As an impatient slow-clap echoes around west London's iconic Royal Albert Hall the star is running 45 minutes late a seemingly nonplussed Nicole Scherzinger suddenly appears in spotlight, drenched in sparkly diamonds. Having built a career out of overcoming obstacles breaking out of the shackles of both a girlband (the 55m-selling Pussycat Dolls) and various TV talent show judging panels a little polite animosity isn't going to rain on her parade.
Much is unrecognizable about the Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" at the St. James Theatre, featuring radical changes to the score and production.
Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal were notably snubbed in this year's Tony nominations, while newcomers George Clooney and Nicole Scherzinger received their first nominations.