that channels the bleaker parts of her past should come as no surprise. She’s always been an open book, whether talking candidly about her battles with depression or candidly answering criticism—from both sides—about her outspoken embrace of both her Christian faith and the gay community.

“She’s massively criticized for being a devout Christian, but she’s a Christian whose every single best friend is gay,” Dilly says. “If Kristin could be gay, she would be.” Chenoweth acknowledges the confusing tension her beliefs cause but remains unfazed by it. “It’s as important for me to talk about the Bible…as it is to talk about human rights,” she says. “It’s both who I am. In some people’s views, it’s a dichotomy. But it’s my own.”

As free as she’s been with her opinions, she’s always been the same with her emotion. Look at her zany appearance with Dave Letterman about tweeting on Ambien for proof of that. When she has an emotion, it just explodes out of her like one of those rafter-shaking high notes. For further proof, look at her gloriously batty, refreshingly nutty stint co-hosting ABC’s red carpet show before this year’s Oscars.

The whirling dervish of manic energy may not have been everybody’s favorite approach to the job—some critics, certainly, weren’t fans. But by the time the Oscars roll around, the actors have answered the same questions so many times that audiences can answer with them, and the interviewers grow more and more inane. (Giuliana Rancic did once, indeed, ask Brad Pitt if Angelina Jolie helps him find “his truth.”) It’s refreshing to see someone like Chenoweth let her fan-flag fly and gawk at Adele or ask Hugh Jackman to lift her, a much-needed power shot of energy before an endless three-hour affair.

(Of the night, Chenoweth says she remembers being very nervous, loving her dress, bonding with Bradley Cooper’s mother, and stealing an unusual moment with Anne Hathaway when their interview together was delayed. Chenoweth was mortified to make the future trophy winner wait. Hathaway said: “Actually, it’s calming. And it’s with you, so I’m happy.”)

In person, Chenoweth is nowhere close to that shot of Red Bull we saw on the red carpet and more like a soothing cup of chamomile tea. Occasionally corralling her dog, Maddie, as she mills about the interview suite, she rarely breaks eye contact, speaks calmly and deliberately, and is thoughtful and game to talk about almost anything. (Off limits: her recently ended romance with former Bachelor Jake Pavelka.)

“Really,” says Dilly. “She’s so much quieter and stiller in life than people think. She’d most like to be curled up on a couch with her godchildren, her dog, and a salad from the Olive Garden.”

An on-set injury last July kept her from completing what began as a very compelling arc on The Good Wife as a reporter. Lately she’s been starring in various drafts of a carousel of musicals that may land on Broadway: a stage version of the 1991 film Soapdish, a revival of the show On the Twentieth Century (Hugh Jackman recently joined her for a reading of that), and a Tammy Faye Bakker bio-musical that she’s been workshopping for years.

Each project offers Chenoweth a variation of that blend she explores in Family Weekend, a little bit of brooding to accompany the broad humor. At the very least, it’s a role that the star continues to play brilliantly in real life.

“My dad is sick with Alzheimer’s and I called Kristin the first night six months ago in tears because I didn’t think he could recognize me, he kept calling me the pretty girl with nice kids,” Dilly remembers. “She was really quiet, and I could hear she was crying. Then she said, ‘You know, honey, at least he thinks you’re pretty. He could’ve said you were homely and had asshole children.’ It’s a completely unique perspective in the world.”