“Star power and visual razzle dazzle made for an entertaining evening at the Metropolitan Opera last night as the company celebrated its 125th anniversary with a sold out gala that raised $6.3 million.
Tag: 03.16.09
Actor And Activist Ron Silver, 62
A star of film (Reversal of Fortune, Enemies: A Love Story), stage (Speed-the-Plow, Hurlyburly) and television (The West Wing, Chicago Hope), Silver was also known for being the raging liberal firebrand who endorsed George W. Bush at the 2004 Republican convention.
Time‘s ’10 Ideas Changing The World Right Now’
The very model of a modern major mainstream newsweekly has got a little list, with items like making the interstate highway system into “a highway/light-rail/power-grid nexus,” a new kind of retail outlet called a “survival store,” Africa as business hub, recycling “underperforming asphalt” in suburbia, and the return of Calvinism.
BBC Says No To Seven Jewish Children
“In a move likely to resurrect the row over the BBC’s refusal in January to broadcast the appeal to help the people of Gaza, Radio 4 rejected an unsolicited manuscript of [Caryl Churchill’s] play, Seven Jewish Children, which recently finished a short run at the Royal Court theatre.” The deciding factors, sources say: the controversial nature of the play “and the fact that the BBC has only recently survived the onslaught of criticism for its refusal to broadcast the Gaza appeal.”
Hold Your Applause ‘Til We Read The Names Of All Winners
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, handing out its awards for 2008, shrugged off the notion of shining the spotlight on a single artist per category. “Take the category of lead performance. They couldn’t just name one winner, they picked six. Three of the five nominees in the director category were named winners. And a trio of shows took the honors for best production (or would that be ‘one of the best productions’?).”
Tax Incentives Aside, TV Leaves California To Shoot Pilots
At least half of the new hourlong pilots ordered by the Big Four networks and the CW will be shot outside California, despite that state’s recently passed tax-incentive program. “But that program is seen by many in the TV biz as too little too late, and with too many strings attached. … Producers of gameshows, talkshows, news programs, reality skeins, docus and porn need not apply; those types of productions are not eligible for the credit.”
Some Cheery Numbers At The Getty: Visitors Are Up
Yes, the Getty’s operating budget is being cut by almost 25 percent. “But one thing about the Getty that apparently is not dwindling with hard times is its appeal to the public.” Attendance has risen — “despite a 10% reduction in operating hours at the Getty Center” and higher parking fees. (One enticement: Admission is still free.)
Walker Art Center: Furloughs, Salary Freeze, But No Layoffs
“The Walker Art Center…, which has cut its budget by $1.1 million (5 percent) this fiscal year, will further reduce expenses by $900,000 (4 percent) in the next fiscal year, which begins in July. The combined cuts mean the Walker’s budget will drop from $21.3 million to $19.3 million.”
Temper, Temper! Mary Poppins Gets A New Song
“The Chicago production of ‘Mary Poppins’ (which is becoming the first national tour) is to feature a new song by composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe, replacing the number ‘Temper, Temper,’ which has been seen in all the other global ‘Poppins’ productions to date.”
Budget-Slashing Libraries Cut Selves From Grant Eligibility
“At a time when libraries are more popular than ever, residents in cities and towns across Massachusetts risk losing many of their borrowing rights as communities consider cutting library budgets below minimum levels set by the state. That would jeopardize their certification…, triggering a double penalty: They would no longer be eligible for the state grants that round out local library budgets, and their residents would be deprived of the ability to borrow from most other public libraries.”