Michael Urie Joining & Zachary Quinto Leaving Revival of 'Angels in America'

Ugly Betty star Michael Urie is taking on the towering lead role of Prior Walter in the ongoing Off Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America, according to The New York Times.

Urie will start February 2, 2011, replacing actor Christian Borle when the production launches a new five-week extension through March 27th.

Also leaving the production, which opened in October: Star Trek and Heroes star Zachary Quinto, who will be replaced by theater actor Adam Driver (Mrs. Warren’s Profession) in the role of Prior’s erstwhile boyfriend Louis Ironson.

Actresses Robin Bartlett (Hannah Pitt), Zoe Kazan (Harper Pitt), and Robin Weigert (the Angel) will depart the show as well, but only Bartlett’s role has been re-cast (with theater actress Lynne McCollough).

According to the Times, the departures are all due to schedule conflicts with the unplanned additional five weeks of performances. Tickets for the extension will be $85, a steep hike from the underwritten $20 price for the initial run of the show

Broadway's Revival of "Angels in America" has Gone into Production

About a month ago rehearsals for the Broadway revival of Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia commenced. It is based on the former Tony Award winning Best Play by playwright Tony Kushner and stars Zachary Quinto, Bill Heck, Billy Porter, and Christian Borle.

Performances have already begun and because the shows are selling out so quickly, the show’s run has been extended again until February 20, 2011.

Angels in America opens September 14th at Signature Theatre Company. This play, shown in two parts — Millennium Approaches and Perestroika — is set in the mid-1980s, both the Reagan years and the height of the AIDS epidemic in America.

Among the many roles the eight actors take on are a young gay man with AIDS, his frightened, unfaithful lover, his former drag queen nurse, a troubled Mormon couple, a steel-winged angel, a rabbi; a Reagan politico and Ethel Rosenberg.

If you're in New York this Fall or Winter, make sure you catch this sure-to-be hit!

'Heroes' Zachary Quinto is Bummed About Cancelled Wrap-up Movie

Heroes fans aren’t the only folks miffed by NBC’s decision not to move forward with plans for a wrap-up movie. The show’s brain-eating baddie Zachary Quinto is also disheartened that closure won’t come to the Heroesverse.

“It’s disappointing that there was such a lack of resolution,” sighs the actor. “But unfortunately that’s just the nature of network television….Nothing really surprises me in terms of network and studio bureaucracy. It’s the way it goes.

“If it was in their best interest I’m sure they would have done it,” he adds. “And for whatever reason, they didn’t think it was. So that’s a bummer. But we have to just accept it and move on.”

Quinto—who’s currently headlining an Off-Broadway revival of Angels in America—isn’t allowing the show’s unhappy ending to taint an otherwise “phenomenal” experience. “I have nothing but fond memories and fondness for the people who gave me that opportunity,” he says. “I miss everybody, but I’m also glad to know that everybody is moving forward with as much momentum as possible.”

Zachary Quinto Sounds Off on Heroes Cancellation

Zachary Quinto has shared his thoughts on the news of Heroes‘ cancellation.

The 32-year-old actor, who portrayed ultimate baddie Sylar on the show, wrote, “the action has been taken. and this chapter (or volume) is really over for all of us who worked on the show - and for all of you who watched it. i want to extend myself in a huge swell of gratitude to all of the fans. for investing in the stories we told. for engaging in the characters we created. and for standing by us through all the ups and downs of what was at times a rocky road.”

“it has been a true honor to share this time in my life with my amazing cast mates and our indomitable crew,” ZQ continued. “i will certainly miss them most of all. the gift of working alongside such talented and inspiring people is something i will carry with me everywhere i go from here. and no matter where my work and my life take me - i will forever look back on heroes as the game changer.”

To read Zachary’s complete blog post, check out his thoughts at http://www.zacharyquinto.com/.

Zachary Quinto Gearing Up for George Gershwin

Star Trek and Heroes star Zachary Quinto is set to play famed composer and pianist George Gershwin in a biopic at DreamWorks Pictures.

The 32-year-old actor will play the pianist, whose brother Ira was responsible for more than a dozen Broadway shows. DreamWorks will reportedly be supplying accent and dialogue coaches for Quinto.

