Bill Hader is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after eight years on the show. The current season will be his last, according to the New York Times. He’ll make his final appearance as a cast member in Saturday’s season finale.

Hader has become such a versatile player that it’s hard to imagine “SNL” without him – and it sounds like he’s having a little trouble with it himself. “It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point,” Mr. Hader told the Times. “It got to a point where I said, ‘Maybe it’s just time to go.’ ”

Hader made a name for himself as a deft impressionist and a creator of hilarious characters like Italian talk show host Vinny Vedecci and frequent “Weekend Update” guest Stefon. Last year, he received an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series, a rare honor for a “Saturday Night Live” cast member.

Hader’s post “Saturday Night Live” schedule is already filling up. He’ll star in the upcoming film “The To-Do List,” written and directed by his wife, Maggie Carey.

This is the second major cast departure this spring. “SNL” star and head writer Seth Meyers has been tapped to take over Jimmy Fallon’s spot on “Late Night,” NBC announced Sunday. Meyers will begin at the 12:35 a.m. time slot next year when current host Jimmy Fallon moves to “The Tonight Show.”

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Christina Aguilera will resume her coaching duties on “The Voice” next season. She’ll replace Shakira, who occupied the spinny chair of judgment during Season Four. Christina was absent last season to promote her album, Lotus, according to Hollywood Life.

That wasn’t the only shakeup during “The Voice”’s fourth season – Usher also replaced original host Cee-Lo Green. So will Cee-Lo be back too, or is Usher a permanent coach now? And what of Blake Shelton and Adam Levine? No word yet on whether we’ll be seeing more new judges or a return to the original lineup in “The Voice”’s fifth season, but producer Mark Burnett suggests the coaching roster will be always be in flux. “Everybody can’t coach for life because when you have people with current recording in the game, this is not their job,” he says.

One thing seems certain: We’ll continue to hear far, far more about the superstar coaches of “The Voice” than, you know, the actual contestants.

Shakira and Usher made their debut on the season premiere of the singing competition back in March with a group performance of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Maybe for Shakira’s last episode they’ll go with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

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Taylor Swift will make her network TV debut on tonight’s season finale of “New Girl.” And it sounds like there may be singing.

According to Hollywood Life, in a brief cameo Taylor will play a girl who’s extremely obsessed with one of the male characters on the show. It’s unclear whether she’ll actually bust out her Guitar of Bitterness, but there will at least be talk of writing songs about ex-boyfriends.

So which “New Girl” boy catches Taylor’s eye? Ladies’ man Schmidt? Slacker Nick? In the promo below it’s Winston who makes a dive for the air ducts, so our money’s on him.

If she does snag Winston, maybe Taylor won’t have to worry so much about ending up alone. “I don’t want to end up being awful and intolerable. Alone. Laying in a marble bathtub by myself, like sad, with a glass of wine complaining that my life ended up alone because I pushed everyone away,” she told InStyle UK. “The typical Hollywood sad cliché of the poor lonely starlet with no one because she put up all these walls and didn’t trust anyone, that’s my fear.

“And that’s why I live my life the way I live my life, because I’d so much rather feel everything than end up like that.”

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After nearly a decade of suspense, “How I Met Your Mother” finally revealed the identity of Ted’s future beloved and the mother of his children on last night’s season eight finale. Spoiler alert: It’s Broadway star Cristin Milioti!

According to Hollywood Life, last night’s “HIMYM” finally dispelled the mystery that’s driven eight years of comedy by providing a face for the titular character. Milioti seems like a great choice for the long-running sitcom — she’s a perennial guest star on shows like “30 Rock” and “Nurse Jackie,” but she’s probably best known as the star of the Broadway musical “Once.”

Not that all suspense is gone from the show: The audience met Cristin’s yellow-umbrella-toting character, but Ted hasn’t yet. So we know who he’ll meet, but not how. Way to keep us on the hook, “HIMYM” — and hey, since you guys cast Cristin, we wouldn’t say no to a musical episode next season.

It seems likely that some of the “HIMYM” cast are as eager as its audience for the plot to get moving — its shooting schedule is said to have interfered with star Jason Segel’s social life. His relationship with Michelle Williams reportedly couldn’t survive their geographical differences, as Williams lives in New York City, while Segel’s gig keeps him in Los Angeles most of the time.

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Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has had a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer and says she hopes her story will inspire other women fighting the life-threatening disease.

Jolie wrote in the New York Times on Tuesday that the operation has made it easier for her to reassure her six children that she would not die young from cancer, like her own mother did at 56.

“We often speak of ‘Mommy’s mommy,’ and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me,” wrote Jolie, 37.

“I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene.”

The Oscar-winning actress said her doctors had estimated she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

“Once I knew this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy,” she said.

Partner and fellow Hollywood star Brad Pitt was by Jolie’s side through three months of treatment that ended late in April, she said. The two got engaged last year.

Jolie said that even though she had kept silent about her treatment while it was going on, she hoped her story would now help other women.

“I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested.”

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. It is estimated that one in 300 to one in 500 women carry a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation, as Jolie does.

Her decision was hailed by breast cancer patients and charities.

Richard Francis, head of research at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity in Britain, said it demonstrated the importance of educating women with the gene fault.

“For women like Angelina it’s important that they are made fully aware of all the options that are available, including risk-reducing surgery and extra breast screening,” Francis told Reuters.

Breast Cancer Campaign CEO Delyth Morgan said Jolie’s openness in talking about her experience and her decision to have surgery would raise awareness of the disease and its risk.

Jolie won a 1999 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Girl, Interrupted.”

She lends her star power to a range of humanitarian campaigns, including serving for more than 10 years as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

In April, she urged governments to step up efforts to bring wartime sex offenders to justice.

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Soul singer Aretha Franklin has pulled out of two upcoming performances because of health issues, the two concert venues said on Monday.

