Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:
The Youngstown Playhouse dominated Youngstown Area Community Theatre Alliance's Marquee Awards nominations, which were announced Wednesday.
The Playhouse earned about 66 nominations in 44 categories, about 25 more than its nearest rival, New Castle Playhouse in western Pennsylvania. The Victorian Players Theater and the Oakland Center for the Arts each received about 30 nominations, and Youngstown's Rust Belt Theatre Company had 16.
Trumbull New Theatre in Niles received three nominations, all for its production of ''The Altos'' - Terri Gilbert for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Scenic Design and Joann Winterbauer for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
Here are the nominees in a few of the top categories:
BEST MUSICAL: ''Bye Bye Birdie'' and ''Rent'' (both New Castle); ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' (Stage Left Players); ''The Honky Tonk Angel'' (Salem Community Theatre); ''Next to Normal'' (Spotlight Players).
BEST DRAMA: ''A Light in the Darkness'' (Victorian); ''The Last Summer at Bluefish Cove'' and ''Kimberly Akimbo'' (both Oakland); ''Buried Child'' and ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (both Youngstown).
BEST THEATRICAL EVENT: ''Finding Columbiana Christmas'' (Columbiana Main Street Theatre); ''In the Spirit of Christmas'' (Centaur Stage Productions/Victorian); ''Only Make Believe'' (Move Over Broadway Productions); ''Scrooge'' and ''To Be Young Gifted and Black'' (both Youngstown); ''When I Knew and How It Saved Me'' (Rust Belt)
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY: ''Biloxi Blues'' and ''Greater Tuna'' (both New Castle); ''The Goat or Who Is Sylvia'' and ''Romeo and Juliet'' (both Youngstown); ''The Lion in Winter'' (Victorian); ''The Odd Couple (Female Version),'' (Carnation City Players).
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: ''A ... My Name Is Alice'' (Oakland); ''Beauty and the Beast'' (Carnation); ''Grease'' (New Castle); ''Gypsy'' (Youngstown); ''I'm Not That Girl'' (Rust Belt)
The Marquee Awards recognize community theaters in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. According to J.E. Ballantyne Jr., the alliance has about 35 evaluators who attend all of the theatrical productions in the region and vote by secret ballot on the nominees and winners.
The winners will be announced Aug. 11 during a ceremony at St. Michael Church's Family Life Center in Canfield.
A couple weeks after he performs in Youngstown, Bob Dylan will release his 35th studio album.
''Tempest'' is slated to arrive on Sept. 11. It's his first release of originals since 2009's ''Together Through Life,'' and it arrives 50 years after his self-titled debut. Dylan produced the 10-song collection under the pseudonym Jack Frost.
No other details were included in the press release Tuesday from Columbia Records.
Pittsburgh was one of the principal shooting locations for ''The Dark Knight Rises,'' which opens nationwide on Friday (my review is on page 10D). Toonseum in the Steel City is celebrating its Batman connections with the exhibit ''Pittsburgh as Gotham.'' Michael Keaton, who played Batman in the Tim Burton films, and Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler in the '60s television series, both are from the Pittsburgh area.
The exhibit includes original art from ''Batman'' comics, props from ''The Dark Knight Rises'' and photos showing how Pittsburgh stood in for Gotham City. It will be on display through Oct. 7.
Andy Gray is the entertainment writer for the Tribune Chronicle. Write to him at grayareas@