As previously mentioned, Neil will be taking on the role of the Magic Mirror in Lythgoe Family Productions/Magic Pictures International’s A Snow White Christmas. The production, also starring Star Trek‘s Marina Sirtis and Lindsay Pearce from The Glee Project will run from November 30 – December 18 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, California, and you can buy tickets here.

Neil Patrick Harris has signed on to star in the onscreen special guest role of “The Magic Mirror” in “Snow White,” following in the tradition of several major stars that have played the role on the London stage; and Marina Sirtis, of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, will star opposite as The Wicked Queen. Plus Lindsay Pearce from “The Glee Project” will star in the title role. The production will be helmed by Bonnie Lythgoe from So You Think You Can Dance AU and choreographed by Dancing With the Stars’ Mark Ballas with Michael Orland serving as Musical Director (American Idol). An updated version of the classic tale, “Snow White” features family-friendly magic, a comedic twist and modern music, including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, The Village People’s YMCA, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Tickets will be on sale August 9 for “A Snow White Christmas,” running November 30-December 18 at the El Portal Theatre.

“Last year’s production of Cinderella exceeded our expectations, and we’re thrilled to continue to bring the family fun of the traditional British Panto to LA audiences with our new production of Snow White,” says Jason Haigh-Ellery, President of Magic Theatre. “Both shows promise to be fun family productions – the perfect holiday present.”

Magic Pictures will hold open auditions for the roles of the “7 Dwarfs” on September 30 and October 1 at Westfield Culver City, where last year a panel of celebrity judges including Mark Ballas, Neil Patrick Harris, Kara Dioguardi, and Mary Murphy, picked the star of “Cinderella” from over 700 performers. A celebrity panel will again be on hand to help choose the standout child actors to star in the seven roles. Leading up to the auditions, Snow White memorabilia will be displayed at the Center, and kids will have the chance to meet Snow White.

Neil and David have joined the L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Culinary Cookout 2011 as celebrity hosts. The event takes place on Sunday November 6th from 12-4pm at Culver Studios, Culver City, California.

General admission tickets are priced at $175, and there are two levels of VIP ticket priced at $400 and $1,200. For details on the ticket levels or to purchase tickets, click here.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation raises money and awareness for childhood cancer causes. For full details on their history and their mission, visit alexslemonade.org. If you want to donate but can’t make it to the event, visit lemonadestandforlife.com, where you can donate to ALSF by buying a virtual cup of lemonade for just $1.

L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Culinary Cookout, hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin, partner Caroline Styne (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern) along with Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat), announces that Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka, have joined the culinary cookout as the 2011 Honorary Celebrity Hosts. Goin, Styne and Lentz have again enlisted the support and generosity of their culinary friends around the nation who will donate their time and services to raise funds and awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) in their quest to find better treatments and cures for all kids with cancer. The cookout is scheduled on Sunday, November 6, 2011 from 12 – 4PM at Culver Studios. The Presenting Sponsor for the cookout will be Volvo Cars of North America.

“We’re so thrilled that Neil and David have agreed to participate and lend their support to this event,” said Goin. “This is not only a culinary celebration for adults; we’ve designed it to celebrate children. We reached out to Neil and David, because as past supporters and new parents, they perfectly represent the compassion that encompasses ALSF.”

Entertainment Weekly have caught up with Neil to talk about Company and its’ upcoming cinema release. You can view one video here, and another – in which Neil chats about his upcoming gig hosting the Tony Awards – is only available to view if you ‘like’ the EW Facebook page here.

Tickets for the limited run are on sale here.

In other news, Neil is among the newly chosen members of the Theater Communications Group honorary committee.

Neil and David will be taking part in the Ojai Playwrights Conference annual benefit, joining a lineup that includes Jane Kaczmarek, Stacy Keach, Ron Rifkin, Steven Weber and Noah Wyle.

The event, themed “Substance of Desire”, will take place on Saturday, March 26 at 5.30pm, and will be a celebration of “love, lust and laughter in the plays of Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz. Baitz penned ‘The Paris Letter’, which Neil performed in with Josh Radnor and Ron Rifkin in 2004, and both Neil and David have performed at the conference in previous years.

Tickets for the benefit range from $85 for the Show only to a $2000 VIP package including preferred seating and a group photo with the cast. Visit www.ojaiplays.org for full details.

The Best and the Brightest has announced that tickets for its’ first screenings in LA (at The Cinefamily on N. Fairfax Ave) are now on sale. The previews will be on Monday April 11th, with Bridget Regan in attendance – and Tuesday April 12th, with Bonnie Somerville doing the Q&A honours this time. Tickets for both days are $10 and you can buy them here for Monday and here for Tuesday. Stay tuned for news on previews in other cities around the world!

Finally, Entertainment Weekly has published the first picture from The Smurfs that features Neil with the Smurfs themselves! Check it out here.

The Best & The Brightest has some distribution news!

From late August/September (date TBD) the video will be available to purchase via DVD/On Demand/various other forms, thanks to the movie’s new distribution partners New Video (domestic) and Echo Bridge (international). There will also be a theatrical opening in LA and New York, with preview screenings around the world (all those ‘demands’ weren’t for nothing!) over the spring and summer.