Franklin, 71, canceled a May 20 concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a May 26 solo performance at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

“It was canceled for medical reasons,” Foxwoods spokeswoman Dale Wolbrink said, declining to say what health issues caused the “Queen of Soul” to pull out of the May 26 show.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra said Franklin canceled her performance due to a “doctor’s recommendation for treatment during the time frame of May 20 and 26.”

R&B singer Janelle Monae will fill in for Franklin with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the organization said in a statement.

Franklin’s publicist did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Franklin, a towering figure in popular music during the 1960s and 1970s with such hits as “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” was forced to cancel a concert tour in 2010 to undergo surgery for an undisclosed health issue.

The singer is still scheduled to perform at two concerts in Canada and one in Michigan in June.

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Relax with Eric Roberson at Underground Arts
Credit: Eric Roberson

In an age of distant, aloof and withdrawn music stars, R&B standout Eric Roberson is anything but.

Roberson, the South Jersey resident headlining the Acoustic Soul Experience at Underground Arts on Thursday, makes it a point to be as social as he can on social media. For instance, he recently posted a photo of his two toddlers on the road with him.

“I keep some things private but I’m very happy and I’m very proud about my kids,” he says. “I put good energy out there and I get good energy. I stay mindful of not posting my address but at the same time I’m not hiding. It’s not been in my nature.”

The silken-voiced Roberson has become just about the biggest name in the R&B world without a major-label recording contract. He studied music at Howard University and started working in the industry in the 1990s, penning tracks for Dwele, Musiq Soulchild, Vivian Green and Will Downing, among others. Since then, Roberson has performed around the world and twice been nominated for a Grammy. He’s one of music’s leading storytellers of affairs of the heart — in the style of Pendergrass and Gaye — who not only presents top-rate grooves but also riveting tales of intrigue, fallibility and humanity.

“I was a guy lucky doing music and I’m lucky to be in front of people when I didn’t have a big-time label situation,” he says. “I walked out of the audience and got on stage to perform.”

These days, you can sometimes see him on stage in the new vocal supergroup United Tenors, also featuring Fred Hammond, Dave Hollister and Brian Courtney Wilson. UT has just released its eponymous debut album.

Yet, there’s still plenty of time for him to headline his own shows, as he’s doing at Underground Arts. Guitar-playing R&B singer Algebra is also on the bill.

“This is a little different acoustic show,” Roberson says. “I have some electric toys and pedals that lets me have the option of playing older songs as well as new songs.”

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Chef shuffles at beloved neighborhood joints tend to be a gamble for loyal patrons — often as not new blood at the kitchen’s helm results in unwelcome changes on the menu. If, however, you’re Jeremy Sewall — the culinary mastermind behind Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, the imminent Row 34, and Coolidge Corner’s Lineage — you have a knack for matching chefs with kitchens. Proof of this is Alex Sáenz, Sewall’s latest pick for chef de cuisine at Lineage.

Sáenz, who grew up in Lima, Peru, and South Carolina, brings classic Southern touches to the menu — think fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, pimento cheese on the burgers — and infuses his dishes with a few Peruvian flavors to spice things up. Keeping in Lineage’s tradition, Sáenz nails dishes that manage to be both challenging and comforting to the palate at once. Each plate is brilliantly logical in its components, but has one distinct showstopper (aji Amarillo peppers gracing a ceviche, sauce gribiche zinging up a plate of asparagus) woven into each bite. This means you can’t always put your finger on why every course is blowing your mind — you just know that it’s been blown.

Sáenz was most recently executive chef at Ten Tables’ Provincetown outpost; he officially took the helm at Lineage late this past February. So far, frequenters of the neighborhood mainstay can’t seem to get enough of the new menu, and Sáenz says he already feels a tremendously vocal support from the restaurant’s regulars. We sat down with him before a recent service to find out what he makes of his new digs.

Do you have anything specific you’d like to achieve during your time at Lineage?
For me, it’s all about branching out into a new neighborhood. I’ve cooked in several areas around Boston, but never Brookline. Plus, Jeremy has such an amazing following, and I wanted to see what it was like to be a part of that world. The farms that we work with, and the fishermen…a lot of people don’t get to tap into these specific vendors like he does. It’s just been so cool to have people know and trust him, and say to me, “You’re part of the family now,” just like that. I’ve worked with great chefs before, but Jeremy is just one of those people around town who really commands a lot of respect. Mostly, I’m just looking forward to getting to know the people of Brookline and surprising them a little bit.

How would you describe your relationship with Chef Sewall?
He’s just the nicest guy, of course. It’s funny, I actually interviewed for the head position over at Island Creek Oyster Bar when it opened, and Eastern Standard way back when, so we had met a few different times. It was one of those things that every time he looked at me he was like, “You’re not quite ready. Not that you couldn’t handle this, but you just need more time.” I had been doing a lot of fine dining, and he was looking for a little more relaxed of a style. He told me to keep doing what I was doing, and I did. Our rapport now is great, because there’s an understanding there. The fact that he trusts me to be here, and put something on the table that still resembles his vision, is amazing.

I would imagine it’s always difficult for a chef to release the reins to someone new.
It takes time to let go, definitely, and that’s the key that any chef will tell you: it’s hard to let go. This place has a reputation after seven years. But he knows my background, and he knows I’m not going to ruin that.

What’s the major difference between Lineage and any other restaurant you’ve worked for?
The family here is the first thing that comes to mind. Most restaurants have a lot of turnover in the kitchen, the front of house, managers, but all of these guys have been here for years. I’m the new guy. The way this place runs, it’s clear that there’s a serious standard that’s been set. The other restaurants I’ve worked in, they’ve wanted me to bring in my own style and change things up, and here, I mean, I could if they wanted me to, but it doesn’t need it. It’s such a smooth machine. The level of camaraderie is fantastic, and it’s stronger here than I’ve felt anywhere else.

