New musical mixes tunes, 'Bull'

IN OUR remake-crazed society, every day we try to think of a movie or TV property we can revisit as a theatrical musical or redo in some other form.

If you're a Disney cartoon, you're almost certainly going to end up on Broadway at some point. If you're an old TV show ("Mission: Impossible," "The Brady Bunch," "Starsky & Hutch," "21 Jump Street," etc.), you'll probably be refurbished for the multiplex.

If Hollywood can remake "Psycho" and propose a sequel to "It's a Wonderful Life," no piece of mainstream entertainment is sacred.

But a musical show based on the Kevin Costner-Susan Sarandon-Tim Robbins starrer, "Bull Durham"?

Seriously?

Producers plan to stage their show at the Alliance Theatre, in Atlanta, in September. Academy Award nominee Ron Shelton, who directed and wrote the movie, has adapted his screenplay. Kip Fagan will direct.

* Second City, the famed improv comedy troupe that launched the careers of Upper Darby's Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and others, is running an improv comedy camp in August at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, in Newark. It's the fourth such camp, with others in Hollywood, Toronto and Chicago.

The camp will offer three sessions: one for teenagers, another for teenagers with autism, and an improvisation and comedy-writing course for adults.

Kerry Sheehan, president of Second City's training centers and education programs, said improv offers adults ways to think differently about situations in the workplace and their personal lives. "It's the idea of somebody introducing an idea for you and rolling with it, no matter what it is," she said.

Sheehan said improv education is especially important for teenagers because it forces them to be supportive of one another.

She said the group wanted to create a camp just for autistic teens because improv education can help with things that they might struggle with, such as picking up social cues and reading facial expressions.

Tuition for the camps, which will run one or two weeks, will range from $295 to $750.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein sued Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema yesterday for $75 million, claiming that they're owed a share of the profits from the second and third "Hobbit" films.

In the lawsuit, filed in New York, the Weinsteins said their 1998 sale of the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to New Line applies to all "Hobbit" sequels.

Warner Bros. responded with a statement calling the Weinsteins' sale of Tolkien's book rights "one of the great blunders in movie history." The studio said the Weinsteins, then owners of Miramax, agreed to be paid only for the first film based on each book.

"No amount of trying to rewrite history can change that fact," Warner Bros. said. "They agreed to be paid only for the first motion picture based on 'The Hobbit.' And that's all they're owed."

The Weinsteins' suit alleges that the three "Hobbit" films are installations of one movie, noting that director Peter Jackson largely shot all three at once.

The actors have spoken - and they sound like everyone else when it comes to 2013's best movies.

"12 Years a Slave," "August: Osage County," "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Lee Daniels' The Butler" topped the list of outstanding performances for the 20th annual SAG Awards. "12 Years a Slave" scored four nominations, while "Osage County" and "The Butler" earned three nominations in yesterday's announcements.

Each of the three was nominated for overall performance by their casts. Also nominated for best ensemble was "American Hustle."

"12 Years a Slave" attained individual acting nominations, as well, including male lead for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender for supporting actor and Lupita Nyong'o for female supporting actor.

"August: Osage County" had nominations for Meryl Streep for female lead and Julia Roberts for supporting female actor. In that category she'll be up against her good buddy Oprah Winfrey for "Lee Daniels' The Butler." Forest Whitaker received a lead-actor nomination for that film.

"Dallas Buyers Club" also scored nods for Matthew McConaughey in the best-actor category and Jared Leto for supporting actor.

Also bringing in a lead-actor nomination were Bruce Dern, for "Nebraska," and Tom Hanks, in "Captain Phillips."

Additional best-actress nominees included Cate Blanchett, in "Blue Jasmine"; Sandra Bullock, in "Gravity"; Judi Dench, in "Philomena"; and Emma Thompson, in "Saving Mr. Banks."

The SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 18.

* Madonna is looking for some new boy to wrap her sinewy arms around.

Us Weekly says she has split from boyfriend Brahim Zaibat after three years of "dating" - you know, necking at the movies, holding hands at the malt shop, picnicking in the park.

Madonna, a tightly wound 55, and backup dancer Zaibat, 25, met when Zaibat performed with her daughter, Lourdes, at the launch of her Macy's clothing line.

Lourdes performs?

* Bye-bye, Bio.

A&E Networks says its Bio Channel will be rebranded as FYI next summer. It describes FYI as a contemporary lifestyle network.

Whatever that means.

A&E Networks head Nancy Dubuc says it will target upscale viewers and will have a younger and more modern sensibility than existing lifestyle networks have displayed.

Whatever that means.

* Kristen Stewart has been chosen as the new face of Chanel.

Yeah, we don't get it either.

- Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.