“According to Gina Gershon, who stars as Rose in the upcoming revival, the production has said bye bye to a frisky dance sequence that has been in the show since its debut in 1960. … So why is it too hot to handle in 2009? Gershon told The News’ theater critic Joe Dziemianowicz, ‘It seemed a little too gang rape-y.'”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
What Rocco Wants
“Perhaps it’s the momentousness of the task at hand, or maybe it’s trepidation in a new environment, but Landesman — somewhat uncharacteristically — is proceeding cautiously.” Even so, the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts “is an unabashed hawk on the issue of money; increased funding, he said, is one of the barriers the NEA needs to overcome if it intends to once more lead the country’s sprawling network of artists and arts organizations.”
Natural History Museum Head Took 5 Percent Pay Cut
“Ellen V. Futter, the president of New York’s American Museum of Natural History, took a 5 percent salary cut for the year that ended in June 2009, the museum said, as fundraising fell and staffing was reduced.” She earned $1.1 million the previous year. Other AMNH executives also took a 5 percent cut. “While ticketed attendance is up by more than a third since 2005, to about 10,000 a day, the recession has hurt the museum’s other revenue sources.”
Boston U. Lecture Is A McDonald’s Ad Shoot In Disguise
“This summer, some Boston University students thought they were attending a morning lecture by a renowned cultural anthropologist in an advertising class.” It was actually a shoot for a McDonald’s ad, in which “the students appear tired, dazed, and yawning until a crush of chipper uniformed McDonald’s workers, some actors and some real employees, swarmed into the lecture hall. They served everyone cups of iced and hot coffees. On camera, the students perked up and sipped their drinks.”
Bolshoi Academy Admits Its Fourth British Dancer Ever
“It is one of the most elite ballet schools in the world and has an impressive track record for producing some of the industry’s greatest stars. Now, a teenager from Watford is set to become only the fourth British youngster in 230 years to train at the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy.” If she makes it beyond the first year, the 16-year-old will have gotten farther than any of her British predecessors.
Parsing The President’s Vacation Reading List
“The Obama selection is not overtly controversial. In 2006, Bush’s list included The Great Influenza, about the 1918 flu. If Obama were reading that today while his White House was issuing a new report about the H1N1 virus, he’d start a national panic. But his list is also clearly not poll-tested. … [A]ll of Obama’s authors are white men. The subject of the longest book, John Adams, is a dead white male.”
If Only There’d Been Amazon Reviewers In Sophocles’ Time
“This is what makes citizen reviewers such a welcome addition to the body politic: Their courageous sniping from behind the bushes, emulating Ethan Allen and the Swamp Fox back in 1776, reaffirms that democracy functions best when you fire your musket and then run away. … I cannot help wondering what a typical Amazon.com review might have looked like had the Internet existed centuries ago….”
Movie Chains Yank Paid Listings From Newspapers
“The top two U.S. chains, Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc., have begun in recent months to reduce or eliminate the small-type listings showing the start times for movies at individual theaters. Theaters typically must pay newspapers to print that information. … [T]he theater chains are instead directing consumers to their Internet sites or third-party sites, like Fandango, Moviefone or Flixster….”
Judge Tosses Jewelry Lawsuit Vs. Gehry
“A lawsuit against Frank O. Gehry over an alleged agreement related to the proceeds from sales of jewelry designed by the famed architect was dismissed Monday by a Los Angeles judge. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jane L. Johnson granted a motion by Gehry’s lawyers to throw out the case on grounds that Fred Nicholas, who helped bring the suit, never demonstrated that such an agreement was in place. … Gehry and Nicholas, both 80, had been friends for about half their lives.”
At Long Last, Edinburgh Festivals To Unite Box Office
“Agreement has been reached which will see the creation of a ‘one-stop shop’ for tickets which promises to curb lengthy queues at festival venues across the city. It is also hoped to bring an end to the current situation which forces festival-goers to make different transactions for tickets for various Fringe venues, and events at the likes of the Book Festival, the Tattoo and the Edinburgh International Festival.”