The film is one of three projects that Steven Spielberg is looking to direct, Deadline Hollywood reports. Doug Wright (Quills) penned the script for the movie which could begin filming as soon as April. An official announcement could come later this week.

Zachary Quinto: 'I'm Not Leaving Star Trek'

Zachary Quinto has been forced to dismiss rumors he's quit Star Trek, after comments he made in a recent interview about "stepping away" from the movie franchise sent fans into a spin.

The Heroes star plays Spock in J.J. Abrams' 2009 revival of the sci-fi saga, and is expected to return for a series of sequels.

But Star Trek devotees went into a panic this week after the actor's interview with http://www.wired.com/, in which he hints at a hiatus from the franchise, hit the internet.

He said, "I'm stepping away from Star Trek for at least two years - no movies, no conventions, no anything for a while."

But Quinto is adamant his comments were misconstrued.

In a post on his official blog, he writes, "Obviously I will be a part of any upcoming films... reprising my role as Spock. What I meant was that in the meantime I won't be making any public appearances related to the franchise - or doing any more auxiliary projects pertaining to the Trek universe (sic). I will be focusing my efforts on other projects and preparing to shoot the next film - which will be released in June of 2012... two years from now. Hence the no Trek for two years remark. Worry not Trekkers. It was a misunderstanding of context."

Paparazzi!: Sweaty Zachary

Zachary Quinto clutches onto his yoga mat after working up a sweat at the gym on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Zachary Quinto: ‘Spock’ DVD Feature

Check out Zachary Quinto’s feature on his character Spock from the upcoming Star Trek DVD, out November 17th.

“We’re bringing our own life to [the characters] and we’re entering into these characters at a very specific point in their journey,” the 32-year-old actor says. “So my Spock and [Leonard Nimroy]’s Spock are very different people.

Director J.J. Abrams adds, “On the other hand, the spirit of Leonard’s performance as Spock is so clearly present in what Zachary’s doing. They’re both very smart guys approaching the same character.”

Star Sighting: Zachary's a Star Winner!

Zachary Quinto accepted the award on behalf of his Star Trek cast memebers for the "Movie of The Year" at the Hollywood Awards on Monday, October 26th.

Zachary Quinto at LA's Gay & Lesbian Gala

Zachary Quinto, one of the stars of NBC’s Heroes and last summer’s box office smash Star Trek, appeared at this weekend's LA Gay & Lesbian Center gala to pay tribute to his friend, drag performer Coco Peru.

He recalled a friend taking him to see Miss Coco’s Universe and “I remembered leaving that night so staggered by how powerful it was for me.”

Zachary then read a letter from Coco’s pal Lily Tomlin who was in New York City working. But he did it as Lily and even snorted at the end! It was adorable.

Zachary Quinto's "Gay Moment"

Zachary Quinto, rumored to be gay, once shared a really steamy kiss on Tori Spelling’s highly-entertaining but sadly short-lived show "So NoTORIous."

In his pre-Heroes and pre-Star Trek days, he played Tori’s gay BFF on the show and he was on one scene which took place in the sauna of a gym where he kissed another male sauna patron and was later interrupted by Tori. (See video below!)

Zachary Quinto's Got Milk?

With NBC's Heroes getting ready to start it's fourth season on Monday, September 21st, it's never a bad time to share pictures or videos of my favorite star of the show, Zachary Quinto. In this video by Tyler Shields, shot earlier this year, Zachary is drenched with milk as we listen to the Plushgun tune "Without Light."

As a non-milk drinker, this video does make me wonder why I don't "Got Milk?", just like Zachary.

Zachary Quinto:It’s a Love Story, Baby Just Say Yes

Check out the latest video from Funny or Die featuring Zachary Quinto (Heroes/Star Trek) titled "Hostage: A Love Story with Zachary Quinto".

HOSTAGE: A Love Story with Zachary Quinto from Zachary Quinto

This short (and funny) story is based on a hostage (Rachel Harris) and a hostage-taker (Quinto) who get dangerously close to one another.

The segment was shot back in July but the gun scene was so real, “when someone saw Zachary hold up a real gun and scream, ‘This is a goddamn hold up!’ they called the police.”

The on-set source continued, Zachary is scary as hell. I was in the back, making batter, and he was running through the script. All I could hear was, ‘Nobody f–king move!’ He plays evil very well.”