Do you have a favorite dish on the menu at the moment?
I’ve been carrying the shrimp and grits with me for a very long time, and every time I put it on a menu, I’m always nervous about what the reaction will be. It’s such a simple thing, and people seem to gravitate to it, but I always worry if people will think it’s too pedestrian. Aside from that, this time of year is unbeatable. Ramp season! I think we have ramps in every dish right now. [laughs]

What’s the secret to perfect grits?
Patience, absolutely. We cook them for three or four hours, and we add a good amount of cheese and butter to make it creamy. Being a Southern kid, butter is number one! Besides that, you can’t beat getting good product from good people. You really don’t have to do much to it when the quality is there.

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Broadcast networks Fox and NBC are turning to proven favorites to lure new viewers next season, with Fox rebooting the defunct Kiefer Sutherland action series “24″ and NBC bringing back Michael J. Fox in a comedy loosely based on his life.

The two networks pitched their TV schedules to advertisers on Monday at the start of the “upfront” selling season, an annual rite when broadcasters try to persuade advertisers to shell out billions of dollars in advance for their new shows.

NBC and Fox need new hits to fill out their lineups, which may explain why both are bringing back stars from the past.

Prime time ratings at News Corp-owned Fox slumped 16.7 percent this year, according to Nielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based on live viewing and those who record and watch the show the same day. The decline stemmed largely from a dwindling audience for singing contest “American Idol.”

Viewership at Comcast-owned NBC remained flat this season while that of its rivals declined. NBC is so far in third place this year among total viewers based on same-day viewing but has been in the ratings cellar for years.

At a presentation at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt highlighted “The Michael J. Fox Show,” a new semi-autobiographical comedy about a father with Parkinson’s. Fox starred on NBC in 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.”

The network also announced the return of “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes to its schedule in “Sean Saves the World,” a sitcom about a divorced gay dad, and trumpeted its broadcast of the Winter Olympics early next year.

Greenblatt said the network’s performance needs to improve.

“We have no illusions about how much work is ahead of us in order to grow our business,” Greenblatt told advertisers at the presentation.

Jay Leno, who will be replaced by comedian Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in early 2014, joked in a video duet with Fallon about NBC’s struggles.

“Who knows? We may beat Univision,” Leno sang. NBC lost the February sweeps ratings period this year to Spanish-language network Univision.

Fallon told the crowd to send any complaints about the late night schedule to Greenblatt and flashed an authentic email address for the NBC executive on the screen.

Attendees at NBC’s event said they were impressed with the initial glimpses of the Michael J. Fox comedy as well as drama “The Blacklist,” which stars James Spader as an ex-government agent who is one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives.

“‘Blacklist’ stood out to me. I thought it was high drama,” said Greg McLelland, vice president of national sales for Canadian firm Shaw Media, following the event.

Fox also unveiled five new comedies and four dramas. They include “Dads,” the first live-action comedy from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, and “Almost Human,” from J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost.”.

Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said that Fox was making “the biggest investment” to date in programming for Fox but declined to comment on the amount.

Reilly said it was likely “American Idol,” which lost 20 percent of its audience this season, would have three judges next year rather than four. Last week, veteran judge Randy Jackson said he would be leaving the show after 12 years.

Wall Street analysts expect broadcast networks to have to settle for lower ad rate increases than they have enjoyed in recent years.

Average prime time ratings this season have declined 7.5 percent at the four broadcast networks as they compete with cable hits like “The Walking Dead” and “Duck Dynasty,” and streaming services like Netflix Inc.

Netflix, in a bid to shift attention away from the broadcast networks, had a man in a banana suit give out stickers to ad executives outside of the NBC upfront. The stunt promoted “Arrested Development,” a former Fox network sitcom that the Internet streaming service is reviving this month online.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co, will present its new schedule to advertisers on Tuesday, followed by CBS on Wednesday.

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The Philly arts scene is progressive enough that when you hear about a trapeze show that delves into the world of queer culture and gender blurring, it sounds like any other Thursday night. Enter “Invert!,”  an aerial-arts show being put on by Tangle Movement Arts, a women’s circus arts organization, that pairs impressive physical feats with feminism.

With just two little syllables and an exclamation point, the performance’s title provides a fair amount of insight. “’Invert!’ connects a nod to queer history — ‘invert’ being a 19^th-century term for gender non-conformitism — with the basic shape of circus arts: a body upside down,” says Tangle Movement Arts founder Lauren Rile Smith. “‘Invert!’ presents an evening of upended expectations.”

For those who believe circus arts to be just a bunch of spinning and dangling from ropes, your expectations will not only be “upended,” as Smith says, they will be shattered. Along with glitter and sequins you’ll see fire, power tools, and according to Smith, “drag-inspired diva fabulousness.” As for the auditory experience, you’ll hear are monologues, duets and violin solos courtesy of the Carnegie Hall-playing, Julliard-attending wunderkind Caeli Smith.

The topic of gender, with all its political branches, is boundless, and that’s what makes trapeze a great venue for discussion. Sure, there’s the drastic juxtaposition between flames or power tools and silk ropes and physical flexibility, but the nuances are there, too. Pay close attention to the interactions — the back and forth — between performers, and the difference in their individual presentation. “In a Tangle show, performers display a wide range of body types, gender presentations, and relationships — whether those are relationships of support, antagonism, flirtation, or partnership,” Smith says. It’s obvious that this performance will be no exception.

Look familiar?

You may not realize it, but it’s possible that you’ve seen these performers before. Tangle Movement Arts has put on several free outdoor acrobatic shows under the name “tinycircus.” They’ve performed at craft fairs and community events throughout the city, with a focus in West Philly.

If you go

May 16-May 18

The Rotunda

4014 Walnut St.

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Boston Ballet Director Mikko Nissinen put together a perfect trio of ballets, making “Chroma” (which closed last night) the best program of the season. It’s modern, classic and mesmerizing — with works from two groundbreaking choreographers.

Serenade
All eyes on the ladies as they take to the stage in this George Balanchine masterpiece. Originally created as a technique lesson, “Serenade,” set to Tchaikovsky is comprised of four movements with the corps de ballet in pale blue leotards with long tulle skirts. Ashley Ellis has the breakout performance — literally letting her hair down as she graces the stage with pose and perfection.

