Nancy Sinatra: “My father, Frank Sinatra, and singers like Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby and Perry Como fought for years for performance royalties from radio stations, arguing it was unfair that performers are not paid…. This fight isn’t just about featured artists. There are thousands of background singers and session musicians who deserve to be paid for their work, too.”
Tag: 08.04.09
Laramie Epilogue To Go National On Opening Night
“The creators of ‘The Laramie Project,’ the acclaimed play about the 1998 murder of a 21-year-old gay man, Matthew Shepard, are finishing work on an 80-minute epilogue to the original work that will be given its debut simultaneously at dozens of theaters across the United States on Oct. 12, the 11th anniversary of Mr. Shepard’s death. … Tectonic’s goal is to recruit 100 regional theaters, universities and other arts organizations to hold staged readings of the work….”
Index Of A Nation’s Well Being: Its Song Lyrics And Blogs
“In a new paper, a pair of statisticians at the University of Vermont argue that linguistic analysis — not just of song lyrics but of blogs and speeches — could add a new and valuable dimension to a growing area of mass psychology: the determination of national well-being.”
Florence Schumacher, Vital To Orange Co. Arts, Dies At 86
“Florence ‘Floss’ Schumacher, a doyenne of Orange County’s social and arts scene for nearly three decades who was instrumental in establishing the Orange County Performing Arts Center and several performing arts organizations, has died. … She played a key role in the beginnings of resident companies at the performing arts center — the Pacific Symphony, the Pacific Chorale, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the now-defunct Opera Pacific, which folded last year after 22 seasons.”
Could Even Cirque Du Soleil Fill The Kodak Year-Round?
The Los Angeles City Council is to vote today on whether to sponsor a $30 million loan for renovations to the glamorous but frequently dark Kodak Theatre, whose lease holders plan to sign Cirque du Soleil to a 10-year contract. “Designed to accommodate the Oscars and other red-carpet awards shows, the theater has not been an attractive venue for many other types of programs, and a good number have gone to competitors in Hollywood or the LA Live entertainment complex downtown.”
Mein Kampf Publishing Ban Stands In Germany
“Plans by German scholars to reprint Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ as an academic treatise were rejected by the state copyright holders, who said a new edition of the book could fuel support for far-right groups. The Bavarian authorities this week reaffirmed a 64-year-old ban on the book after the Munich-based Institute of Contemporary History, or IFZ, applied for permission to reprint the work.”
Prison Unlikely For Livent’s Fraudster Founders
“Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb are unlikely to spend more than a few hours in custody even if they are sentenced to a prison term tomorrow by Ontario Superior Court Justice Mary Lou Benotto. The Crown is seeking eight to 10 years in prison for the founders of Livent Inc.,” while “Drabinsky and Gottlieb are asking for conditional sentences or house arrest. … The legal precedents suggest a term much closer to what the prosecution is seeking….”
Oxfam Bookshops Doing Well — Too Well, Competitors Say
“They are complaining that the charity sells donated stock, receives 80% business rate reductions – as do other charities – and largely employs volunteers. The smaller running costs, they argue, allow it to undercut rivals. They say it is no surprise that Oxfam, which now has 130 specialist bookshops across the country, has become the biggest retailer of second-hand books in Europe.”
Skylight Soap Opera Is Ready For Its Close-Up
Ever since June, when it eliminated the position of artistic director and got rid of the beloved figure who held that job, Milwaukee’s Skylight Opera Theatre “has suffered demonstrations, petitions, mass resignations of performers, subscriber revolt and Facebook vitriol interpreted by management as violent threats. Happy, um, 50th birthday, Skylight.”