Fergie will play prostitute in ‘Nine’

Fergie will play prostitute in ‘Nine’

LAS VEGAS — Fergie is excited about adding the role of a prostitute to her acting portfolio.

The Grammy-winning singer has been cast as Saraghina in “Nine,” a big-screen adaptation of the Tony-winning musical. She will perform the saucy song “Be Italian” with Guido, played by Daniel Day-Lewis.

“She’s basically a prostitute on the beach,” Fergie told The Associated Press in an interview. “She introduces him to the world of sexuality. It’s a very strong song. I’m just thrilled I get to play a character. I’m singing, but I’m not singing as myself. I’m going to be singing as a character, and that’s what’s really exciting to me.”

Fergie, 33, joins Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Kate Hudson in “Nine,” directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”). Filming is set to begin in October. Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, had minor roles in the “Poseidon” and “Grindhouse” movies.

“I’m speechless,” she said of the opportunity to work with the film’s A-list talent. “I’m definitely going to be a sponge on set. I want to pick up on everything that all these brilliant actors are bringing to the table. I’m probably going to be the quietest that I’ve ever been while working just because I want to watch and learn.”

India.Arie’s Broadway debut is delayed

NEW YORK — India.Arie will have to wait a little longer to make her Broadway debut.

A revival of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” which was to have starred the Grammy-winning singer, has been postponed.

The delay occurred because of the loss of one of the production’s backers, producers Whoopi Goldberg and DreamTeam Entertainment Group announced last week. No word on when the show would be rescheduled.

The play, directed by Shirley Jo Finney and choreographed by Hinton Battle, was to have opened Sept. 8 at Circle in the Square.

“For Colored Girls ...,” a prose-poem portrait of black women in America, originally featured Shange and Trazana Beverley, who won a Tony for her performance. It was an off-Broadway hit for the Public Theater in 1976 before transferring to Broadway for a run of more than 700 performances.

Today’s birthdays

Singer Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires is 84. Singer Tony Bennett is 82. Actor Martin Sheen is 68. Singer Beverly Lee of The Shirelles is 67. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 67. Bassist B.B. Dickerson of War is 59. Movie director John Landis is 58. Actress JoMarie Payton (“Family Matters”) is 58. Actor Jay North (“Dennis the Menace”) is 57. Guitarist Randy Scruggs is 55. Actor John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”) is 49. Bassist Lee Rocker (Stray Cats) is 47. Singer-guitarist James Hetfield of Metallica is 45. Singer Ed Roland of Collective Soul is 45. Actor Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Soul Food”) is 45. Keyboardist Dean Sams of Lonestar is 42. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter of Deftones is 38. Musician Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa is 37. Actress Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives”) is 36. Actress Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”) is 29. Singer Holly Arnstein of Dream is 23.