For full details, check out the blog.

As previously mentioned, there is a screening at The Bell House in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Saturday March 19th at 8pm (Tickets $10). Star Bonnie Somerville has been added to the guest list, and additionally, there will also be a screening on Friday March 18th at the same venue. Special guests for this one include Bonnie, Jenna Stern, Kelly Coffield & Steve Park, as well as writer-director Josh Shelov. Tickets are available here and also cost $10.

According to Variety, Neil is close to finalising a deal to direct the pilot of a currently untitled Peter Knight comedy for CBS. Knight’s previous work includes Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, and Bad Wolf on Campus. The pilot is a multicamera “workplace ensemble featuring a group of assistants and junior executives as they juggle love, friendship, and the corporate ladder”.

There’s a screening of The Best and the Brightest taking place at The Bell House in Brooklyn, on Saturday March 19th at 8pm. Special guests at the screening include TBatB stars John Hodgman and Jenna Stern, and the movie’s writer-director Josh Shelov. Tickets are available now and cost $10.

The rest of the cast of Stephen Sondheim’s ’Company‘ have been announced for the three night run in April. Neil will be joined by his one time Sweeney Todd co-star Patti LuPone, Raising Hope‘s Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose, Jim Walton, and The Colbert Report‘s Stephen Colbert.

Tickets ranging between $95 and $275 in price are still available for the performances, which run from April 7-9 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

Neil has been announced as one of the celebs set to attend the People’s Choice awards next Wednesday, January 5th. The awards take place at the Nokia Theater in LA and will be broadcast live on CBS.

Eonline caught up with Neil at the Spike VGAs on Saturday, and they talked about their first Christmas with the twins, and his hosting advice for Anne Hathaway and James Franco.

Neil will be returning to the New York stage in April, for a three night run of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. The performances will be presented by the New York Philharmonic and directed by Lonnie Price. There will be four shows across three days, running from April 7-9 at Avery Fisher Hall. He talked a little to the New York Times about the show, which you can read here.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 17th, and ticket prices start at $65. You can book at nyphil.org, by calling (212) 875-5656, or in person from the Avery Fisher Hall or the Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Neil will also be participating in San Francisco Sketchfest this year. After being forced to pull out last year due to work, he returns to the lineup to take part in “Brian Henson in Conversation with Neil Patrick Harris”, on January 23rd at 1pm at Cobb’s Comedy Club, and The Paul F Tompkins Show, January 23rd at 7pm.

Brian Henson is the Chairman of the Jim Henson Company and recently created and launched the company’s live stage show “Stuffed and Unstrung”. Tickets cost $45 and are available here.

The Paul F Tompkins Show will take place at Yoshi’s SF. Tickets cost $30 and are available online here.

A yearly favorite at SF Sketchfest, The Paul F. Tompkins Show is a variety show for the 21st Century. Neither a parody of, nor a slavish re-creation of, “olde-tyme sho-biz,” The Paul F. Tompkins Show combines comedy and music in a contemporary fashion. So… sorry, plate-spinning fans!

Paul welcomes friends Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Gillian Jacobs (Community), musical guest Tom Brosseau, and, as always, Eben Schletter and his band.

The Trevor Project have announced that Neil will be joining a number of star names for at this year’s Trevor LIVE event. Neil will be performing a duet with James Marsden at the event, which takes place Sunday, December 5th at the Hollywood Palladium.

Hollywood’s most talented and irreverent stars will gather at the Hollywood Palladium to celebrate “Trevor LIVE”, the annual show benefitting The Trevor Project on Sunday, December 5, 2010. Recognizing the suicide prevention efforts of community leaders, the Trevor Life Award honoree is Kathy Griffin, and Trevor Hope Award honoree is Levi Strauss & Co., with guest performances by Sarah Silverman, Wayne Brady, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris and James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Telly Leung, The Dan Band, and Tracie Thoms. This one-of-a-kind show is under the guidance of Special Guest Producing Director Adam Shankman, with Special Guest Musical Director Ricky Minor, Special Guest Choreographer Mia Michaels, and Special Guest Script Writers Carol Liefer and Bruce Vilanch.

“Trevor LIVE closes an historic year for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community as the tragic losses of young people have caused a resounding national outcry calling for an end to the bullying aimed at LGBTQ young people,” said Charles Robbins, Executive Director of The Trevor Project. “This event honors vanguards Kathy Griffin and Levi Strauss & Co. who are helping to usher in positive cultural change in this country. Their contributions to the LGBTQ community have always been significant, but especially recently, when young people looking for role models needed them, Kathy Griffin and Levi Strauss & Co. made their voices heard.”

Neil was the Trevor Life Award Honoree at last year’s event, and was elected to the board of directors earlier this year. Many ticket levels are already sold out but $100 tickets for the show only are still available, as well as some Platinum, Gold and Silver tickets. Visit http://bit.ly/TrevorLIVEtickets for details on what tickets are left and how to buy them.

Neil is also expected to be a guest on CBS show The Talk next Monday, November 22nd. The Talk airs 2-3pm ET and 1-2pm PT.