Sophie Tucker

WATERTOWN — Sophie Tucker was considered a great entertainer in her day — which, incredibly, spanned the entire first half of the 20th century, from the “Ziegfeld Follies’’ to “What’s My Line?’’ — and Mary Callanan is never less than entertaining. So you’d think that a show featuring Callanan as Tucker would be guaranteed to amuse. But New Repertory Theatre’s “Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas,’’ despite Callanan’s powerhouse singing and warm engagement with the audience, never quite catches fire.

WATERTOWN — Sophie Tucker was considered a great entertainer in her day — which, incredibly, spanned the entire first half of the 20th century, from the “Ziegfeld Follies’’ to “What’s My Line?’’ — and Mary Callanan is never less than entertaining. So you’d think that a show featuring Callanan as Tucker would be guaranteed to amuse. But New Repertory Theatre’s “Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas,’’ despite Callanan’s powerhouse singing and warm engagement with the audience, never quite catches fire.

SYDNEY - A pet dog swept off a sailboat in choppy seas off Australia was found alive four months later on a remote island - and was returned to her family, who thought she was dead. The 4-year-old blue heeler, named Sophie Tucker, was captured by rangers last week on St. Bees Island in northern Queensland state, nearly 6 miles from where she was washed off the sailboat last November, owner Jan Griffith said. Rangers initially thought they had captured a wild dog, but friends who heard about the canine contacted Griffith and suggested it might be Sophie.

SYDNEY - A pet dog swept off a sailboat in choppy seas off Australia was found alive four months later on a remote island - and was returned to her family, who thought she was dead. The 4-year-old blue heeler, named Sophie Tucker, was captured by rangers last week on St. Bees Island in northern Queensland state, nearly 6 miles from where she was washed off the sailboat last November, owner Jan Griffith said. Rangers initially thought they had captured a wild dog, but friends who heard about the canine contacted Griffith and suggested it might be Sophie.

Video clips introduced Carol Channing before she appeared onstage Sunday at the Berklee Performance Center. There Channing was on "Hollywood Squares," and the question was, "What is the longest-lived of all the land creatures?," and the star had the answer, her lipsticked grin stretched out and up toward her ears. "Me," she said. Channing is, in fact, 83, but she doesn't seem to mind. The title of her one-woman show is "The First 80 Years Are the Hardest. " Channing left her signature blond wigs at home and appeared onstage with gray hair in unruly pigtails -- another wig?

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: The Actors Studio of Newburyport celebrates Women's History Month with music, dance, film, and theater throughout March. Kristen Miller - a cellist, singer, songwriter, and spoken word artist - presents "Cello Alchemy: Where Cello Meets Dance and Film. " On the cello, Miller premieres a live score to Ralph Steiner's short film "H2O," as well as several new pieces with fellow performance artist and dancers Billbob Brown and Meg Van Dyke. Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. next Sunday.

NEW YORK — Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to “Sing Along With Mitch’’ on television and records and produced hits for Tony Bennett, Patti Page, and other performers, has died at age 99. His daughter, Margaret Miller Reuther, said yesterday that Mr. Miller died Saturday in Lenox Hill Hospital after a short illness. Mr. Miller was a key record executive at Columbia Records in the era before rock ’n’ roll, making hits with singers Bennett, Page, Rosemary Clooney, and Johnny Mathis.