Chroma
The headliner is cutting edge innovation — both in its choreography and music. Premiering in London in 2006, Royal Ballet resident choreographer Wayne McGregor stages five couples in flesh tone leotards in a giant white shadow box and expands the pit with percussionists housed in the Opera House balconies. It’s nonstop elastic energy is paired with music by Joby Talbot and Jack White (yes, that Jack White, of The White Stripes). “Chroma” is like a live version of a James Bond opening credit.

Symphony in C
The final piece, also by Balanchine, is purely exceptional, traditional ballet. Dressed in tutus and tiaras — the four movements are led by Misa Kuranaga, Lia Cirio, Kathleen Breen Combes (super great with partner Jerffrey Cirio!) and Whitney Jensen. By the end, 50+ dancers are in perfect sync and organized patterns leaving the audience wanting more from all three performances.

Here’s hoping that the company’s season-closing production, “Coppelia,” proves as enthralling. For more information visit bostonballet.org

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The small, boyhood home of rock legend Little Richard has been spared the wrecking ball and will be moved to make way for an interstate highway, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The piano-pounding performer who became internationally known for his 1950s songs, “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” was born in Macon, about 90 miles south of Atlanta, during the Great Depression. Known for his pompadour hairstyle and flamboyant costumes, he is now 80 year old and living in Tennessee.

The two-bedroom home in a poor neighborhood of Macon was facing demolition for an interstate highway expansion but will be purchased by the Georgia Department of Transportation and moved three blocks where it will be converted into a neighborhood meeting place, state transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale told Reuters.

The renovated home will include historical information on the lives of Little Richard, whose real name is Richard Penniman, and other prominent people in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, said Sam Henderson, executive assistant to Macon Mayor Robert Reichert.

The two-bedroom, 850 square-foot home, was constructed in 1920 and is valued at $21,781, according to Bibb County property tax records. By contrast, Little Richard’s current home in Lynchburg, Tennessee has 5,900 square feet of space, is on 13.9 acres and is valued at $367,000, according to Moore County, Tennessee property records.

Little Richard was among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 along with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and James Brown.

On Saturday, Mercer University in Macon awarded Penniman an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

“He is a hero to this community,” Henderson said.

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For Lucy Knisley, the decision to create an illustrated memoir was easy. “Food is something that interests me, and comics are how I tell my stories, so it was a natural decision to make comics about food,” she says about the impetus for her new memoir, “Relish: My Life in the Kitchen,” a hybrid kitchen how-to and memoir.

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The ‘Arrested Development’ Bluth’s Original Banana Stand has landed in New York City.

The banana stand was across from Radio City Music Hall on Monday.

According to Angelina Levy, who took the above photos, the lines by Radio City Music Hall were very long.

“The line was incredibly long and stretched far around the block,” Levy said. “I thought they might run out of bananas.”

Don’t fret if you couldn’t make it today. The banana stand will be in New York City for another three days, through Thursday, May 15.

Tomorrow’s location is Columbus Circle from noon to 7 p.m.

“Everyone seemed excited to get free frozen bananas and possibly catch a glimpse of someone from the ‘Arrested Development’ cast,” Levy said.

According to Gothamist, 1,500 frozen bananas are available each day. When the bananas run out, fans will likely be given a chance to go into the banana stand. They will also distribute stickers and photos.

Terry Crews, who is guest-starring on the new Arrested Development season on Netflix, will make an appearance at the banana stand tomorrow at Columbus Circle from noon to 1 p.m.

We leave you with one of our favorite ‘Arrested Development’ quotes about frozen bananas.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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For Lucy Knisley, the decision to create an illustrated memoir was easy. “Food is something that interests me, and comics are how I tell my stories, so it was a natural decision to make comics about food,” she says about the impetus for her new memoir, “Relish: My Life in the Kitchen,” a hybrid kitchen how-to and memoir. Here’s how she cooked it up.

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  View Slideshow

  PHOTOS: Artwork from Lucy Knisley’s memoir, ‘Relish: My Life in the Kitchen’

Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe; how did you pick these recipes?
The recipes are simple and familiar to me, and pertain to the chapter previous. I wanted to share some of my favorites, and allow readers to think about food abstractly, through the stories and then, more directly, through the recipes.

Which is your favorite food to draw? Which is the most challenging?
Favorite food to draw is probably the croissant– they’re such fun shapes, and I’ve had a lot of practice with drawing them. My least favorite is probably the kind of food that might taste delicious, but look like brown goo -— like curry or stew. It’s hard to get across what it is through drawing, and that can be frustrating.

Is there some food you just can’t do?
Can’t eat or can’t draw? I think I could draw any food! I had the opportunity in Korea not long ago to try eating live octopus. It’s a little dangerous, as the octopus can choke you on the way down if you don’t fully chew it up first, and while I eat meat, I just couldn’t chew up a live creature in my mouth — especially one so cute. Pass.

When did you realize that food was something to cherish rather than fear?
I’ve never feared food– always loved it. It’s something inherent in my upbringing, to love and to be curious about food. There’s a lot to fear nowadays, of course, but it’s important to remember that food is a shared human experience and can open us up to new experiences that connect us with one another, which is not to be feared.

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Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch will star as tyrannical orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie.’

Lynch will play the part starting Wednesday, May 15 for eight weeks, through Sunday, July 14.

‘Annie’ is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. It is playing on Broadway at the Palace Theatre.

Lynch is known for her role in the hit FOX television show “Glee,” as cruel cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester.

The rest of the cast includes Australian actor Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks and 11-year-old Lilla Crawford as Annie. Brynn O’Malley plays Grace Farrell and Clarke Thorell as Rooster Hannigan.

Tickets for ‘Annie’ are available through ticketmaster.com.

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According to Indiewire, the specialty/indie/alternative box office wasn’t exactly on fire this weekend.

