- (2/25/00) Today, Madeline's last film, Eric Mendelsohn's "Judy Berlin," opened in 19 theaters nationwide. The film won the Best Director prize at last year's Sundance Film Festival, and has already received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and USA Today. In fact, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers called it "too good to miss." I'm taking his word for it, as should you. Listed below are the cities and theaters where "Judy Berlin" is playing. If you have any questions at all, visit the movie's official website at www.judyberlin.com, or email me at mkahnfan@aol.com and I will do my best to get them answered. Cities and Theaters: New York City, NY: STATE THEATRE (TIMES SQUARE; VIRGIN MEGASTORE) Los Angeles, CA: FAIRFAX CINEMAS Chicago, IL: FINE ARTS THEATRE Evanston, IL: EVANSTON THEATRE Boston, MA: NICKELODEON 1-5 Natick, MA: NATICK 1-6 Washington, D.C.: FOUNDRY Seattle, WA: UPTOWN CINEMAS Houston, TX: SPECTRUM Plano, TX: CHISOLM PLANO 5 Auburn Hills, MI: STAR GREAT LAKES CROSSING Orlando, FL: UNIVERSAL CINEPLEX 20 Owings Mill, MD: VALLEY CENTER 9 Richmond Heights, OH: RICHMOND TOWN SQUARE Indianapolis, IN: CHERRY TREE Salt Lake City, UT: BROADWAY CENTER THEATRES Tucson, AZ: CATALINA San Francisco, CA: GALAXY Philadelphia, PA: I'm not sure of the theater yet, but I'll post it ASAP.

- (1/4/00) Happy New Year! I have a couple of site related items to make note of. If you can make it, you are invited to my first official scheduled chat, to be held in my own CHAT ROOM this coming Sunday (that's January 9th) at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central. I hope to see you there! Also, I am adding a section to the webpage featuring fans' memories of Madeline. So, if you have a story to tell about how Madeline has affected you, or a poem, picture, etc. that Madeline inspired, and you would like it posted on my site, please email it to me at mkahnfan@aol.com and let me know how you'd like to be credited for your work. Several links have been added to the Links page, check em out! Finally, I'd like to share this cute anecdote that Mel Brooks shared with the San Francisco Chronicle: Mel Brooks told the Beverly Hills Chronicle that his friend the late Madeline Kahn adored a picture of her that was on his desk, autographed ``Mel -- Without you, I would have been nothing but crap.'' Brooks had forged the inscription.

- (12/19/99) "Judy Berlin" now has an official website up, with some beautiful pictures of Madeline and some great info on the film. Check it out at www.judyberlin.com. And don't forget to look for the film to be released February 25, 2000.
Also, I'm heading out on a Christmas trip to Minnesota tomorrow, so don't expect any updates until the week after Christmas. I hope you all have a very safe and happy holiday.

- (12/16/99) The "Cosby" site has posted a synopsis of next week's episode: "Hilton and Pauline visit the neighborhood bookstore of their friend, Max, and find him at his wits end worrying about the lack of customers, the heaping pile of overdue bills and the long, lonely hours spent trying to keep the business afloat. When Max announces that he's been made a substantial offer to sell out to a fried chicken franchise, Ruth and Pauline make a spur of the moment decision they hope will be a best seller."

- (12/12/99) On December 29, a week after Madeline's final "Cosby" episode, the cast will pay tribute to her in a special episode entitled "Loving Madeline." Taped segments of the cast remembering working with Madeline will be interspersed with clips of her finest moments on "Cosby." It should be a beautiful show. Further Madeline tributes can be found in this week's issues of People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly.

- (11/30/99) Look for Madeline's last episode of "Cosby" to air this coming month. TV-now.com reports that in the episode airing December 22, "Ruth and Pauline (Phylicia Rashad, Madeline Kahn) buy the neighboring bookstore to keep a fried chicken franchise from moving in." Guest starring in this episode is Chip Zien, who appeared alongside Madeline as Treasurer Cooley in the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert.

- (11/29/99) "Little Bill" debuted last night on Nickelodeon, and it was delightful viewing. Ruby Dee, Gregory Hines, and Phylicia Rashad all voiced their characters excellently, but the unabashed highlight of the show for me was the appearance of Madeline's character, Mrs. Shapiro, who indulged Little Bill and his friend Andrew in their fantasy campout by pretending to be a bear. It was a very cute scene, and Madeline's voice as Mrs. Shapiro was extremely fun. (To hear the scene in WAV format, click here.)

- The New York Times is reporting that Madeline has gotten married! The lucky man is lawyer John Hansbury, and Madeline's brother Jeffrey was his best man. The ceremony took place on October 10, when Madeline had a week off from "Cosby." Thanks to Leslie for making sure I caught this!

