[FeeFee]

Braxton to Join Cast of 'Aida'
Apr 17, 5:57 AM EST

Toni Braxton is graduating from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to "Aida."

The sultry-voiced singer will join the cast of "Aida," the long-running, Disney-produced Broadway musical June 30 for a limited four-month engagement. Braxton, whose hits include "Breathe Again," "Un-Break My Heart" and "He Wasn't Man Enough," previously starred as Belle in the Broadway edition of "Beauty and the Beast" in 1998.

"Aida," which has a score by Elton John and Tim Rice, opened at Broadway's Palace Theatre in March 2000. Set in ancient Egypt, it tells the love story of the Nubian princess Aida, sold into slavery, and her love for a handsome soldier, Radames.

Bernie Mac to Play Milwaukee Brewer
Apr 17, 11:02 AM EST

The Brewers will have a new addition to their lineup in July — Bernie Mac.

The comedian and TV star will be donning Brewers blue for the feature film "Mr. 3,000," which starts filming at Miller Park and other Milwaukee locations in July, the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau said Thursday.

Mac will play a fictitious Milwaukee Brewer who retires with 3,000 career hits, only to come back to baseball a few years later when a statistical error reveals he is three hits short of the milestone.

The film's production crew has told team officials it hopes to film live baseball and crowd scenes on July 23 and 24, when the real Brewers play the Houston Astros.

The film will be directed by Charles Stone III. Stone is best known for directing "Drumline," a film released last year about a showboating Harlem drummer and Budweiser's "Whaaas-Up?" beer commercials.

The film will be produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment.

People from the community will be used as extras, as was the case with the 1989 baseball movie "Major League," which starred Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes.

That movie was filmed in County Stadium but was about a team in Cleveland.

Milwaukee has been the home of several independent films, including "American Movie," "Chump Change," "The Last Great Ride," "Britney Baby: One More Time," "Lady in the Box," "Red Betsy" and "Milwaukee Minnesota."

A number of movies have been filmed elsewhere in Wisconsin, including "Chain Reaction," "The Deep End of the Ocean," "Dexter Dickie," "Reeseville" and "Normal."