Only one debut performed with any strength. Luckily, that was Sarah Polley’s rather good “Stories We Tell,” an account of her family history that’s oddly interesting even before it hits us with a crazy left-field revelation. It grossed $31,000 from two theaters, for a $15,500 average. That, as per Indiewire, puts it on track with other recent hit documentaries, such as “Searching for Sugarman” (which went on to gross $3,657,684 and win the Best Documentary Oscar) and “Queen of Versailles” (which netted $2,401,999).

No one much saw “No One Lives,” the horror/thriller from the director of the similarly doomed “Midnight Meat Train.” That raked in $45,900, slightly more than “Stories We Tell” did, but from 53 theaters, for a sad $866 average.

Everyone loves “Mud,” though. The Matthew McConaughey drama, which features a couple of walk-ons from Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon, went from 576 screens to 854, and grossed another $2,343,400, taking it to a $8,363,379 total.

For more, see Indiewire.

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The sisters of the band Haim, pronounced like the word ‘time’, are a bunch of California girls.

Este, Danielle and Alana Haim are typical 20 somethings. They love Kendrick Lamar and throw dance parties – only their dance-offs involve Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine.

They just started releasing music last year and are already blowing up. They’re currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their first studio album.

“We can only have one first album,” Este, the oldest sister, tells Metro from her Los Angeles home. “We want to make sure we love it.”

The new album will include some singles from previous EPs as well as new music. Once it’s done, they embark on tour and hit up some of the major summer music festivals.

In the United States, they’re playing Governors Ball in New York City, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee and the Made in America festival in Philadelphia. The sisters will also travel across the pond to play festivals in the United Kingdom such as the Glastonbury.

For the Haim sisters, music is a family affair.

Their dad played the drums and their mom was a guitar player and singer. Their grandmother was a piano teacher. The family would gather in the living room playing oldies such as “Brown Eyed Girl.”

“Our dad put us on the drums as soon as we could hold our heads up,” Este says. “At that point we were just banging on things.”

As high schoolers, the girls tinkered with other bands.

“When I was in high school I was in a couple of bands and simultaneously in a band with my family,” Este says. “Nothing ever felt as good as when I played with them. My sisters are much better musicians than the dudes I played with.”

Este has a hard time describing Haim’s exact genre of music.

They’ve been compared to Fleetwood Mac. Este says the music Danielle, the middle sister, first wrote resembled that of Michael Jackson.

The girls have an eclectic taste in music. They listened to the oldies radio stations, and when they were good, their parents let them listen to Top 40. While helping their mom with dishes, they listened to the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack. With their dad, it was nothing but funk.

“We grew up listening to everything,” Este says. “We take from so many genres of music and time periods … we can’t describe our music as one genre. The lines are kind of blurred now.”

In addition to the band, the sisters are also inseparable friends. Este and Alana live together in a Los Angeles home Este is convinced is haunted.

“Things inexplicably fly off walls,” she says. “Our house is inhabited by Casper.”

Their other sister Danielle lives a five-minute walk away.

“We work together, but the thing is, when we’re not working, we’re still hanging out,” Este says. “We spend a lot of time together and it’s not because we have to but because we want to. We always have the most fun when we’re together.”

If you go

New York
June 8
Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn
(718) 963-3369
brooklynbowl.com

June 9
Governos Ball –Randall’s Isand
governorsballmusicfestival.com

Philadelphia
August 31
Made in America Festival
www.madeinamericafest.com

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post Meet the Haim sisters appeared first on Metro.us.

Playwright Robert O’Hara sums up his play “Bootycandy” with the tagline “Everybody is welcome, no one is safe.” Which should serve as fair warning to audiences to expect something that will delight in both embracing and offending their sensibilities.

“You deserve what you get if you come to a play called ‘Bootycandy’ and you’re not prepared for something outrageous,” O’Hara says. “I think theater is like a bus; you get on and you can’t tell the bus driver, ‘Go faster,’ or ‘Drop me off at my door,’ or ‘Stop so I can pick up some food.’ You’re on this bus and it’s going to go at this pace down these routes and you’re here to experience it and get off when you need to. There’s a stimulating danger.”

The show ranges from the pulpit to the street corner, and references pop culture icons from Michael Jackson to Jackie Collins. However, the audacious title comes from O’Hara’s childhood. “It’s one of those little silly names that parents make up instead of saying the explicit names for your private parts. My parents and grandparents used to say ‘bootycandy.’ My mother claims they said ‘boo boo candy,’ as if that makes more sense, but I think her memory has lapsed.”

On a more concrete level, O’Hara, who will direct his play at the Wilma starting Wednesday, describes “Bootycandy” as “a variety show based around the themes of sexuality, family and hilarity.” He likens the series of interlocking sketches as akin to watching “Saturday Night Live” or “In Living Color” or, perhaps more accurately, attending an old-fashioned vaudeville show.

“In vaudeville you would go and see strippers and magic acts and animal acts and a little bit of blue humor. I’ve seen people watching the show get offended, and then out of nowhere they’re rolling on the floor because there’s such silliness involved. There’s no huge statement that I’m trying to make, no message — just enjoy yourself.”

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Simon Pegg reprises his role as Scotty, chief engineer aboard the Enterprise in “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Credit: Getty Images

It’s hard to think of a geek who’s had better luck than Simon Pegg. In his career he’s impressed one of his favorite filmmakers, George A. Romero, with his ode to him, “Shaun of the Dead.” And he’s become Scotty, chief engineer aboard the starship Enterprise, in J.J. Abrams’ much-loved reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise. That success has led Abrams to be tapped for rival franchise “Star Wars”‘s sequels, although Pegg isn’t harassing his boss for spoilers.

First of all, tell me what it was like wearing that hairy suit all day. Did it get hot?
Um, the hairy suit?

Was Harrison Ford difficult to work with?
I knew that was about Chewbacca.

People who get ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’ confused — does that infuriate you?
You can’t expect everyone to know. It’s like when you follow a certain religion and you think everyone celebrates Christmas. They don’t!