- Finally, "Judy Berlin" finds a home! Madeline's latest movie has been picked up by the Shooting Gallery, an independent film distributor. Visit their web site at www.shootinggallery.com. As soon as I find out what their distribution plans are, I'll pass that information along. In the meantime, you can whet your appetite by visiting the Film Scouts website to see clips from the movie. The clips are great, and it looks like the movie will be excellent!
More "Judy Berlin" links -- New York Post Review, City Search Utah Review, and Director Eric Mendelsohn's speech at the March Long Island Filmmakers' Meeting (in RealPlayer).

- Bill Cosby is producing an animated series for Nickelodeon called "Little Bill," and Madeline will be providing one of the voices! Look for Madeline to voice the character of Mrs. Shapiro, the quirky neighbor. Other voices include Phylicia Rashad, Gregory Hines, and Ruby Dee. The series premieres on Sunday, November 8.

- The fourth season premiere of "Cosby" aired September 29 in its new time slot (Wednesdays at 8/7 central), with special guest star Robert Culp. Although TV Guide's Returning Favorites issue doesn't tell us much about this season, we do know that Erica is quitting cooking school to become a teacher and that Jurnee Smollett is no longer a regular cast member. Read the full article at tvguide.com.

- The Valentine's Day episode of "Cosby" features a special guest star: Madeline's old friend Robert Klein ("New Faces of 1968," "The Sisters Rosensweig," "Mixed Nuts") as a romantic interest for Madeline. From the setup, this episode sounds like it may be the best so far this season.

- Here is Variety's review of "Judy Berlin." As yet, I haven't heard any news of "Judy Berlin" being picked up by a domestic distributor, but as soon as it is I will put it on the page.

- The Sundance Film Festival has passed, and among the thirteen entries in the Dramatic Competition was Eric Mendelsohn's "Judy Berlin," an independent film starring Madeline, Julie Kavner, Anne Meara, Bob Dishy, and Barbara Barrie. Eric took the prize for Best Director! Read Sundance's synopsis of the film here.

- I have just purchased the PlayStation video game "A Bug's Life." I am pleased to report that it is an extremely fun and enjoyable game. More exciting yet is the news that most of the cast, including Madeline, recorded voice samples for the game! (To hear some of Madeline's sound clips from the game, see the sounds page under "A Bug's Life."

- Disney's computer animated "A Bug's Life" is finally out! Madeline voices the character of Gypsy Moth. The film also features the voice talents of Denis Leary (as a male ladybug), Kevin Spacey, Bonnie Hunt, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jonathan Harris, Richard Kind, and Phyllis Diller. Click here to visit the official web site.

- Click here to download an MPEG video file of Madeline and Gene Wilder performing the "Taffeta, darling" scene from "Young Frankenstein."

- On Tuesday, November 3, the special edition of "Young Frankenstein" was released on DVD. It features such extras as an audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a documentary about the film, outtakes and bloopers, theatrical trailers and TV spots, deleted scenes, stills from various parts of the production, and Mexican television interviews with Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, and the late Marty Feldman. This is a fabulous disc, and a must-have for any "Young Frankenstein" or Madeline fan!

- On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Madeline turned 56. Happy birthday, Madeline!

- TV Guide's "Returning Favorites" issue for the 98-99 season has come out. Among the changes to be made in the show, it points out that "Pauline (Madeline Kahn) exchanges her New Age ditziness for a smart, sophisticated attitude that takes her beyond the cafe." This sounds great! The wacky neighbor may be a tried and true character, but last season, I became increasingly concerned that Pauline was becoming a little TOO wacky. While her flightiness did lead to some funny situations, it didn't ring true: whereas everyone else on the show had a believable role to play, Madeline's was rapidly deteriorating into a caricature. But now, it sounds like the producers are wisely making a return to the Pauline we met in the first season of "Cosby" -- a slightly offbeat but lovable woman, playful foe to Hilton, and clever cohort to Ruth. Excellent! As TV Guide's Matt Roush says in conclusion to the story, "...letting the wonderful Kahn sharpen up Pauline could help 'Cosby' evolve into the show we all expected." Click here to read the full article at TV Guide Online.

- Madeline recently narrated an Intimate Portrait on Lifetime about her "Cosby" costar Phylicia Rashad. Click here for further information on it, and be sure to catch it next time it comes on.

- There have been rumors of a Broadway revival of "Dear World" that would star Chita Rivera and feature Madeline, Debra Monk, Audra MacDonald, and Alfred Molina in supporting roles. The latest news is that, if the revival comes to fruition, it will not be until the 1999-00 season. Click here to read the latest news from Playbill Online.