I have to say I’m still shocked that the people at NBC didn’t ask Cameron Diaz to come out of retirement and reprise the role of Miss Hannigan from the film version of Annie which ended up being her final gig. I mean, what a comeback that would have been, right? Sadly, Cameron is still retired and will not be shrieking at us with live vocals–sigh. Instead, Taraji P. Henson is playing Miss Hannigan in NBC’s Annie Live! and joining her are Celina Smith as Annie and Harry Connick Jr. looking like Mr. Clean’s ambulance-chasing lawyer brother (with a dash of Billy Zane) as Daddy Warbucks.
Annie Live! will air live on NBC on December 2nd. In addition to Taraji, Celina, and Harry, Nicole Scherzinger found time between fighting with Robin Antin to appear as Warbucks’ secretary Grace. Jane Krakowski will play Lily, and Tituss Burgess will play Hannigan’s brother Rooster. We finally have a first look at some of the cast:
Well now I have so many questions about the Annie Live billing order negotiationhttps://t.co/AKkngvKGnw pic.twitter.com/IrBiiSCJLm
— Jackson McHenry (@McHenryJD) October 26, 2021
People have already gotten out some of their opinions on the matter, especially about Daddy Lex Luthor:
“harry connick jr. wearing a bald cap for annie live on nbc is just a character…he isn’t real, he can’t hurt you”
harry connick jr. wearing a bald cap for annie live on nbc: pic.twitter.com/GtEdD00jpM
— eliza (@eliza__jane) October 27, 2021
And here’s a sneak peek NBC released:
That bald cap is a mess and Harry hasn’t decided if he’s going to shave his head or not for the actual performance. The only way this musical could be tolerable is if Taraji’s Miss Hannigan sang It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp. That I would watch.
Pic: YouTube