There’s a new ‘Star Wars’ film coming, obviously, from ‘Into Darkness’ director J.J. Abrams. What’s your strategy to get J.J. to tell you something about it?
I don’t need a strategy. If J.J. wants to tell you something he will, and if he doesn’t it’s because he wants to keep things close to his chest.

So you didn’t get him drunk or anything?
I respect him too much for that. I’m very happy to be kept in the dark because I haven’t seen a good “Star Wars” film since “Return of the Jedi.”

OK, on to ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’ The scene where the spaceship is going all over the place and you and Chris Pine are jumping around and hanging off railings. Is that look on your face genuine terror?
It was more pain. I had to hang from Chris’ hand and the harness could only go from my one hip so I was slightly skewed. But no, it was all acting. My 3-year-old daughter was on set that day and she assumed that’s what my job was. Hanging. She was like, “Are you going to hang today, daddy?”

Scotty doesn’t manage to hold on to the bar and is saved by a much stronger Capt. Kirk. Ever been like, man, I really wish I had Chris’ body?
You should feel his arms. They’re like oak. We’d go to the gym together and it was amazing how the female contingent would start gravitating towards him. Nobody paid me any attention. But no, I was pretty buff at the time!

Maybe you should have been the one holding Chris up.
It was really hard to do the catch because we were both sweating.

You guys should have had that chalk you wear in gym class to stop your hands from slipping.
It’s not that easy to get on a falling starship…

Sweat patches aren’t a sexy look. Are those space suits sweatproof?
Totally. I defy you to find a sweat patch in the movie.

You and Nick Frost have appeared in ‘Shaun of the Dead,’ ‘Hot Fuzz’ and other films together. If you could, what part would you give him in ‘Star Trek’?
I’d love him to play Harry Mudd from the original ’66 series. But I wouldn’t necessarily want him to be in it and I don’t think he would want to either. It’s not like we have to come as a package.

You don’t have a love interest in this movie….
What about my little guy? That’s my love interest. The little fellow. We’re a unit. We’re married.

Your little alien assistant? But you don’t even get to kiss it.
I don’t kiss it.

It would be hard to.
He needs a bit of moisturizing. His face is a little rocky.

But if you could, who would you share a kiss with, Alice Eve or Zoe Saldana?
That’s not a choice any man could make. They’re both as gorgeous as each other. They come in and everyone is just like, “WOW.”

Wolf whistles and all?
We try not to be as crass as that. We’ll do it behind their backs. Sneaky.

Speaking of sneaky: Benedict Cumberbatch’s character is really creepy. How do you deal with bad guys like him in real life?
You come across people like that on a Saturday night, drunk and in the mood for a fight. You can see that longing for violence.

Have you ever picked up on it?
I tend not to go out. But it’s a testament to Benedict’s acting in that he’s possibly one of the sweetest people. I did see him get carb rage once. He was working out for a shower scene that didn’t end up in the movie — a lot of girls will be disappointed — and he’d had no carbohydrates for two days. That’s as close as he gets to showing any kind of madness.

Your character, Scotty, is Scottish. What’s your favorite nightcap? And whom would you share it with?
Sparkling water; I don’t drink. Probably my wife.

Not a fellow actor? Have you met everyone in Hollywood that you’ve wanted to meet, as a fan?
I don’t think you could ever meet everybody. L.A. is like one of those safari parks where you can walk amongst the animals. You see, like, Jeff Goldblum in the supermarket.

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Jack Bauer is set to have another pretty terrible day, as Fox’s real-time action series “24″ will return next year with a limited-run, 12-episode series, “24: Live Another Day,” the network announced this week. Series star Kiefer Sutherland will return as anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, whom he played for eight seasons until the show wrapped up in 2010. For this new, condensed version, the 12 one-hour episodes will cover another 24-hour period in Bauer’s life.

“The response to ’24′ is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before,” says Sutherland. “To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. The story ideas from Howard Gordon are exciting and fresh and will not disappoint.”

The 12-episode series is set to debut in the summer of 2014 on Fox. Sutherland most recently starred on Fox’s drama series “Touch,” which was canceled last week. A movie version of the series had been discussed for several years, but development of that project has stalled.

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The 2013 Cannes film festival opens on Wednesday with Baz Luhrmann’s 3D version of “The Great Gatsby,” a lavish throwback to the Roaring Twenties that befits the glamor and excess of the world’s biggest cinema showcase.

The Australian director’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel starring Leonardo DiCaprio surprised some Hollywood insiders, because Cannes traditionally launches on the palm-lined French Riviera with a splashy world premiere.

But “The Great Gatsby” has already opened in the United States to mixed reviews and solid box office, potentially dampening buzz surrounding the start of 12 days of screenings, champagne-fueled parties and dealmaking.

Stars expected to face a phalanx of flash bulbs along the red carpet include Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Ryan Gosling, Emma Watson and Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan.

Their pictures will undergo one of the most grueling tests in moviemaking — pleasing Cannes’ notoriously picky critics, who regularly boo as the credits roll if they are unhappy.

And behind the scenes at the event, up to 40,000 film professionals will be seeking to buy and sell the next box office hit at the most important movie market of the year.

“This is the hardest 10 days of the year for me. There are always three or four movies that are exceptional and you have to find them so it is a detective job,” said Tom Bernard, co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics.

Critics have praised the selection of films being screened at the 66th Cannes festival, saying it is a strong, well-curated list ranging from hotly anticipated potential crowd-pleasers to beautifully crafted, artistic cinema.

Strong U.S. showing

American directors have their biggest showing in six years in the main competition at Cannes, making up five of 20 films vying for the coveted Palme D’Or for best picture awarded by a jury headed by Steven Spielberg on the final day, May 26.

Steven Soderbergh’s “Behind the Candelabra,” starring Douglas as the gay pianist Liberace and Damon as his young lover, is already generating huge interest, particularly as Soderbergh has hinted that this could be his last movie.