Don't miss the segment where Zachary actually speaks to his penis. Pretty funny!

Zachary Quinto's Gun Role Terrifies Locals

Zachary Quinto stunned diners in Los Angeles when he toted a gun as part of a comedy sketch - and his act was so convincing, terrified onlookers called the police.

The Star Trek actor was filming an upcoming skit for the Funny or Die website at L.A. bakery Kiss My Bundt.

But patrons weren't warned of the filming in advance - and were horrified to see the star with a gun, seemingly carrying out a real-life robbery.

Owner Chrysta Wilson tells E! Online, "When someone saw Zach hold up a real gun and scream, 'This is a goddamn hold up!' they called the police.

"Zachary is scary as hell. I was in the back, making batter, and he was running through the script. All I could hear was, 'Nobody f**king move!' He plays evil very well."

Quinto was so good in his role as a gun-toting robber, cops were called a second time as he re-shot the scene - so the actor and director Hank Nelken faced a race against time to get the spoof wrapped.

Wilson adds, "They knew if the cops were called again, the set was going to be shut down. They were whispering their lines in the alley. They knew they had to nail it on the last take."

Star Sighting: Beach Blanket Zachary

Heroes and Star Trek star Zachary Quinto and a mystery male "friend" hit the beach together on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Malibu, California. I don't know about yours, but these pictures have got my gaydar "pinging."

Zachary Quinto: Peep My Pornstache!

Star Trek star Zachary Quinto sports a fresh new pornstache, aka the cop ’stache, as he boarded an Alaska Airlines flight at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The actor, who turned 32 on Tuesday, and a female friend are headed to Mexico City to premiere his latest sci-fi flick.

When recently asked by NY Mag if he’s worried about catching swine flu, Zach said, “No, because every time I get on an airplane I have a routine. It’s not Airborne. That stuff doesn’t work. What I do is, I cover the inside of my nostrils with anti-bacterial ointment. I’m serious. It’s to block any bacteria from coming in. I’m popping Zicam like it’s candy.

He added, “And I drink, literally, from L.A. to New York, six bottles of water. One an hour. And then I cryogenically freeze my head for the duration of the flight, just for good measure. No, I’m kidding about that. That would be going too far.”

Happy "belated" Birthday, Zachary!

Star Sighting: Hottie Hero

Zachary Quinto shows off a bit of scruff at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards held at the Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday evening in Universal City, California. The 31-year-old Star Trek & Heroes star was spotted hanging out with Mario Lopez in the VIP green room.

Zachary Quinto is The Milk Man

Star Trek star Zachary Quinto presses up against a few metal bars at a construction site in Los Angeles for photographer Tyler Shields’ new book “The Dirty Side of Glamour.”

Be sure to check out the video portrait below! If you’re curious, it’s whole milk!!!

In the latest issue of German GQ, the 31-year-old actor was asked how his characters from Star Trek and Heroes differ.

Zach analyzes, “What Spock (Star Trek) shares with Sylar (Heroes) — both are deeply divided personalities. They have two souls that are battling one another inside them. And that is how I can best identify with them. I often act introverted, since I’m torn between my head and heart. I’m probably not alone in this.”

Meet the Cast of the New Star Trek

A brand-new cast is beaming into the iconic roles of the crew of the starship Enterprise as the revamped Star Trek lands in theaters today.

Here's your guide to the Starfleet's finest and their first forays into the enduring sci-fi phenomenon:

NAME: Chris Pine
CHARACTER: Capt. James T. Kirk
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: 2004's The Princess Diaries 2; 2006's Smokin' Aces
NEXT UP: The indie drama Small Town Saturday Night.

"As an actor you search for great roles," says Pine, 28. "This one just happened to be named James Kirk." While figuring out ways to make the part his own, he also watched William Shatner in the original series looking for "things that I felt that I could use without hitting people over the head with a bad impersonation," Pine says. "He's got a very theatrical quality that just made me smile every time." He admits donning Kirk's familiar gold uniform "was a fun day ... [but] as for the part being mine, I think people will always and forever connect Mr. Shatner to that role."

