A reunion of Hamilton stars, a three-night tribute to Wendy Wasserstein, and more.

The 89th Annual Academy Awards are held February 26 in Los Angeles.

Now in its 27th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals will invite theatre producers from around the world to New York City to preview eight new shows in development Oct 15-16. Tony Award-nominee Sarah Stiles (Hand to God), Jake Epstein (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Emily Padgett (Side Show), Zell Steele Morrow (Fun Home) and Emmy Raver-Lampman (Hamilton) are the latest to join the star-studded casts.

BETTY BUCKLEY
I had the pleasure of attending the screening of "Betty Buckley: In Performance & In Person" this past Tuesday evening at the The Players Club in Gramercy Park. The documentary, which includes footage from Buckley's most recent Bottom Line gig, will delight BB's fans, both new and old. The 84-minute film -- to be aired some time next year on American television -- also features interviews with Buckley and many of her strongest advocates: writer Peter Stone; actor F. Murray Abraham; producers Roger Hess and Kevin Duncan; actress Ellen Burstyn, who became a fan and friend of Buckley's after seeing her in Sunset Boulevard (she subsequently returned to catch her performance in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical three more times); composer Stephen Schwartz (who changed the sheet music to "Meadowlark" after hearing Buckley's wonderful interpretation of that Baker's Wife tune); pianist/musical conductor Kenny Werner; as well as her mom, Betty Bob Buckley, and brother Norman.

BETTY BUCKLEY
I had the pleasure of attending the screening of "Betty Buckley: In Performance & In Person" this past Tuesday evening at the The Players Club in Gramercy Park. The documentary, which includes footage from Buckley's most recent Bottom Line gig, will delight BB's fans, both new and old. The 84-minute film -- to be aired some time next year on American television -- also features interviews with Buckley and many of her strongest advocates: writer Peter Stone; actor F. Murray Abraham; producers Roger Hess and Kevin Duncan; actress Ellen Burstyn, who became a fan and friend of Buckley's after seeing her in Sunset Boulevard (she subsequently returned to catch her performance in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical three more times); composer Stephen Schwartz (who changed the sheet music to "Meadowlark" after hearing Buckley's wonderful interpretation of that Baker's Wife tune); pianist/musical conductor Kenny Werner; as well as her mom, Betty Bob Buckley, and brother Norman.

Hello, diva lovers. I'd like to dedicate today's column to one of the most gifted comedic actresses of her time, Madeline Kahn, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer last week. Kahn, who received a Tony Award for her riotous portrayal of Dr. Gorgeous Teitelbaum in Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig, was equally at home on the stage or on screen, earning Tony nominations for her work in In the Boom Boom Room, On the Twentieth Century and Born Yesterday while meriting Academy Award nominations for such screen roles as "Blazing Saddles" and "Paper Moon." Though difficult to choose from her eclectic array of characters, I think my favorite Kahn performance was in the aforementioned "Paper Moon" as the good-bone-structured Trixie Delight, opposite the father-and-daughter team of Ryan and Tatum O'Neill. The operatically-trained performer had the ability to make you laugh with a simple inflection of the voice, and she could also move you in both song and the spoken word. This unique, multi-talented actress will be much missed. In lieu of flowers, Kahn's family asks that donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (One Penn Plaza, Suite 1610, New York, NY 10001).

Hello, diva lovers. I'd like to dedicate today's column to one of the most gifted comedic actresses of her time, Madeline Kahn, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer last week. Kahn, who received a Tony Award for her riotous portrayal of Dr. Gorgeous Teitelbaum in Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig, was equally at home on the stage or on screen, earning Tony nominations for her work in In the Boom Boom Room, On the Twentieth Century and Born Yesterday while meriting Academy Award nominations for such screen roles as "Blazing Saddles" and "Paper Moon." Though difficult to choose from her eclectic array of characters, I think my favorite Kahn performance was in the aforementioned "Paper Moon" as the good-bone-structured Trixie Delight, opposite the father-and-daughter team of Ryan and Tatum O'Neill. The operatically-trained performer had the ability to make you laugh with a simple inflection of the voice, and she could also move you in both song and the spoken word. This unique, multi-talented actress will be much missed. In lieu of flowers, Kahn's family asks that donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (One Penn Plaza, Suite 1610, New York, NY 10001).