Also in focus is Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Inside Llewyn Davis” about New York’s gritty 1960s folk music scene, James Gray’s “The Immigrant,” Jim Jarmusch’s vampire movie “Only Lovers Left Alive” and Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska.”

French filmmakers are also well represented with five films in the main competition, including Roman Polanski’s French-language “La Venus a la Fourrure” (Venus in Fur), a backstage drama starring his wife Emmanuelle Seigner.

Two Japanese movies are in the running and one each from China, Chad, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia, Italy and the Netherlands, while Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Only God Forgives” with Ryan Gosling in a Thai gangland thriller is creating buzz.

Critics have earmarked “Le Passe” by Iran’s Asghar Farhadi and “Like Father, Like Son” by leading Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda as strong domestic dramas. Farhadi won an Oscar for best foreign language film in 2012 for “A Separation.”

Despite criticism of an all-male lineup last year, only one female director has made the 2013 competition. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, sister of former French first lady Carla Bruni, is in the field with “Un Chateau en Italie.”

The sidebar section, Un Certain Regard, set up to recognize young filmmakers, will feature 19 films including “The Bling Ring” by Sofia Coppola starring Harry Potter actress Emma Watson about a real-life gang stealing from celebrities’ homes.

“It is a strong line-up this year looking at the names of the directors, especially those in competition,” said Wendy Mitchell, editor of the magazine Screen International.

“There are some very sellable films this year, and the fact that business was down at the Berlin festival (in February) usually means that there will be keen buyers at Cannes.”

Out of competition, hundreds of films will be shown in special sessions while 4,000 or so films, many yet to be made, will be haggled over in meetings along the Croisette, the resort’s chic promenade, or on extravagant yachts moored nearby.

Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said he never had time to go to screenings but used Cannes to build buzz for new films including the second and third “Hunger Games” movies.

“You meet with distributors every 30 minutes and it really is like going to the dentist,” said Wachsberger. “The business seems more complicated than it used to be and a bit more frantic, but the money at stake is higher and it’s a bigger gamble.”

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And, thank the gods of comedy and Internet buzz, it looks like it’s still funny. (What is also funny is how few people gave a crap about this show while it was on the air and how many, many, many people became invested in it once it was gone. But such is the way of these things.)

The gang’s all here in this trailer that looks like it picks up right where it abruptly left off seven years ago — Gob, Buster, Lucille, George Michael and co. haven’t missed a beat in their knack for dysfunctional hilarity and talent for non sequiturs. Plus, the awesome Judy Greer is back as Kitty Sanchez. It’s safe to say we’re as pleased about this as the rest of the world.

Now if only the cast of ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ would make good on those long-standing prequel rumors…

The post VIDEO: Arrested Development trailer is live and, oh good, it still looks funny appeared first on Metro.us.

Teenage pop star Justin Bieber appears to have given up on his pet monkey, which was seized by German customs officials in March, according to the animal shelter looking after Mally.

The 19-year-old singer has until Friday to hand in the necessary paperwork to retrieve his capuchin monkey, which was seized at Munich airport during a concert tour.

“Bieber’s lawyers have indicated they would like to leave the monkey,” said Judith Brettmeister, spokeswoman for the shelter caring for Mally. “From an animal rights perspective, it would have been better to do that before, as he is being kept well here but not with other members of his own species.”

Brettmeister says Mally, who was around 14 weeks old when confiscated, had been taken away from its mother too early and needed to receive veterinary care.

“But it is now jumping around, learning slowly to climb and to use its tail,” she said.

Franz Boehmer, from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation said Bieber had only a few days left to retrieve Mally before he automatically became German property.

Mally will be transferred from the shelter to a zoo to learn to get along with other monkeys, Boehmer said.

“I’m afraid we can’t reveal details on where Mally will be taken, as we are worried about the hype surrounding the monkey,” said Boehmer. “We want to calmly integrate the animal into a group of its own species.”

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A look back at the career of Barbara Walters.

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Rob Lowe is marking quite the occasion, and he doesn’t mind sharing about it. “Celebrating 23 years sober tonight,” the “Parks and Recreation” star posted to Twitter recently. “It works if you work it.”

Lowe quit drinking after entering rehab in 1990, which he described in his 2011 memoir, ”Stories I Only Tell My Friends,” as “one of the most exhilarating, liberating and exciting four weeks of my life.” For those keeping track, Lowe sobered up about a year after his disastrous Academy Awards performance with a woman dressed as Snow White.

“Problem is, people go into rehab and they’re not ready,” Lowe explained to CNN’s Piers Morgan when he went on his show to promote his book. “You want to get sober for your parents, you want to get sober for your job, you want to get sober for the cops, you want to get sober to protect your image. A lot of good reasons, by the way, but unfortunately the only thing that works is that you have to want to get sober for you. So, I was ready. And so if they told me, ‘Hey, Lowe, you’ve got to go stand in the corner on your head,’ I would have done it.”

I’m guessing that 23 years sober is the reason why the man appears immortal.

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“I love my momma. Great night tonight,” Justin tweeted. He included a picture of his mom, Pattie Mallette, onstage with him as he tackle-hugged her from behind, and gave her a dozen roses.

Justin Bieber saluted his mom onstage on Mother’s Day.

Pattie was a much more welcome guest onstage than at Justin’s recent Dubai concert, when a male fan rushed the stage. Bieber was seated, playing his song “Believe” on the piano, when the fan, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, ran on to the stage and appeared to grab the 19-year-old Canadian superstar.

Selena Gomez looks to be sharing her mom with a new sibling soon.

As for Selena Gomez, it looks like she may soon have to share her mom with a little brother or sister. She tweeted a pic of her mother, Mandy Cornett, looking very pregnant. “Hope all the amazing moms had a great day! I have the best momma in the world :)) I love you so much!” Selena wrote.

So Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez both love their moms. They both love hugging those moms from behind. They both love Twitter. Sounds like a perfect couple. But Selena doesn’t agree: On Friday, she told Boston’s KISS 108 that she’s “completely available.”

