In January, Hulu decided, under network pressure, to stop carrying all but the five most recent episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, an oddball Danny DeVito series “that languished on FX until Hulu users made it one of the site’s most popular programs. … User reaction to the move was swift and predictable. ‘Well, off to the torrent sites,’ one wrote on Hulu’s Sunny forum.”
Tag: 05.12.09
KenCen’s Michael Kaiser Wins Peabody
“Michael Kaiser – president of the Kennedy Center, international arts management/rescue guru and compelling advocate for preserving artistic quality even in the face of financial meltdown – is the 2009 recipient of the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America. … He joins a starry roster of recipients, that since 1980, has included the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Quincy Jones and Eubie Blake.”
Ben-Hur, The Musical! In The Original Languages!
“On-stage chariot races, herds of horses, camels, vultures, eagles, 400 performers and a supporting cast which includes Jesus Christ, Tiberius Julius Caesar and Pontius Pilate … What else to do but set Ben-Hur the stage show in Latin and Aramaic?”
Calatrava Design For Atlanta Symphony Dumped
“Celebrated Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava’s dramatic, $300 million vision for Symphony Center will not survive a proposed change of location to the Woodruff [Arts Center] campus.” A Woodruff officer said, “to assume you could pick up that design and move it to a different site doesn’t make sense.”
Nottage To Speak In D.C. On Wartime Violence Vs. Women
“Lynn Nottage, who won the Pulitzer Prize in April for her play ‘Ruined,’ and Quincy Tyler Bernstine, an actress in the play’s current production in New York, will be in Washington on Wednesday to join activities linked to United States Senate hearings on rape and violence against women in so-called conflict zones, such as Congo and Sudan.”
Tight Funding Teaches Producers To Play Well With Others
The Cannes Film Festival may be a touch less glamorous this year. “But the international film industry is banding together more than ever to fight the financial crisis. In the absence of domestic funding from hedge funds and private investors, many of the festival’s high-profile films … had to scrape together a hodgepodge of support, including funding from foreign pockets and tax incentives.”
Louisville Orchestra Chief Exec Stepping Down
Louisville Orchestra chief executive officer Brad Broecker will step down this month from the position he’s held since 2006 at a salary of $1 per year. He took over “just after the orchestra averted bankruptcy, and quickly brought conductor Jorge Mester back to the organization. … His replacement will be Robert Birman, whom [Broecker] recruited last year as the orchestra’s chief operating officer.”
Palin Gets A Book Deal (No Comment On The Advance)
“Gov. Sarah Palin has signed a book deal with HarperCollins Publishers for what is described as her memoir. … Neither Palin nor HarperCollins would … say how much she was being paid. Asked why, the governor and 2008 Republican nominee for vice president said she didn’t want to distract from the substance of the book.”
Steppenwolf Plans To Bring Tracy Letts’s Latest To Broadway
“Talks and negotiations are in an advanced stage to bring Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts to Broadway in the fall, the Steppenwolf Theatre confirmed Tuesday, while insisting that no final contractual deal had been made.” Letts wrote the Tony-winning August: Osage County as well as the Off-Broadway hit (and film) Bug.
Utah’s Ballet West Cuts $1.2M From Budget
“Ballet West will cut four positions, freeze salaries, request furloughs and reduce pension contributions for its 35-member administrative staff, as part of a plan to reduce $1.2 million from the dance company’s operating budget for the 2009-2010 season.”