NAME: Zachary Quinto
CHARACTER: Lt. Commander Spock
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: As the evil Sylar on NBC's Heroes; season three of 24.
NEXT UP: Back bedeviling the heroes for season four.

"I was sporting a Spock bowl cut when I was 12," confesses Quinto, 31. "I have pictures to prove it." He didn't think re-adopting the Vulcan's signature hairstyle for six months "would alienate me from myself as much as it did, but that alienation is exactly what the character is experiencing. It actually deepened my character and was certainly a sacrifice well worth making" Even more helpful? Having original Spock Leonard Nimoy, "as a resource and such a generous available support system made it much easier for me to step into the experience."

NAME: Karl Urban
CHARACTER: Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: In The Lord of the Rings trilogy; The Bourne Supremacy.
NEXT UP: The crime drama Black Water Transit opposite Laurence Fishburne.

The New Zealand-born actor, 36, playing the ship's irascible doctor, proclaims himself a genuine Trekkie. "I am definitely the resident geek," says Urban, who toted a childhood Trek toy along on the cast's international press tour. "I watched it as a boy, religiously, every Saturday morning." Two days after being cast, he was at a Santa Monica stoplight when "a gentleman in a Star Trek outfit walked across the road. And I think it was just on a random day! It struck me at that point, the effect of this wonderful series has had in our popular culture."

NAME: Zoe Saldana
CHARACTER: Lt. Nyota Uhura
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Crossroads; Drumline; Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
NEXT UP: James Cameron's highly anticipated sci-fi thriller Avatar.

At first, Saldana, 30, wasn't sure why "for some reason every man on set noticed when I was working. It was like 'God, I don't know. Was it my line?'" Then she realized: It was Uhura's trademark short skirt. "Oh – okay." Her first fan encounter was with a hired driver who was once a stand-in on a Trek sequel series. "He had his entire memorabilia in his trunk," she remembers. "This could have been really freaky, but he was so respectful. But to this day I'm wondering whether he knew he was picking me up and that I was doing Star Trek, or that he happens to [always] drive his town car filled with memorabilia."

NAME: Simon Pegg
CHARACTER: Lt. Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: As the star and co-writer of the BBC sit-com Spaced and the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
NEXT UP: Voicing the one-eyed weasel Buck in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Pegg insists he's an even more avid Trek fan than Urban and is willing to challenge him in a duel, name-checking references from the original series. "We can sort of fight in an 'Arena'-style battle where I'm wearing the Gorn mask – which makes me the bigger Trekkie!" he laughs. The 39-year-old Brit, best known for comedic roles, says he understands why die-hards might be worried about his take on the chief engineer, but explains, "Scotty is definitely a lively character, and his humor is his own – it's not at the expense of him or the film. So I hope I've done them proud."

NAME: John Cho
CHARACTER: Lt. Hikaru Sulu
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: The American Pie trilogy; Harold in the Harold & Kumar films.
NEXT UP: The comedy St. John of Las Vegas opposite Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman.

"My primary connection to the show was just being excited about George Takei being on television, and yelling across the house: 'There's an Asian guy on TV! Come quick! He may disappear!'" laughs Cho, 36, who was born in South Korea and raised in Los Angeles. He calls the role of the swashbuckling helmsman "a dream come true for me. What I did in this movie – flying a spaceship and having a sword fight – is exactly what my young brother and I would do for hours and hours as children, so it's weird to get paid to do that. We received no payment, oddly enough, as children to do that."

NAME: Anton Yelchin
CHARACTER: Ensign Pavel Chekov
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: 2007's Charlie Bartlett; Showtime's Huff.
NEXT UP: As young Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation.

Yelchin, 20, was actually born in Leningrad, giving him Russian roots like his character, known for his slightly exaggerated accent. "You have to stay true to the accent," says Yelchin. "It's more of a stereotype of a Russian accent than it is a Russian accent. It was fun playing around with that." Born 20 years after the original series went off the air, he didn't grow up watching Star Trek but admits, "I'm a fan now. There's just something so great about it that you can't help but really love it."

Star Sighting: Beam Them Up!

It's a mother-and-son reunion! Winona Ryder is positively beaming with costar Zachary Quinto at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Trek.

The actress plays the mom of Quinto's Mr. Spock in the long-awaited J.J. Abrams-directed sci-fi flick, which hits theaters May 8th.