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A poll of America’s musical tastes says the nation cannot stand Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, although it has more time for Adele and Beyonce.

Meanwhile, if we had to choose a star to be president, it would be Justin Timberlake. And Republicans have not yet forgotten the political activism of John Lennon and prefer 1950s music above all others, according to the polling carried out by Public Policy Polling.

The organization split its polling into two sections.

Day one of the survey showed widespread support for a variety of music genres among the American public — but pretty solid agreement that Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Chris Brown were no longer in favor. PPP found that only 20% of those asked liked Bieber, against 54% who said they positively did not. The remainder were undecided.

Lady Gaga’s disapproval rating was 29-50, while Chris Brown’s was even worse, 13-57. Jay-Z (25-44) and Rihanna (30-39) also fell into negative territory. But for Bieber, it got worse, as his disapproval crossed party lines. Neither Republicans nor Democrats could stand him, with his ratings standing at 23-54 among Democrats, 17-52 among Republicans and 18-56 among independents.

When asked who they’d most like to see as president if given the choices of Adele, Bieber, Beyonce, Brown, Jay-Z, Timberlake, Gaga or Rihanna, 34% chose Timberlake, with Adele (19%) and Beyonce (14%) also receiving double digits, followed by Jay-Z (9%), Gaga (9%), Bieber (8%), Brown (5%) and Rihanna (2%).

Classical music (77 favorable-13 unfavorable), country (71-23), jazz (71-20), pop (59- 26), R&B (58-27) and rock music (65-26) all received favorable reviews from voters. Respondents were less charitable towards rap (19 favorable-68 unfavorable).

Dubstep received a 14 favorable and 38 unfavorable rating, with 47% not sure. Voters were split in their opinion on “today’s popular music”, with 45% rating it favorable, 37% unfavorable and 19% not sure. When asked their favorite musical genre, 24% chose country, 22% classical, 16% rock and 12% pop, with R&B and jazz each earning 6%, dubstep 2% and rap 1%.

Day two of the poll asked respondents for their opinions of the biggest music stars of the past few decades.

Here, distinct political differences started to emerge. When asked which decade of music they preferred, Republicans voted for the 1950s while Democrats went for the 1960s.

PPP noted: “Voters overall have extremely favorable reviews of Elvis Presley (73-14), The Beatles (76-15), The Rolling Stones (61-26) and the Beach Boys (74-16).”

But they have split favorability perspectives on Michael Jackson (48-44). Kurt Cobain, overall, is unpopular (25-44), and Madonna also falls the wrong side of the divide (36-51).

But there’s a political divide over opinions of Jackson and Madonna.

“There’s a massive 54-point party divide on Michael Jackson – Democrats have a favorable view of him at 59-30, Republicans are flipped and view him unfavorably by a 34-59 margin. The same with Madonna – Democrats narrowly view her favorably (43-41) while Republicans strongly dislike her (21-68),” said PPP.

Paul McCartney is the favorite Beatle (41% chose him), with 29% opting for John Lennon, 12% for Ringo Starr and 11% for George Harrison. But even this vote showed a political divide.

“The party disagreements even extend to favorite Beatle – Democrats choose John over Paul (39-36) while Republicans strongly prefer Paul over John (49-15) – it seems Republicans still haven’t forgiven Lennon for his strong political activism. Overall, Democrats (84-10) like The Beatles more than Republicans (66-24),” said PPP.

Most voters (30%) chose Lennon and McCartney when asked who they thought was the best songwriting partnership of all time.

Just 14% of voters admit they have illegally downloaded music from the internet, while 86% claim to have not.

The post PHOTOS: Americans don’t like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Rihanna; but Justin Timberlake ‘should be president’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour banned a number of celebrities from attending last week’s Met gala, including Kim Kardashian’s mom Kris Jenner and all the Real Housewives, according to Radar.

“Anna approves every star who enters and although she finally relented on Kim, she drew the line at Kris, who was desperate to attend,” says a source.

It’s not surprising that Wintour, whose lofty standards are legendary, would slap a “Maximum Kardashian Occupancy: 1” sign on the Met gala. But wouldn’t it be kind of awesome to see what Kris Jenner wore? This year’s theme was punk, and Kris and the Real Housewives would have been some of the only attendees old enough to remember it.

Of course, this is hardly the worst Kardashian-related charity scandal of late: ESPN says Lamar Odom’s charity, Cathy’s Kids, which was started in 2004 in honor of Odom’s mother, who died from stomach cancer, has raised $2.2 million but not one cent has gone to cancer-related causes. Instead, it appears the money has gone to two things: the charity’s “executive,” Jerry DeGregorio, who happened to be the best man in Kardashian’s and Odom’s wedding, and two elite youth basketball travel teams. It’s important to note that none of the kids in that elite basketball team seems to be battling cancer in between traveling to games.

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“Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie is engaged, she revealed this morning on the show. Guthrie was all smiles as she debuted a gorgeous engagement ring from her new fiance, political consultant Mike Feldman.

Savannah’s coworkers rushed to congratulate her via Twitter, as Miss Manners demands. “Big news from Savannah!” Matt Lauer tweeted, along with a picture of a beaming Savannah sporting some serious bling.

Chuck Todd, meanwhile, kept his eye on what’s really important: The finish on the “Today” show furniture. “Hey @feldmike, it’s clear @SavannahGuthrie is doing serious damage to the @todayshow table. So exciting,” he tweeted. I assume he meant that her diamond scratched the varnish, but I prefer to imagine that she’s so overcome with romantic excitement that she’s turned into a table-smashing hulk.

The gang at “Today” are probably relieved to have some good news to share. They’ve had a rocky road in the ratings and in public opinion polls since Savannah Guthrie replaced Ann Curry as Matt Lauer’s co-host last June.

“For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I am sorry I could not carry the ball across the finish line. But man, I did try,” Ann Curry told viewers in an emotional farewell.

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